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DARKNESS AND THE
BUTTERFLY STUDY GUIDE
compiled by Jody Terio
for little red theatre
DARKNESS AND THE BUTTERFLY
by Ann Grifalconi
No matter what her mother or grandfather said, when evening came Osa would
not leave her house. She would sit in the corner hugging her knees to her
chin and her eyes would grow big and black with fear. And she would stay
that way refusing food and comfort until she fell asleep. Her mother would
lift her gently and tuck her into bed wishing she could find some way to
show Osa not to fear - but to know the beauties of the night.
During the day Osa was afraid of nothing she could see for while Osa was
very small, she was lively. She could climb anything three times her size
even the big Baobab Tree. Osa was very curious and each day she spent
hours exploring every part of the valley where they lived. She loved to
bring home the special things she found: some pretty wildflowers for her
mother, a bright leaf or bird's feather for her grandfather and some
colored stones to keep. But when nighttime fell, fearless Daytime Osa
became just as fearful as before! She would not stop trembling even when
her mother gave Osa a chain of bright red worry beads to comfort her.
Would Osa never give up her fear of night?
One afternoon when Osa had been wandering about the valley looking for
more colored stones, she lost her way. Osa sat down to think for a minute
when suddenly, sparkles of light dazzled her eyes! Osa stood up and saw
that the sunlight reflected from some bottles stuck on almost every branch
of the trees that surrounded a bright pink house on the hill ahead! They
were the "bottle trees" of the Wise Woman. Her Mama had told her that was
how the wise woman made sure the friendly ancestor spirits who lived in
the trees would stay and protect her home.
Everyone said the Wise Woman knew many
things: how to find wild herbs to heal sick people... even how to explain
your dreams! Then a yellow butterfly fluttered past Osa, flying to the
dazzling light of the bottle trees. Osa ran after it, toward the house on
the hill.
The wise woman was standing outside sorting fragrant leaves into piles.
She showed Osa how to thread the leaves upon the string and help Osa climb
a ladder to hand the strings of herbs from the roof poles. Working
together all afternoon like that, they soon became friends. Finally they
sat down to rest and drink some tea. The wise woman say that Osa was
getting sleepy and lifted her onto her lap. "you have been so nice to help
me, Osa and so brave to go up that tall ladder". Osa hung her head "I'm
not so brave - not at night". Osa felt a shiver go through her. The wise
woman hugged her close, "I know how you feel Osa. I grew up in the woods
and sometimes when I was alone I used to get scared, too - especially at
night!" Osa clutched the Wise Woman's hand. "It's just that darkness hides
everything. There are spirits wandering about in the dark of night. The
could catch me with their long legs - grab me with their long, slippery
fingers and EAT me. I could never run fast enough. I am so small." The
wise woman smiled "But look at the little butterfly, Osa. She must think
she is the smallest of the small....darkness pursues her too - yet she
flies on!" Sleepily Osa thought "Maybe she has a secret....but I have no
wings to fly" Then Osa heard the Wise Woman's soft voice " You will find
your own way...you will see". And Osa fell into a deep sleep.
She was still in the lap of the wise woman who was smiling down at her.
Osa told her all about the dream. The yellow butterfly flew by and landed
on the palm of her hand. "Maybe I can be as brave as she is?" And the wise
woman nodded. "Now it is time to fly Osa, it's getting dark." "I think I
can go by myself", Osa said and realized that she wasn't afraid anymore.
Osa raced home as fast as a butterfly, all the way to her village....and
she was not afraid. She was so excited to tell her mother. "Mama, I can be
as brave as the butterfly...SEE!" Osa and her mother began to laugh
happily together until the whole family joined in.
And that is how it came about that Osa - smallest of the small - found the
way to carry her own light through the darkness for all the days and
nights of her life to come.
Comments on the Story
This African story was of great interest to me when I read it a few years
ago because it is a story in the feminine perspective. This story is
simple and transcendant. It is not a how to manual on the ways to conquer
our fear of the dark. It is a magical journey, a "spiritual awakening" of
a child, something that happens because it is the right moment in her
journey.
This mode of thought is now being appreciated by those of us born into a
culture that has measured things in terms of linear time and space for a
long time. Although our minds doubt the possibilities of experiences that
are magical, sometimes stories provide a gateway that we can enter into a
new state of appreciation for the unexplainable. This is a "shamanic
journey" which has been taken by many cultures at many times in the past.
