When saying riddles, the challenger says "saku saku", the rest reply "Soma" (meaning literally, READ). Then he gives the riddle and one person gives the meaning.
One riddle that was brought up says in the local dialect "Mfite abaserikare batatu omwe nabura ndarurara" (I have 3 soldiers; when one is absent, i go without food). The answer was given promptly by one of them: It was "Amahega" (cooking stones). In Africa, the traditional stove or cooker was composed of 3 stones placed in a triangular shape close to each other. The food in a cooking pot is placed on top of the 3 stones (amahega), and firewood is placed under the pot (between the 3 stones) and lit with fire. More firewood is added to keep the fire burning until the food is ready.
The idea behind the riddle is that if one of those stones(soldiers) is removed, the family will not cook that day hence going hungry.
In African culture, the use of riddles, stories and wise sayings is a common tool used in a home setting to teach important values and life lessons to children. Here we are....
