By: Chioma Madonna Ndukwu
Africa’s Talking Drum: The Goat Who Believed Every Praise
The elders of Nandala had a saying: “The ear that enjoys praise too much soon stops listening to wisdom.” Whenever children asked how such a thing could happen, the old people smiled and began the story of Goat.
Goat was not the strongest animal in the forest, nor the richest, nor the cleverest. What made him special was his willingness to help.
If an old stump blocked the footpath, Goat pushed it aside before anyone asked. If Weaver Bird needed dry twigs after a storm, Goat gathered them. When Hare twisted his leg during a race, Goat carried him home without expecting thanks.
One evening, Elephant watched Goat helping Buffalo pull a cart from the mud.
“You have done well today,” Elephant said. “The forest stands taller because of hands like yours.”
Goat bowed politely.
“I only did what any neighbour should do.”
Monkey, who never allowed a good moment to pass quietly, clapped from a nearby tree.
“Listen to that! Even Elephant is praising Goat.”
The animals laughed, and Goat laughed with them.
The words pleased him.
A few days later, Weaver Bird admired the neat fence Goat had built around her seedlings.
“If patience had a face,” she said, “it would look like yours.”
Goat thanked her and walked away smiling.
Not long after that, Tortoise visited him.
“I hear you repaired Warthog’s roof.”
“It was leaking,” Goat replied.
Tortoise chuckled.
“There seems to be nothing you cannot do.”
Goat laughed.
At least, he laughed at first.
Later that night, while lying beneath the stars, he found himself repeating Tortoise’s words.
“There seems to be nothing I cannot do.”
The thought returned the next day.Then the next. Before long, Goat no longer treated it as a compliment. He accepted it as the truth.
One afternoon, the animals gathered beneath the Great Baobab to settle a disagreement. Weaver Bird believed Nightingale deserved to lead the evening choir, while Hornbill insisted the honour belonged to Dove.
Elephant looked around.
“Who among us understands music well enough to judge?”
Before anyone answered, Goat stepped forward.
“I do.”
Monkey blinked.
“Since when?”
Goat smiled confidently.
“If I can solve many problems, surely I can settle one more.”
The birds sang one after another.
When they finished, Goat cleared his throat.
“I have made my decision.”
Every eye turned toward him.
“Hornbill wins.”
Hornbill stared at him.
“My friend, I did not sing.”
The gathering burst into laughter.
Goat forced a smile.
“I was only testing whether you were paying attention.”
Monkey laughed so hard that he nearly fell from his branch. The next morning, Goat found Fish swimming near the riverbank.
“You have been doing that the wrong way,” Goat announced.
Fish stopped.
“Doing what?”
“Swimming.”
Fish blinked.
“And what would be the right way?”
Goat pointed with his hoof.
“You should keep your head higher.”
Fish looked at the river, then back at Goat.
“My friend, if I keep my head where you want it, I shall stop being a fish.”
Even Crocodile laughed so loudly that birds flew from the reeds.
Instead of feeling embarrassed, Goat convinced himself the laughter meant admiration.
Within days, he was advising Hornbill how to fly straighter, teaching Mole how to dig faster, and explaining to Tortoise the best way to carry a shell.
The stories spread across Nandala, not because the animals wished to mock Goat, but because each one was funnier than the last. Only Elephant remained quiet.
One morning, a violent storm swept across the forest. Heavy rain loosened the earth, and the wooden bridge over Crocodile Stream collapsed, cutting off the path to the watering hole.
The animals gathered beneath the Great Baobab.
“We must rebuild the bridge before the river rises again,” Elephant said. “Who among us has the skill to lead the work?”
Goat stepped forward before anyone else could speak.
“I shall do it.”
Elephant looked at him kindly.
“Have you ever built a bridge?”
Goat smiled.
“I have never failed at anything I have tried.”
Elephant held his gaze for a moment.
Then he nodded.
“If the forest agrees, the task is yours.”
The animals exchanged uncertain glances, but no one objected. After all, Goat had earned their respect through years of kindness.
Perhaps, they thought, confidence was exactly what the job required. None of them knew that confidence without humility is like a ladder resting on empty air…
The next morning, the animals gathered at Crocodile Stream. Buffalo dragged heavy logs, Beaver trimmed sturdy beams, Monkey fetched vines, and Weaver Bird showed the younger animals how to tie them.
Goat walked about giving instructions.
“Put the biggest logs on top,” he said.
Beaver shook his head. “The strongest beams belong underneath.”
Goat waved him aside. “Trust me.”
The animals reluctantly obeyed.
By noon, the bridge looked magnificent.
Goat stepped onto it proudly.
“You see? I told you I could build a better bridge than anyone.”
Before the last word left his mouth, the bridge groaned, the vines snapped, and Goat plunged into the river with a mighty splash.
Monkey laughed until tears filled his eyes.
“My teacher,” he called, “shall Fish show you how to swim now?”
Even Elephant smiled as Buffalo pulled Goat safely to shore.
After Goat caught his breath, Elephant sat beside him.
“Do you know why the bridge collapsed?”
Goat lowered his head.
“I thought praise meant I knew everything.”
Elephant nodded.
“That is the danger of believing every compliment. The day we stop listening, we stop growing.”
Goat sighed.
“I should have listened to Beaver.”
“And to Fish,” Monkey added with a grin.
The animals laughed, and this time Goat laughed too.
The bridge was rebuilt before sunset under Beaver’s guidance, with Goat working quietly beside the others.
From that day, whenever anyone praised him, Goat simply smiled and said, “Thank you, but I still have much to learn.”
That is why the elders of Nandala always remind their children, “The tree with the sweetest fruits bows the lowest.”
Moral
Praise is a gift, but it becomes dangerous when it blinds us to our own limitations. True greatness is not measured by how much others admire us, but by our willingness to keep learning, listen to wise counsel, and remain humble.
Comment Hook
Have you ever seen someone change because of too much praise, or has a compliment ever made you overestimate yourself? Share your thoughts in the comments, and don’t forget to pass this story on, someone you know may need its lesson today.
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