Jakkals en Wolf ("Fox/jackal and Wolf") is the general/generic Afrikaans title for a number of South Africa children's fables, featuring the battle between the sly fox and the slow-witted wolf.

Sometimes the names are inverted to Wolf en Jakkals.

Origins of the Jakkals en Wolf stories

The characters and the basic interaction between them a familiar feature of South African life through the fables of the Khoi peoples, originally collated and retold by the cartographer and author G.R. von Wielligh (1859–1932)[1] in his collection Dierestories ("animal tales") that first appeared in 1907, as well as a number of later volumes. The lively and humoristic stories take us back to a time "when animals talked", among them the gluttinous wolf, usually tricked by the wily jackal.

The set of fables was enhanced by the engaging cartoons created by T.O. Honiball (1905-1990)[2] and published as a regular feature in Die Jongspan, an influential children's magazine, between 1942 and 1971. (They were also collated in 14 published volumes between 1943 and 1978.)

Other influences in establishing the "Jakkals en Wolf" tales as a national cultural treasure, were the other collections of the tales inspired by Von Wielligh and collated and published by prominent authors including the cultural historian Pieter W. Grobbbelaar (1930-2013)[3] and the author/publiser Leon Rousseau (1931-2016)[4]

Theatre versions of the stories

Wolf en Jakkals A set of three short puppet plays by Marie Kruger

The original text

The title is a collective one, the individual texts are subtitled as follows:

Jakkals Hou sy Lyf Dokter ("Jackal acts the doctor")

Wolf Leer Ken die Rondekop-gedierte ("Wolf gets to know the round-headed monster")

Die Hangklip ("The hanging rock")

The texts are unpublished, but a bound copy of the original typed text was found in the Stellenbosch Drama Department archives in 2022.

Translations and adaptations

Performance history in South Africa

Jakkals hou sy Lyf Dokter performed by Matie Poppekas, directed by Marie Kruger, with puppeteers Erik de Waal and Lanelle .

Sources

https://af.wikipedia.org/wiki/G.R._von_Wielligh

http://lapa.bookslive.co.za/blog/2011/07/29/leon-rousseau-verduidelik-die-oorsprong-wolf-in-die-kaskenades-van-jakkals-en-wolf/

https://af.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pieter_W._Grobbelaar

https://www.litnet.co.za/leon-rousseau-1931/

Marie Kruger. Bound copy of the original typed text for the puppet plays titled Wolf en Jakkals, found in the Stellenbosch Drama Department archives in 2022.

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