What do you think?
Rate this book
African Proverbs
African proverbs, like the morning star, seem to radiate with a simple wisdom and truth. They have been used for centuries to teach the young about the meaning of life. With this book the author hopes to immerse the reader into the heart and soul of the black continent with a taste of culture, humor, philosophy and wisdom of the local people. Herein lies an opportunity to learn some new catchwords or sayings from the history of a very different culture with interpretations from someone who heard them firsthand from a loving Grandmother who like to teach a lesson in a sometimes perplexing language. So, dear reader- put your seat belt on and have a nice trip to Africa!
-God is like the air we breath so if you have a message for God, talk to the wind.
-You can not stop the bird from flying over your head but you can stop it from having a nest on your head.
-We can not stop progress. We can not stop stupidity either.
Enjoy!
Dear reader:
Many different African countries have their own unique proverbs that have existed for centuries. Most come from small villages in Africa where material goods are scarce and the people live simple lives. African proverbs breath wisdom and truth. They have a lot to teach about the meaning of life. Proverbs are words full of hidden truths and deeper meanings. As always when translating from one language to another crucial subtleties are often lost. Sometimes in human life, you need to blend your speech with wise sayings. In African culture an elder is considered an elder when he speaks with proverbs. When an elder speaks without proverbs, it is like a child chasing the wind. These proverbs were handed down over from parents and grandparents to children in oral forms, in stories and folklore. Over time these sayings were reformulated. Many lost their original meaning. My grandmother would often advice me to mind my own business and stay away from trouble. However she used to do so in proverbs saying things like: " There would be no gunshots in the forest if the tortoise and the snail were the only animals in the forest". The tortoise and the snail are very quiet animals and they always mind they own business. Here is one of the very known African proverbs. " It takes a whole village to raise a child". This proverb exist in different forms in many African languages. The basic meaning is that child upbringing is a communal effort. The responsibility for raising a child is shared with the larger family. Everyone in the family participates. Especially the older children, aunts, uncles, grandparents and even cousins. It is not unusual for African children to stay for long periods with their grandparents or aunts and uncles. Even the wider community gets involved such as neighbors and friends. Children are considered a blessing from God for the whole community. The multiple uses of this proverb shows the timeliness and relevancy of African proverbs in todays world. In 1996 Hillary Clinton the first lady of the United States, published a book on children and family values entitled " IT takes a village" based on this proverb. According to my grandmother, " Two heads are better than one". What this means is that, working together as a group is far better than working alone. In other words, sharing those problems and solving those problems with others is far better than keeping it to yourself and possibly dying trying to solve a problem that is far bigger than you. According to my grandmother, " God is like the air we breath so if you have a message for God, talk to the wind".
-God is like the air we breath so if you have a message for God, talk to the wind.
-You can not stop the bird from flying over your head but you can stop it from having a nest on your head.
-We can not stop progress. We can not stop stupidity either.
Enjoy!
Dear reader:
Many different African countries have their own unique proverbs that have existed for centuries. Most come from small villages in Africa where material goods are scarce and the people live simple lives. African proverbs breath wisdom and truth. They have a lot to teach about the meaning of life. Proverbs are words full of hidden truths and deeper meanings. As always when translating from one language to another crucial subtleties are often lost. Sometimes in human life, you need to blend your speech with wise sayings. In African culture an elder is considered an elder when he speaks with proverbs. When an elder speaks without proverbs, it is like a child chasing the wind. These proverbs were handed down over from parents and grandparents to children in oral forms, in stories and folklore. Over time these sayings were reformulated. Many lost their original meaning. My grandmother would often advice me to mind my own business and stay away from trouble. However she used to do so in proverbs saying things like: " There would be no gunshots in the forest if the tortoise and the snail were the only animals in the forest". The tortoise and the snail are very quiet animals and they always mind they own business. Here is one of the very known African proverbs. " It takes a whole village to raise a child". This proverb exist in different forms in many African languages. The basic meaning is that child upbringing is a communal effort. The responsibility for raising a child is shared with the larger family. Everyone in the family participates. Especially the older children, aunts, uncles, grandparents and even cousins. It is not unusual for African children to stay for long periods with their grandparents or aunts and uncles. Even the wider community gets involved such as neighbors and friends. Children are considered a blessing from God for the whole community. The multiple uses of this proverb shows the timeliness and relevancy of African proverbs in todays world. In 1996 Hillary Clinton the first lady of the United States, published a book on children and family values entitled " IT takes a village" based on this proverb. According to my grandmother, " Two heads are better than one". What this means is that, working together as a group is far better than working alone. In other words, sharing those problems and solving those problems with others is far better than keeping it to yourself and possibly dying trying to solve a problem that is far bigger than you. According to my grandmother, " God is like the air we breath so if you have a message for God, talk to the wind".
259 pages, Kindle Edition
First published August 13, 2013
9 people are currently reading
2 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
No one has reviewed this book yet.