A long time ago, there were parts of the African continents where flies were a delicacy. While some communities enjoyed this delicacy, there were those whose culture did not allow them to eat flies because of the belief that they were dirty creatures.

This conflict of interest did not stop people from different tribes from being friends as they met in markets and other places of amusement.

Two men from these two tribes that had a difference in interest often met at the riverside to fish. While one of them hated flies that were there in numbers because of the fish, the other collected them as a delicacy that he could take home at the end of the day.

But in the process of the collection, he made it a point that he does not show the friend who complained all the time about the increasing number of flies.

After having been friends for a long time, the two men decided that they could start off sealing their friendship by having the son of the man whose tribe hated flies visit the friend.

They planned for the day when the boy could come to the riverside and accompany his father’s friend to his home. It was exciting for the boy, as it would give him time to stay away from the looking after cattle, a chore that he did not particularly like.

The first evening with his hosts
was quite different as he was served with a meal he had never tasted in his life – flies. But the host’s wife later thought about it and came to
the conclusion that it was taboo for the boy’s family to eat flies.They prepared more delicious meals for
the boy in an attempt to make him forget but he could not.

On a day before his departure for home, the two hosts called their guest and asked him about the report he would give to his parents when he arrived home.

Excited about the trip, the boy recounted to his hosts how they had taken care of him nicely and how he would tell his parents about the wonderful reception. Thinking that he had forgotten about the first meal, they avoided mentioning the type of food that had been prepared for him by name.

But when they asked for the details on how he had been treated, they discovered that the boy had not forgotten anything and went on to mention how had been given a delicious meal of flies on the first day.

Disappointed and afraid that this revelation would interfere with the relationship that existed between the two families, they asked the boy to stay on for a couple more days.

He did stay for a few more days and when he was asked again about the report he would give to his parents, flies were top on the list of the new things he had tasted and although they had slaughtered a goal for him, he was quick to list flies top of his list.

The two hosts were worried that this report could destroy the relationship that existed between the two families and asked the boy to stay on for a few more days.

Again, when asked about the report he would give to his parents upon arrival to his home, he went through the same report he had given and again flies were the top on the list of the delicacies that he had been treated to.

Since the trip had been cancelled several times before, the hosts decided that they should just let him go and then leave the rest to fate.

When the boy arrived home, he gave a report; he thought impressed his parents but mentioned the flies that had been served to him the first day of his visit.

His parents were disappointed and angry but could not say anything about it in front of their son. It was against the traditions of the tribe to discuss things like this in front of children because there had been incidents where serious tribal conflicts had erupted because of one wrong move.

The two parents discussed this matter on their own and decided to report to the elders. There was a possibility that the two tribes could go to war if this issue was revealed because eating flies was taboo to the other tribe.

The elders from the two tribes then met and decided that it would be unfair to ask for any punishment to be meted out because the couple had fed their visitor on flies out of ignorance.

The two parents decided that instead of making the two tribes to go to war they should rather just send a message to the hosts of their child and express their displeasure about the whole thing.

It was discovered that they had not done it intentionally and had only realised about the fact that the other tribe did not approve of eating flies way after the boy had consumed them.

A bitter tribal war was avoided because of the diplomatic way the parents of this boy handled the whole issue which could have been nasty.

Although such situations had caused a lot of problems where families were known to even attack each other and even do a lot harm, the two families strengthened their friendship, knowing that they understood each other better.

It was always felt that this kind of friendship was solid and each time the two fathers went to the riverside to fish, they understood where each one came from.

Next time when it was time for the son of the other fisherman to go and visit the father’s friends, he was told very clearly that he had to be careful not to eat things that their tribe did not approve of.