There are many stories around the world that resemble that of Cinderella in one respect or another; but this one, Omuninyan, from Namibia (“Animated Tales of the World,” 2004), has too close a resemblance at too many points to be a coincidence. Since the Cinderella story existed in Europe in something like its present form by the 17th century, while contact between Europeans and Namibians was minimal prior to the 19th century, this tale of “Ash Girl” is evidently a Namibian adaptation of the European story.
I have no clever argument for my segue from Julius Caesar to Omuninyan. At this point there is a ragged gap in the structure of reason itself.
