Book Review of Nzerumbawiri: Provérbious Sena How To Enliven Community Development Making the Most Of Oral Literature

Maputo, Mozambique: Paulinas, 2003
4088/RLINLD/2003.
Paperback. 160 Pages.
Price: US $8
Reviewed by Maria Decarli, FSP

This book is a collection of 425 proverbs, fruit of a long experience of listening to the wisdom of people originally expressed in the language of the Asena people who live in the central provinces of Mozambique especially in Sofala, Manica e Tete, and Zambesia. The proverbs are in Cisena and translated into Portuguese presenting their particular meaning in the context of the life of the people with reference to universal values.

Through the title ‘Nzerumbawiri’ (‘the wisdom is two’) and the subtitle, the author underlines that this work is not merely a collection but a selection of special Sena proverbs to express their communitarian feeling and the value of living, working, building, and struggling together to make progress in personal, family and community life. After the prologue (Nos. 1-10), the main parts of the book are: Poverty as a condition of life (Nos. 11-51); the social dimension of life (Nos. 52-273); fragility and the greatness of human beings (Nos. 274-391); and an epilogue about education (Nos. 392-425).

The aim of this selection of proverbs is to be an instrument in the hands of the community leaders to foster human development through continuing contact and sharing the treasure of their wisdom with the pride of transmitting it to new generations so that they may become more and more open to solidarity, brotherhood, justice, and peace. This collection will be very useful in the work of evangelization.

To order a copy of Nzerumbawiri: Provérbios Sena, write to:

Paulinas – Livraria e Audiovisuais
Av. Eduardo Mondlane, 1536
Maputo, Mozambique
E-mail: paulinas@viconn.com

Paulinas ‘Centro Multimedia’ Evangeliza’o e Cultura
Rua Rey Katyavala, 162
Luanda, Angola
E-mail: paulinas.ang@ebonet.net

Paulines Publications Africa
P.O. Box 49026
00100 Nairobi GPO, Kenya
E-mail: publications@paulinesafrica.org

Reviewed by Sister Maria Decarli, FSP
audiovisuals@paulinesafrica.org