Kingfisher To The King - Malachite Kingfisher

The town of Stellenbosch in the Western Cape is a magnet for tour-ist buses.

- Willem Hendrik Gispen

Opposite one of their regular stops, a shop selling African art and souvenirs is identified by the giraffes, elephants, antelopes and hippos, some as tall as a man, that occupy the pavement outside. It’s almost impossible for passersby not to step inside, which is exactly what Salifoy Mbouombouo – Sali to his friends – wants. He’s the 44-year-old Cameroonian who has been running the shop for years. He’s also an artist, capturing images from African culture in wood and on paper and canvas.

An amiable man, Sali was born in the village of Foumban, which lies in the kingdom of Bamoun in western Grassfields, but he has lived and worked in South Africa for many years. One day I stopped by his store to discuss birds in African culture. This is when he told me a fascinating kingfisher story from Cameroon.

The kingfisher in Sali’s story is the small and brilliantly coloured Malachite. It is often found alone, perched on a branch next to a small river. ‘This bird belongs to the king,’ says Sali matter-of-factly. Astonished, I look up. ‘What did you say?’ I ask. ‘It belongs to the king,’ he repeats, ‘so no-one is allowed to hunt it or kill it with a catapult.’

Before I can react further, he continues, ‘If a Bamoun sees this blue kingfisher perched in a tree, he looks carefully to see which way its beak is pointing because in that direction the river is rich in fish.’

‘But how do you know that this kingfisher belongs to the king?’ I ask, intrigued. Sali answers, ‘That story is passed on from generation to generation. Actually, I’m the grandson of the great King Njoya.’ Seeing the disbelief in my eyes, he walks over to one of the books for sale,