We have not shared this wisdom in our culture because of the repression of
the feminine and the propaganda which has led people to de-value these
experiences. It has only been in the last 20 years or so that a strong
voice, representing the feminine and the magical has been heard above the
old male chorus. And it is this voice that will link up our children to
that imaginative part of them. To have this part of them honoured will
keep them in touch with the feminine side of themselves and the direct
results will be appreciation for nature and its ongoing magic, a love of
the earth and its abundance and an appreciation for the divine gift of
dreams which hold many secrets to our evolution.
Fear of the dark is a symbolic theme, measuring all of our fears against
the unknown, the fear that we may not survive in the midst of the
darkness. It's only through exploring the dark in a magical dream that Osa
finds the friendliness in the night sky and is able to calm her fear. In
the light of the stars there is comfort from the eyes that glow in the
dark and the long slippery fingers that might grab her any moment.
I want children to learn about other cultures, their "wise woman", stories
and ideas of a similar style both past and present and I encourage you to
find ways that children might appreciate the story in their own terms.
DARKNESS AND THE BUTTERFLY takes place in Africa in a country called The
Republic of Cameroon. (see map for exact geographical location).
THE REPUBLIC OF CAMEROON
Located on the western coast of Africa, Cameroon's high mountains, ocean
beaches, broad grasslands and semi-arid scrublands are typical of Africa's
varied landscapes. Cameroon's mountainous topography and its location on
the Gulf of Guinea affect the country's climate. Average temperatures are
high and often exceed 90 degrees Fahrenheit in the north. Damp, moist air
above the Atlantic and hot, dry air over the Sahara Desert north of the
country combine to form three broad climate zones in Cameroon. These zones
are known as tropical wet, tropical wet/dry and semi-arid.
The vegetation on this country falls into three broad types - forest,
savanna and scrubland. Tropical rain-forests, mangrove forests and
deciduous trees are represented in the country of Cameroon. The tropical
rain forests have oil palms, bamboo, mahogany, teak, ebony, and rubber.
Mangrove forests consist of large evergreens that grow along the muddy
banks of rivers and the rainy coast. Savannas dominate both the rolling
plains in the north and the Adamawa Plateau. Thick woodland with a ground
cover of grass characterizes the southern part. Farther north the
vegetation changes to open grassland with scattered deciduous trees. The
scrubland in the extreme north of the country is barren much of the year.
Cameroon is home to much wildlife. Elephants, rhinoceroses,
hippopotamuses, hyenas, baboons and anteaters live on the savannas while
buffalo, giraffes and antelope graze there. Lions, panthers and cheetahs
prey on grazing animals and many of these animals thrive in the southern
forests as well. Gorillas, flamingos, ibis, kingfishers and storks inhabit
the wetlands. In the mountains scientists have found unusual types of mice
which glide from tree to tree as well as rare frogs, toads and lizards.
In 1988 10.5 million people lived in Cameroon. The population is growing
at a very fast rate of 2.6% per year. At this birth rate, the numbers of
Cameroonians will double in 26 years. About 58% of Cameroon's people
reside in rural regions using traditional farming methods to harvest food.
The Cameroonian diet consists mostly of foods such as roots, tubers,
millet, fish and milk from dairy animals. Corn, cassavas, tomatoes and
sweet potatoes have been introduced from other countries and are now grown
widely. Coffee and cotton are Cameroon's chief exports.
As in many developing countries, Cameroon's high health risks are related
to unsafe drinking water, inadequate sanitation, nutritionally poor diets
and lack of basic medical care. Malaria, sleeping sickness, river
blindness are all spread by insects carrying parasites. Typhoid fever and
cholera also cause many health problems in Cameroon.
More than 200 ethnic groups live in Cameroon. The languages introduced to
this region by the colonial powers have created a country that speaks both
French and English as well as about two hundred African languages.
Three different foreign nations used their power to control the Cameroons.
Germany in 1884 took colonies and after World War 1, the French took over
the eastern part of the country while the British occupied the western
part. The Cameroons is the only African nation that officially uses the
French and English languages. Cameroons received its independence in 1960.
Urban areas are growing quickly and as a side effect so are unemployment
and crime. However, Cameroon's economic outlook is more positive than that
of many of its neighbours. With the help of diverse resources, French
assistance, economic planning and the discover of oil, Cameroon has
enjoyed long term economic growth since the 1970's.
Music and dance play a central part of many religious and social functions
in Cameroon. Births, rites of passage into adulthood, wedding and funerals
all have special dances and music. Instruments such as drums, xylophones,
rattles and scrapers create those unique African sounds. Traditional art
is often functional rather than simply decorative and often has a
religious meaning. Dancers wear finely carved masks during special
occasions and masks are housed in shrines when not in use. Oral traditions
and spoken literature bring Cameroonians into contact with the world of
their ancestral spirits.
