Category: Resources

Book Review of Tears of Joy: African Story about Heroes and Monsters

Post author By Administrator
Post date February 26, 2008

Book Review of Tears of Joy: African Story about Heroes and Monsters

Title: Tears of Joy: African Story about Heroes and Monsters
Author: Donald Sybertz
Illustrator: Khalid Yusuf
Publisher:
Mathews Bookstore & Stationers
P.O. Box 42067
Dar es Salaam, Tanzania
Date of Publication: December, 2006
Pages: 27 pages
Price: $3 or 3,500/= Tanzanian Shillings

Reviewer: John P. Mbonde

One of the pioneers to open the way to a positive understanding of the Sukuma culture in Tanzania in the 1950s was Father Jan Hendricks, M.Afr. who was nicknamed “Chenya” by the local people. He was encouraged in this work by Bishop Joseph Blomjous, M, Afr. of the then Mwanza Diocese. Hendricks soon associated himself in his cultural studies with the famous Father David Clement, M.Afr, founder of the Sukuma Cultural Museum at Bujora. Hendricks collected a number of Sukuma stories especially “Myths of Origin and Destiny.” Among these stories there were seven different versions of the myth of the monster Shing’weng’we and his protagonist the clever young man Masala Kulangwa.

Among all the beasts that are known to have existed and that still stir the imagination of modern men and women, dinosaurs have a very special place in the life of the people. They appeared on earth about a hundred million years ago, and though their existence is known only by their fossil remains, they still fascinate us tremendously in Africa and around the globe. Indeed, any picture of a dinosaur on television or a video screen can only be a product of the human imagination. Humans appeared on the earth approximately 3,000,000 years ago, and the last dinosaur died at least 60,000,000 million years ago. And yet, dinosaurs still stir our imaginations.

A story, a tale, a myth such as the Sukuma myth of Shing’weng’we and Masala Kulangwa, meticulously narrated in Tears Of Joy, can still be used more effectively than a scientific explanation to teach certain metaphysical truths and to give very powerful moral lessons to young people. In Jewish traditions myths are commonly used to explain the creation of the world and the first man and woman. When one once hears of the description of the monster, he or she draws an imaginative picture of a formidable monster from a fairyland.

It is incredible that after 51 years of extensive research on the rich Sukuma cultural traditions and oral literature (stories, songs, proverbs, riddles, myths, folklore, etc), the author Father Donald Sybertz, M.M., a Maryknoll Missioner living in Shinyanga, Tanzania, has every reason to rejoice and be congratulated for having such a good command of the Sukuma language and finally helping the full, definitive version of this myth to see the light of the day in this 27 page booklet.

In this book, Tears of Joy, the monster appears in the village in the form of a large pumpkin which kept on growing and growing all the time until it became so enormous that all were truly amazed. People ran to get their weapons. The pumpkin suddenly burst open and a monster with long claws and sharp teeth came roaring out. All the people, elders, men and women, boys and girls, children and babies, even cattle and goats were swallowed.

It was the son of the lone woman who escaped from being swallowed by the monster who later killed the monster with a stone. The name of this courageous boy is Masala Kulangwa. It was a great achievement for him and for all the men and women of his Sukuma Ethnic Group who came out of the stomach dancing and singing: “Masala Kulangwa killed him. We are all free and alive again. What a man this Masala Kulangwa is.” They made Masala Kulangwa their Chief and King of the Whole World.

This myth touches the metaphysical problems of death and the afterlife. Shing’weng’we is diabolically a terrible monster, apparently unconquerable and without mercy. Every human being must fall victim to him. This is the law from which no one can escape. The monster’s stomach is the symbol of earth (from which comes all fertility). It also symbolizes the tomb where everybody will sooner or later be swallowed (common death).

Masala Kulangwa has won the victory. But that victory, the discovery, is the result of a terrible battle and can only be attained through the child maturing and learning something about nature. She or she must discover that he or she is both a physical and a spiritual being. Hence the story gives powerful insights culturally, spiritually, politically and socially. It emphasizes the spectacular truth that a person cannot renounce the relationship one has with the source of one’s life, parents, ancestors and extended family ties. It carefully underscores some philosophical and theological truths as food for thought.

This is why every Sukuma person believes and is firmly convinced in his or her deep self that after death one will live on as a “living dead,” and that he or she will still be related to all of his or her lineage. After death one will not need food. No one will be able to touch or see the person. But the person will still be able to love and be loved.

This booklet is the definitive Sukuma version of this myth. There may be hundreds of versions and variations of this Sukuma myth in other African ethnic groups and languages. The monster is always represented as having enormous size, but sometimes is said to have seven or even a hundred heads. Since time immemorial humans have always been scared of such monsters. In African folklore there is an abundance of monsters, giants, ogres and dragons of which Shing’weng’we is just one.

