Why the Bat Flies at Night
Original Ɔprapra Tu Anadwo
Story by: Akan Traditional Storyteller
Source: Akan Oral Tradition
Listen, children, to the tale of Ɔprapra the bat, who tried to belong to both worlds and ended up belonging to neither, teaching us about the importance of loyalty and choosing our allegiances wisely.
Long ago, when there was a great war between the birds and the beasts, Ɔprapra the bat tried to play both sides. When the birds were winning, he would fly among them saying, “See, I have wings like you! I am surely a bird!” But when the beasts were victorious, he would crawl among them saying, “Look, I have fur and teeth like you! I am clearly a beast!”
When peace finally came and both sides discovered his deception, they banished him from their communities. “You cannot fly with the birds in the daylight,” they declared, “for you betrayed our trust. And you cannot walk with the beasts in the day, for you proved disloyal to us as well.”
So Nyame decreed that Ɔprapra would fly only in the darkness, belonging fully to neither world, a reminder that those who refuse to stand for something will find themselves standing alone.
Onipa a ɔpɛ sɛ ɔyɛ biribiara no, ɔrennyɛ hwee - The person who wants to be everything becomes nothing.
This is why the bat flies alone in darkness, teaching us that it is better to choose our loyalties wisely and stand by them than to try to please everyone and end up trusted by none.
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