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Osa's family live near the Adamawa plateaus in Central Cameroons. The
plateaus are on average 2,000 feet above sea level and support thick
forest and wide savannas. In the western part, the soil consists of old
volcanic lava that rests upon a granite base. (Ann Grifalconi writes a
story called "The Village of Round and Square Houses" which talks about
the volcanoes and one of the effects on their culture).
The Baobab Tree
This is a tree native to Africa. It has a barrel like trunk which can
reach up to a diameter of 9 metres (30 Feet). Large gourdlike woody fruit
contains tasty mucilaginous pulp. Fibre from the bark is used for rope and
cloth and trunks are used as water reserves. In Arabian legends it is said
the "the devil plucked up the Baobab tree, thrust its branches into the
earth and left its roots in the air."
The Play
This play is simple and understandable for young children. The appropriate
age level is Ages 4 - 9 and they will be able to articulate this story and
discuss what they saw with their classmates after the production.
This production is very strong visually with recreations of the huts of
the Cameroons done in cloth and frames. We bring in extensive lighting
equipment to give our show the qualities of light and dark which cannot be
transmitted in a florescent gymnasium. Shadow puppets describe the
countryside of Africa and back lighting allows us to bring some of our
action into natural shadows. Masks and beautiful costumes compliment an
exquisite set which includes our shadow screen and the two huts where the
action takes place. Music has been composed for the production and
scripting is simple and easy to understand for even ESL students. Three
actors perform the various roles in the play.
The Trickster
In our play we introduce a character which is not in the book and can be a
little confusing. This character is called "The Trickster".
The purpose of the trickster was to create a follow through line in the
play allowing events to be linked together smoothly. Because we cannot
create a village with other children and families all living and working
together, at least not for a touring show, we chose the trickster as the
"all purpose" playmate and link up between scenes.
In the play Darkness and the Butterfly, Osa can see the trickster but her
mother cannot.
The mythological character generically called the Trickster has many
dimensions and roles. Often he is called Trickster-Transformer, to
emphasize the fact that he is not single-natured but a culture hero who
transforms aspects of the world for our benefit, as well as a player of
pranks. According to Paul Radin, author of a pioneering study of this
figure, Trickster is "at one and the same time, creator and destroyer,
giver and negator, he who dupes others and who is always duped himself".
Although trickster has the qualities of a animal, he is not a little furry
creature with cunning ways. He possesses and embodies the essence of the
animal and it is unrewarding to try to pin down his form precisely and
consistently.
23 Copies of Darkness and the Butterfly written and illustrated by Ann
Grifalconi are available in the Toronto Public Library and may be ordered
by direct computer line in the library or possibly by phone with your
library card. The book is very beautiful to look at and we hope that you
will find it for your students. It is also hoped that teachers will
prepare and followup with some of the questions that we list on the
following pages in order to help the children to understand more about the
African culture which is the setting for this story.
Ann Grifalconi also wrote "Osa's Pride" and "The Village of Round and
Square Houses" both of which are available at your local libraries.
PREPARATION FOR DARKNESS AND THE BUTTERFLY
1. Find the story Darkness and the Butterfly at your local library.
2. Discuss the geography of the place where this story takes place.
3. Follow up with another story or stories in Africa which express its
culture.
FOLLOWUP QUESTIONS AFTER DARKNESS AND THE BUTTERFLY
1: Did your students understand that Osa was dreaming when she turned into
a butterfly?
a) Did they understand that when Osa dreamt she was a butterfly, she saw
that the night sky was full of light and really wasn't that dark at all?
b) If they could fly close to the stars what would they be able to see?
2. Talk to your class about their fears of the dark. Let them tell their
own stories. Ask them what they need when they are afraid. What brings
them comfort?
3. Ask them if they could be any animal which one would they like to be.
If they were that animal would it help them with their fears.
a) Take 10 minutes and let them explore through their bodies, the feelings
of those animals. Let them move around with it for awhile. Set up this
exercise with clear boundaries so that they are not obliged to socialize
in their animals. Let interaction be an option.
b) Have them describe their experiences.
Our wish at LITTLE RED THEATRE is that your kids enjoy our production of
Darkness and the Butterfly and............
* learn more about the culture of Africa!
* solve problems in new ways!
* respect their dreams and fears!
* use their imaginations!
If you would like to send us mail.....
OUR ADDRESS:
little red theatre
25 Beaty Avenue
Toronto ON
M6K 3B3
E-Mail:
info@littleredtheatre.on.ca
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