African Proverbs and Wisdom: A Collection for Every Day of the Year from More Than Forty African Nations

by Julia Stewart

Over many centuries African people have offered the world an abundance of proverbs, fables, riddles, songs, and poetry. Since this wisdom is usually spread orally from generation to generation, portions are lost with each death. "When an elder dies," an African proverb says, "it is as if a whole library had burned down."
African Proverbs and Wisdom carries the reader on a journey of literary and cultural discovery across all regions of the continent. Readers will learn new phrases to pepper their language, like the West African proverb "Do not look for speed in a cheap horse; be content if it neighs." They will understand the torment of love as expressed in Swahili poems, and they will learn the wisdom of leaders and political thinkers.
Highly useful as a historical calendar, this collection provides a reflective and browsable commemoration of African Culture.

176 pages, Paperback

First published February 1, 1997

Reviews

[Sincerae Smith · Rating 5 out of 5]

There are little jewels sprinkled throughout this book which is organized by the days of the year. African Proverbs and Wisdom is a compilation of proverbs, poems, fables, riddles, songs, drawings of African artwork, excerpts from books by African authors, quotes from speeches by African leaders and lists of holidays. The book covers all of the regions of Africa, north, south, east, and west and different eras of African history. I enjoyed it.