Nala Sings, by Nonikiwe Mashologu (Sesotho)

Singing was Nala’s favourite thing to do. Sadly, though, she was not allowed to sing while she was beside the river.

“Don’t ever go to the river,” the parents of the village always warned, because they feared Ledimo, the giant ogre, would take the children.

But Nala loved the sound of the river. It made her parents’ warning fade away. She listened to the gentle flow of the water with the Upupa birds singing in the distance, and then created beautiful melodies in tune with the calming sounds around her.

One day Nala decides to take a risk, and goes to the river alone, where she meets Ledimo. Ledimo discovers something about Nala that he feels will help him. What does Ledimo want with Nala? Will she be able to get away in time?

Bina Nala is a popular folktale, infused with the beauty of nature that reimagines the much-loved African folktale, Tselane and the Giant, originally written in Setswana.