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Themba umtsengisi wabhanana
Tom the banana seller
Tom le vendeur de bananes
Humphreys Odunga
Zablon Alex Nguku
Phumla Madonsela
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Themba utfwele ikhredi yemabhanana lavutsiwe.
Tom carries a tray of ripe bananas.
Tom transporte un plateau de bananes mûres.
Themba uya emakethe kuyotsengisa bhanana.
Tom goes to the market to sell bananas.
Tom va au marché pour vendre des bananes.
Emakethe bantfu batsenga titselo.
People at the market are buying fruit.
Les gens au marché achètent des fruits.
Kepha akekho namunye lotsenga emabhanana aThemba.
Bantfu banconota kutsenga titselo kubesifazane.
But no one is buying
Tom’s bananas.
They prefer to buy fruit from women.
Mais personne n’achète les bananes de Tom. Ils préfèrent acheter leurs fruits des femmes.
Bantfu bavame kutsi: “Emimmangweni yakitsi, besifazane bodvwa labatsengisa titselo.”
Bantfu bebatibuta batsi: “Yindvodza lenjani lena?”
“In our community, only women sell fruit,” people say. “What kind of a man is this?” people ask.
« Dans notre communauté, seulement les femmes vendent des fruits, » disent les gens. « Quelle sorte d’homme est celui-ci ? » demandent les gens.
Kepha Themba akatange akushaye mkhuba loko.
Watichubekela ngekutsengisa abuye amemetele atsi: “Tsengani emabhanana ami! Tsengani emabhanana ami lanongotelako futsi lavutsiwe”.
But Tom does not give up.
He calls, “Buy my bananas!
Buy my sweet ripe bananas!”
Mais Tom ne démissionne pas. Il crie, « Achetez mes bananes ! Achetez mes bananes mûres et sucrées ! »
Lomunye wesifazane wafika watsi cuku sikhehle sabhana ekhredini yaThemba.
Wasibukisisa ngekucophelela sikhehle sabhanana.
One woman picks up a bunch of bananas from the tray.
She looks at the bananas carefully.
Une femme choisit un régime de bananes du plateau. Elle inspecte les bananes soigneusement.
Lowesifazane wakutfokotela kusitsenga lesikhehle semabhanana aThemba.
The woman buys the bananas.
La femme achète les bananes.
Ngemva kwaloko bantfu labanyenti beta kutotsenga emabhanana kuThemba.
Bebatsenga emabhanana aThemba babuye bawadle.
More people come to the stall.
They buy Tom’s bananas and eat them.
D’autres personnes viennent au stand. Elles achètent les bananes de Tom et les mangent.
Ngesikhashana lesincane ikhredi beseyingenalutfo.
Themba wabala imali lekayizuzile ngalelolanga.
Soon, the tray is empty.
Tom counts the money he earned.
Bientôt, le plateau est vide. Tom compte l’argent qu’il a gagné.
Wasuka lapho waya kuyotsenga insipho, shukela kanye nesinkhwa. Watifaka tonkhe tintfo takhe ekhredini.
Then Tom buys soap, sugar, and bread.
He puts the things in his tray.
Ensuite, Tom achète du savon, du sucre et du pain. Il met les choses sur son plateau.
Themba wayihlalisisa kahle ikhredi yakhe layetfwele enhloko, wachubeka wahamba waya ekhaya.
Tom balances the tray on his head and goes home.
Tom balance le plateau sur sa tête et rentre chez lui.
Written by: Humphreys Odunga
Illustrated by: Zablon Alex Nguku
Translated by: Phumla Madonsela