Today, there are political monsters, economic monsters and many such evil monsters in all walks of life who terrorise the weak community all over the globe. People are being devoured by such monsters mercilessly, but it is not an easy job to find another brave Masala Kulangwa to rescue us in this turmoil in which we are engulfed (HIV/AIDS, corruption, abject poverty, negative globalization, drug-trafficking, weapons of mass destruction, etc).

This booklet Tears of Joy is also available in two other languages:

Swahili: Machozi ya Furaha.

Sukuma: Shisoji ja Buyegi.

It has been colourfully illustrated by Khalid Yusuf Both children and adults will find this book to be a very useful companion in schools, at home and in our pastoral ministry. It can be purchased from Mathews Bookstore & Stationers at the address above. NOTE: Different short versions of this myth can be found in the online “African Stories Database” at:

http://afriprov.org/index.php/resources/storiesdatabase.html

Please click on the links below to view one of the three stories found in our African Stories Database that particularly relate to the New Booklet on Sukuma Myth are:

The Clever Young Man and the Monster

Masala Kulangwa and the Monster Shing’weng’we

The Challenge of Pastoral Inculturation

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Book Reviews

Talking Drums

Post author By Administrator
Post date February 26, 2008

Talking Drums

By Rev. Peter E. Adotey Addo

TALKING DRUMS is a masterful collection of poetry by the Ghanaian Poet and Story Writer Peter Addo which tells the significant stories of the past half-century through lyrical, touching, and powerful verse. It is a collection every reflective person should read.

TALKING DRUMS. Poetry.
Paperback. 64 pages. $8.00.
Published 1 December, 1999.
ISBN: 0805944788.

Publisher: Dorrance Publishing Co.
Pitttsburgh, PA

Available online at: Amazon.com and BarnesandNoble.com

Amazon.com Price: $8.00
Availability: Usually ships in 24 hours* To view this item click here.
price and availability are subject to change.

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1931069034/qid=984326359/sr=1-1/ref=sc_b_1/104-5985665-5146355

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Book Reviews

Title: A Collection of Proverbs From the Kenya Media

Post author By Administrator
Post date February 21, 2008

Title: A Collection of Proverbs From the Kenya Media

Collected and compiled by: Joseph Kariuki
Privately published — Nairobi, Kenya 2007

Reviewed by: Angela Taiyana

Nairobi, Kenya
May 4, 2007

This compilation shows us how the “proverb” (or maxim, adage) is utilized by Kenyan citizens via the Kenyan media, and the most common feature of these proverbs is that they are being used to highlight the political atmosphere in the country.

Traditionally proverbs were widely used by elders to teach their juniors important lessons in life, and the basis behind this was the mere fact that a proverb was more enticing due to the challenge that came with deciphering it, as opposed to un-stimulating, straightforward statements.

For example, the very common Swahili proverb, “Asiyekubali kushindwa si mshindani” carries a lot of weight. Its direct meaning may not be considered to be very inspiring, for a surface translation could mean that defeat is one of the stepping stones to becoming a winner. “So why put effort in the first place?” could be an associate question. This might of course imply very shallow thinking, but it is quite justified in my opinion. If a young minded person translated this directly, this could be his/her summation of the statement.

But when you look into the deeper meaning and apply it to real life, you then might actually come up a thought along the lines of, “if at first you don’t succeed, dust yourself off and try again”. This is a motivational statement that gives you the will to go on fighting in life.

This traditional use of proverbs has changed somewhat drastically from its simplified educative state and has now become some sort of weapon used to criticize and pass judgment, as well as being used as a shield against same.

Joseph Kariuki was born in central Kenya. As he was growing up in the high nappier grass that constituted his immediate environment due to his father’s grazing activities, he learnt to listen to stories from his mother and elders around the homestead. He heard the kikuyu proverbs over and over again.

While a student in his rural home, he learnt that proverbs meant a lot to the kikuyu people, mainly from the central highland of Kenya. Joseph Kariuki who later made it into Kenya’s first university –University of Nairobi, met the famous professor Ciaruji Chesaina, a great literature writer who has written a number of books and who later in life became Kenya’s’ first woman Ambassador to the Republic of South Africa.

“I must say she was my greatest literature proverb hero. Later in life I met Professor Gerald Wanjohi, a great philosopher from Nyeri, who again guided my thoughts and writing and made me start collecting these proverbs so that I today can be able to present them. My main sources were the Kenya Broadcasting Corporation, Nation Television, Kenya Television Network, Citizen TV, the Daily Nation, Kameme FM, Inooro FM and Cooro Fm”.

