A long time ago, there was a tribe in the African mountains, which was known for being cursed.Their primitive huts were surrounded by dense forest, inhabited by predatory animals and monkeys, preventing them from entering the area alone for fear of attack. A poor woman, Amina, and her sick husband were living in this tribe.One day, her husband succumbed to a disease, leaving her alone and pregnant, with no way to earn money. Amina turned to her neighbors for help, but she was denied, as they were struggling to provide for their own families.  With no other options, she decided to venture in the forest to find food.  It was known that in the middle of the forest, a beautiful grove of fruit trees existed. To date, no one in the tribe had been fortunate enough to get past the vicious animals of the forest.Early one morning, Amina bravely entered the forest, desperate to find food to eat before her starvation took her life.  Each step she took, Amina trembled with fear. As she maneuvered through the dense brush, she dropped tiny stones to mark her path back home. . Suddenly, a monkey fell from the top of a banana tree into the water and struggled to stay afloat. As Amina watched the monkey drown, she felt the pain the monkey’s mother must be feeling and threw herself into the lake in an attempt to save him.As Amina reached the monkey and lifted him to the surface, she was terrified to find herself suddenly surrounded by monkeys, who had also dived in to help.As they each nodded to her, as if to thank her for saving one of their own, Amina felt comforted by their presence. As they reached the shore, the mother of the monkey came forward to hug Amina.As she pulled away, Amina saw the female monkey point to the baby monkey she had saved, while reaching out to place a hand on Amina’s swollen belly. She was amazed to see that the female monkey understood Amina would also soon be a mother.Amina found that the female monkey was incredibly smart, able to communicate with her using hand gestures.  She asked Amina, why she had ventured into the dangerous forest alone.

Amina explained as best she could that she needed food for her unborn baby, and had no other options, as her husband had died and the village refused to help her.The monkey’s responded by jumping from tree to tree, throwing Amina armfuls of fruit. Once she had eaten her fill, she began to collect the remaining fruit to bring back home.  The female monkey gestured to Amina, explaining that she must swear that she would never bring any other people, or tell the tribe about her experience. If she agreed, they would continue to help Amina find food. Desperate to provide for the growing baby inside of her, Amina agreed.

The next morning, Amina felt a harsh pain in her stomach as her labor started fiercely. Amina screamed out in pain as she realized there was no one nearby to help her deliver her baby.  The monkeys seem to understand that Amina was in labor, and would soon give birth. They began to create an enclosure around Amina, to protect her. When they were done, she was well hidden from view, the mother monkey by her side, helping her through the pain.They were all shocked to find that the little boy Amina gave birth to had the face of monkey, with the body of a human.  The monkeys began to jump, as if performing a dance to celebrate the birth of the monkey boy.Amina loved her son just the way he was, happy that he was healthy and safe, but feared the tribe would not understand his peculiar look and banish him.She knew the tribe viewed all monkeys as harbingers of evil, but she knew better, now that they had saved her when she had no one else.She knew her son was innocent, despite his appearance, and extended that same consideration to the helpful monkeys. The female monkey tore off a piece of Amina’s long dress, to swaddle the baby. The rest of the monkeys gathered fruit for Amina to eat, to regain her strength.As she cradled her son closely, Amina was overcome with joy, as well as a fear of what the future may hold.

Amina traveled back to her village with her new son, desperately trying to avoid being seen, in order to protect her son. An unavoidable group of women sat in front of Amina’s tent, who noticed Amina’s change in appearance. Eager to see the new baby, they crowded her, unwrapping the cloth to get a better look.  When they saw his monkey face, they ran away, screaming that Amina had birthed a cursed boy.The news of Amina’s deformed child spread like wildfire throughout the tribe. Soon enough, the tribe’s leader sent for Amina and her son. As she stood before him, he declared the boy, “The son of damnation,” and ordered them both thrown into a dungeon, under constant guard. The tribe leader gathered his advisors to discuss the fate of Amina and her child. They all claimed that the baby had been cursed by the gods, that Amina had given birth to a Demon, not a human baby. Together, they decided that Amina and the boy would be killed the next day. 

The next morning, the members of the tribe gathered in the village center, eagerly awaiting the execution of Amina and her baby.  Despite Amina’s cries for mercy, she was blindfolded and led before the tribe. As Amina and her son came into view, the crowd of onlookers began to change, “Kill the demon! Kill the demon!” The tribe’s leader took the seat of honor, the look on his face showing his enjoyment in the tragic events about to unfold.  Amina continued to scream and cry, begging for mercy, begging for freedom, but her cries fell on deaf ears. The entire tribe was worked in to a frenzy of anticipation, their stone hearts unable to soften and help Amina.

In the forest, the monkeys were curious as to why Amina and the baby had not been back.  They sent one money to visit the village quietly and find out where Amina and the baby were. The monkey  disappeared between the trees until he reached the nearest tree overlooking the tribe.He could see a crowd of people gathered together.  Unsure what was happening, the monkey creeped forward.Suddenly, he heard the scream of his friend, Amina. Knowing she must be in dangerhe quickly returned to his monkey friends to explain the terrible situation he had found her in. Upon hearing the danger Amina faced, the monkeys ran screeching through the forest, intent on saving their friend. 

Back in the village, servants tied Amina and her son together, preparing them for execution. The sound of the monkeys approaching became louder with each passing moment, distracting the villagers slightly. When the monkeys arrived, the villagers tried to escape, but it was too late, they were surrounded.. Amina and her son stood in the middle of the circle, eyes covered, unaware of the help that had arrived for her.The female monkey moved forward, making her way through the crowd toward Amina. Slowly, she slipped the cloth off of Amina’s eyes and untied the ropes that bound her.The leader of the tribe and his advisors begged for forgiveness, knowing they were outnumbered.Amina granted them forgiveness, but banished them from the Village forever. The remaining villagers bowed down before Amina, apologizing for their hatred and begging for her forgiveness. Amina became a just ruler, while her son grew to be a virtuous young man, beloved by all, despite his physical appearance. The monkey’s remained by their side, protecting Amina and the prince, as well as the village.