Present

1. Fr. Joseph Healey – Moderator
2. Cephas Agbemenu – Assistant Moderator
3. Elias Bushiri – Assistant secretary
4. Margaret Wambere – Secretary

Opening
The meeting started with a prayer said by Fr. Joseph Healey.
Preview
The Committee evaluated the projects previously approved in 2015, which were due for presentation to the committee.
These were:

1. Burji – Angela Chelo
2. Luba Katanga – Elias Bushiri
3. Havu – Hondi Placide
4. Samburu – Margaret Wambere
5. Tembo – Sikitoka Mboni

These members had already received the first half of the grant. They were required to present their 10 booklets of their collection, before receiving the second half of the grant. Others would receive the full grant.
New Projects

Ethnic Group Member Grant due

1. Holoholo (DRC) – Elias Bushiri Full grant
2. Digo (Kenya) – Margaret Wambere Full grant
3. Eton (Cameroon, Republic of the Congo, EquatorialGuinea,Gabon, São Tomé) – Laur Mwepu Full grant

4. Tetela (DRC) – Elyse Meta Full grant
5. Abanyala (Kenya) – Kevin Okubo Full grant
6. Turu (Tanzania) – Cikuru Devotha Full grant
7. Turkana (Kenya) – Gabriel Odhiambo Full grant
8. Digo (Kenya) – Margaret Wambere Full grant
9. Fon (Benin/South West Nigeria) – Rogers Akouete Full grant

Proverb of the Month 2016

Emphasis was put on the need to meet the requirement that a member should present a proverb of the month from their current collection, to be used as a proverb of the month. This should be presented to the committee before any grant is issued to a member.
The order of posting the proverbs of the month on the APWG website in 2016 would be as below:
January Tetela Elysee Meta
February Samburu Margaret Wambere
March Holoholo Elias Bushiri
April Abanyala Kevin Okubo
May Digo Margaret Wambere
June Tembo Sikitoka Mboni
July Turu Cikuru Devotha
August Turkana Gabriel Odhiambo

New Guidelines for APWG

• The booklets will include the research proposal as an appendix at the end of the collection. Collaborators should also be listed on the references.
• Active participation will be required of all members, by attending all meetings.
• Pay annual membership fee of Ksh.1,000 (one thousand shillings), willingly as a commitment.
• Every member should be internet compliant to enable them to actively use the Afriprov.org Website, facebook, polling etc.
• All project proposals must be approved at the full APWG meeting before they can be undertaken, and for any grant to be given to a member.
• Grants should only be paid out when the minutes are posted on the websites, so that the benefactors can be informed about the resolutions of the meetings, the grants approved and the research projects being undertaken.
• At this meeting a member will be required to verbally do a presentation of their work, explaining the importance of the proverbs in that ethnic community, and why they made that choice.
• Every member of the group will be required to present a proverb of the month from their collection before the second half of the grant is paid out. The correct write-up should be followed as guided on the website page. It should indicate the cultural application and the origin of the proverb in relation to the culture of that ethnic group.
• Research work on a language to which a member does not belong will require verification from an independent member of the ethnic group. Cephas Agbemenu will undertake the verification exercise.

from meeting

Action to be taken at the next APWG meeting:

1. Laur Mwepu – Eton proverbs
2. Elias Bushiri – Holoholo proverbs
3. Elize Meta – Tetela proverbs
4. Angela Katabarwa – Burji proverbs
5. Margaret Wambere – Digo proverbs
6. Sikitoka Mboni – Tembo proverbs
7. Gabriel Odhiambo – Turkana proverbs
8. Kevin Okubo – Abanyala proverbs
9. Cikuru Devotha – Turu proverbs

• Present their research proposal for approval and recording on the minutes.
• Present 10 completed booklets before presentation of the grants.
• Pay the 2016 annual contribution.
• Present a copy/email of a proverb of the month from their collection (if not already presented)
• Kevin and Devotha are required to attend the next APWG meeting without fail, in order to meet the required number of meetings attended, as per policy of the group.

10. Rogers Akouete – (Fon proverbs) will be required to update the meeting on progress of his project, and follow the above requirements too.

Financial contributions

1. Grants from 2015 – Sukuma Legacy Project
2. Gift from Mieder Wolfgang
3. Maryknoll Society

• New Jersey Foundation

NEW PROPOSAL.

The Execcutive Committee proposed that some of the grants be allocated for buying some basic equipments such as a Laptop and a Printer, and a few basic supplies such as printing ink and paper stapples and staplers binding tapes and internet bundles to facilitate the functions of the executive and other members.

Members annual contributions
2015 Angela Katabarwa Ksh.1,000

2016 Membership Contributions
Ksh.

• Fr. J. Healey 1,000
• Cephas Agbemenu 1,000
• Don Sybertz 1,000
• Margaret Wambere 1,000
• Elias Bushiri 1,000
• Hondi Placide 1,000
• Kevin Okubo 1,000
• Laur Mwepu 1,000
• Total Ksh.9,000.00

Expenses

Sukuma Legacy: $1,000 was used for processing 5 initial documents on the Sukuma from PDF to Word documents of 500 pages.
Travel expenses: From the contributions, a stipend of Ksh.1,000 was given to each of the three (3) executive committee members who travel from outside the venue. Ksh.1,000 was retained.
Operational expenses: These were covered by the gift contribution of $150 received from Prof. Wolfgang Mieder These costs will cover particularly the production of the draft booklets, communication and the operational costs incurred by the committee,

2016 Draft Calendar
This draft was printed and presented to the executive for preview. Members gave suggestions on the corrections they wished to have made. Further suggestions on the revision of the draft calendar would be sent to Elias Bushiri by Wednesday 20th January 2016.

Date of next meeting
The 2nd session of the executive meeting was held on Saturday 16 January 2015 at the Maryknoll Society House, Westlands, Nairobi.
The date of the full APWG meeting will be held Saturday 30th January 2016 in the Fine Art Department of Kenyatta University. This is a venue alreaady well known to most members.

Closure
There being no other business the Moderator thanked the members for attending the meeting.
A closing prayer was offered by one of the members.
The meeting ended at 3.30 pm.