Babu, whose given name is Donald Zakao, is a storyteller living in Wamba, Kenya. Babu means “grandfather.” Donald has been called “Babu” since he was four years old. A gifted story teller, “The Thief’s Hand,” is a good example of his craft. You will find several other of his stories at my YouTube channel. These…
Category: Stories by “Babu” Zakayo
Omar
This story was told me by Donald “Babu” Zakayo, of Wamba, Kenya in the mid to late 1990s along with several other stories, a few of which I offer here. The edited transcription is mine. OMAR WAS NOT crazy before. When he was eighteen he was a little bit crazy, but the Muslim took care…
The Two Sons
This story was told me by Donald “Babu” Zakayo, of Wamba, Kenya in the late 1990s along with several other stories, a few of which I offer here. The edited transcription is mine. THE OLD MAN was very very old. He had two sons. Only. He was not rich. He was poor. Yes, he was…
Stories from Wamba, Kenya
Babu’s stories center on the life in the Samburu district of Northern Kenya. They are about the villagers of Wamba, and about the Samburu who live in the countryside with their cattle — their goats, cows, sheep, and camels. I first recorded stories by Babu, the owner along with his mother, Rose, of the now…
William Rubel 