Minnesotans mourn loss of Black Storytellers Alliance President Nothando Zulu

CATHY WURZER: Folks in parts of Minnesota are mourning the passing of a beloved storyteller. A voice you've heard on MPR News over the years. Nothando Zulu has died at the age of 78. The president and co-founder of the local chapter of the Black Storytellers Alliance has been on MPR's airwaves many times over the years. She shared a New Year's story on this show back in January.

And in 1995, she talked with MPR News about the role a storyteller plays in a community.

NOTHANDO ZULU: To tell the history too through story, to tell the values, to keep the mores and all of that going, without having to preach. You see, the preacher tends to be the great storyteller. But some people don't like being preached to in that manner. But you can give them the same kind of information through story without preaching.

CATHY WURZER: Master storyteller Nothando Zulu was a great example of this. To remember her, we're going to hear a story she told for Kwanzaa back in 1992.

NOTHANDO ZULU: Well, I'm going to tell this story about the cat and the dog. Because this particular story talks about a couple of things. It talks about the principle of Imani, which is faith, and the principle of cooperative economics.

Now, a long time ago, when animals talked, the cat and the dog were the best of friends. They did everything together. Absolutely everything. They went to school together. They went to the library together. They went to the movies together. And one day, they even got a chance to paint a mural on the side of the school together. That's how great of friends they were.

Well anyway, one day, they had been at a lecture thing that their parents had told them that they needed to go to. And it was boring. And besides, when they got done, they were extremely hungry. And they wanted to go and get their favorite food, which you wouldn't know, but I know was cheese.

Now you see, they had some money left over from their allowances. So they decided to put their money together, practicing cooperative economics, and go to the co-op to get themselves a nice piece of cheese. Now they went to the co-op, because you can get more for your money and it's better quality. So they went to the co-op and they looked around at all of the cheeses. And they sniffed cheeses and pinched the cheeses until they discovered the one that they really wanted.

So they paid for the cheese, and then they went walking home. Well, Brother Dog carried the cheese first. And as he carried the cheese, he sang a song.

(SINGING) Our cheese, our cheese. I'm carrying our cheese. Our cheese, our cheese. I'm carrying our cheese.

So then he asked Sister Cat if she would like to carry the cheese for a while, and she said, yes, I would. And she took the cheese and she also sang a song. She sang--

(SINGING) My cheese, my cheese. I'm carrying my cheese.

Now Brother Dog, he didn't want to jump all on her case, because he thought maybe she misunderstood what he had sung. So he said, Sister Cat, maybe I should carry the cheese again for a while. And listen closely to my song, would you? She said, OK. And so he took the cheese and again, he sang a song.

(SINGING) Our cheese, our cheese. I'm carrying our cheese. Oh, how we love cheese.

He said, Sister Cat, we're almost home now. You want to carry the cheese the rest of the way? She said, yes, I sure would. And she took the cheese. And she, again, sang this song.

(SINGING) My cheese, my cheese. I'm carrying my cheese. I'm going to eat all the cheese.

Well, when Brother Dog heard this, he said, now Sister Cat, why are you singing that silly song? Don't you know that we put our money together? We practice cooperative economics. Now, you shouldn't be singing that silly song. But she just ignored Brother Dog and kept on singing.

(SINGING) My cheese, my cheese. I'm going to eat all the cheese.

About this time, she was almost home, and that tree that was right by the house, well, she ran right up to the top of that tree, and she ate every piece of that cheese.

[SMACKING LIPS]

Licked her paws clean. And Brother Dog, well, the only thing he could do was run to the bottom of the tree and bark.

[BARKS]

Because he was upset. But he couldn't climb a tree. And then he looked up at Sister Cat. He said, Sister Cat, why would you do that? I had faith in you. And we put our money together to do this. And we're supposed to be the best friends. And you ate all of the cheese? She said, well, well it was like this, see, it was only a tiny bit of cheese. And besides that, I was hungrier than you. And anyway, I won and you lost, so--

[TEASING SOUNDS]

Brother Dog, he just looked up at her. He said, I lost a piece of cheese. But you lost something more important. You lost my friendship. Because I will never be your friend again. And from that day to this, you just look out your door and you'll see a dog chasing a cat. Because he remembers that Sister Cat ate all of the cheese.

CATHY WURZER: Nothando Zulu will be remembered at the Annual Black Master Storytellers Festival, which she co-founded with her husband more than 30 years ago. The event is scheduled for September 28th through the 30th at the Capri Theater in North Minneapolis.