“What changed my life was meeting an American Maryknoll Father Joseph Healey MM , who has been my main collaborator in collecting these proverbs and who made it possible for the material to be published. I must say we all need the word of encouragement from this word of proverb. The late president Julius Nyerere of Tanzania punctuated many of his words by using proverbs, and this made him a great orator who knew his words and when to use them”.

I therefore cannot help but notice the context of these proverbs chosen for this compilation. They have made light some potentially explosive libelous as well slanderous expressions. The criticism was somewhat toned down, even to the extent of being comical.

For example, “Uthuri wa itonga ndununganga (Kikuyu), which if directly translated means “A rich mans fart does not smell”. A bit crude, but funny nevertheless. The political analyst using this proverb was actually targeting leaders who “speak nonsense”. That in itself would probably constitute slander if it was directly stated to the target. It may not actionable slander, but who needs the headache of the hullabaloo that could be an adjunct to it? Certainly not the journalists struggling to practice media law and ethics!

Another was “ Kiamia kimwe ciamia ciothe (Kikuyu), whose direct translation was ‘ When one uncircumcised boy defecates, all have defecated’. This was used to imply that if some government officials were corrupt, then stood to chance that the whole government was corrupt.

On the positive side of things though, the “educational” proverbs require kudos. They are very specific in their hidden message, and cannot be faulted for promoting criticism. Some examples are “Mtaka cha uvunguni sharti ainame” and “Kidole kimoja hakivunji chawa”. They are very simplistic and support hard work and unity respectively.

Therefore one can conclude that the most important aspect of proverb use lies in its interpretation. The mode and capability to do this can make or break a proverb.

The acceptance of proverb use in mainstream communication goes to show its effectiveness in dissemination of opinion, be it private or public. There is potential in this literary genre as well the ability to grow to greater heights, mainly due to its intellectually interactive nature.

Angela Taiyana is an intern with People for Peace in Africa. She is a graduate in International relations at USIU, Nairobi-Kenya.

People for Peace in Africa (PPA)
P O Box 14877
Nairobi
00800, Westlands
Kenya

E-Mail ppa@africaonline.co.ke
Tel 254-20-4441372

Website: www.peopleforpeaceafrica.org

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Book Reviews

Book Review of Luyia Proverbs (from Kisa, Marama, Tsotso and Wanga)

Post author By Administrator
Post date February 21, 2008

Luyia Proverbs
(from Kisa, Marama, Tsotso and Wanga)

By Tim Wambunya

London: Luyia Publishing Company, 2005.
60 pages.
ISBN: 996605009-4
£ 5.00 (including postage) from: t.wamb@virgin.net
300 Kenya Shillings in Kenyan bookshops

In this collection Tim Wambunya has managed to bring together 605 proverbs from four out of sixteen Luyia sub-tribes or dialects, i.e., Kisa, Marama, Tsotso, and Wanga. The proverbs are arranged in alphabetical order, starting with the original Luyia proverb as they are known and used by Luyia people. Each proverb is followed with a literal translation in English. For some of them suitable English translations could not be found.

Most of the proverbs concern the everyday life of around 3.5 million Luyia people living in western Kenya, north of Lake Victoria. The proverbs are mainly concerned with the environment, economic activities, belief, culture, tradition, and social life in general. The two following proverbs are provided as examples. NOTE: The reviewer has suggested the application.

No. 2 (page 7): Abafwa babula olutseshe luleera (BKE6) Literal translation: The dead have no clear drinking straw.
Application: There is life after death although it is not clear how people survive without eating and drinking. Reference to a Drinking straw does suggest the habit of drinking local brew as one of the habits amongst the Luyia. One can deduce from this proverb that Luyia believe in life after death. That is why they do not forget their tradition of drinking beer (or even eating food), but those who are still alive do not know how the dead drink.

No. 471 (page 48): Omwoyo omulayi kuchira walia eshifisire (HWA1)
Literal Translation: A good heart makes one get the hidden thing.
Application: This proverb can be used to encourage people to associate amicably with other people. In so doing one will learn and benefit in various ways — bodily and spiritually.

Wambunya has succeeded remarkably in the preservation of the valuable heritage of these endangered African proverbs for the immediate and next generations. A general comment: there should be some stories or practical explanations of how each proverb is used in actual or concrete situations among the Luyia people.

J. P. Mbonde
P.O. Box 3479, Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, Email: jopahanya@yahoo.com
Retired Teacher, Commissar, Party Secretary, District Commissioner, Veteran Publisher/Editor, Author of Books, Graduate from Sydney University (Australia) and De Montfort University U.K, Freelance Journalist, Analyst and Educational Consultant.

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Book Reviews

Book Review of African Stories for Preachers and Teachers

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Post date February 21, 2008

Book Review of African Stories for Preachers and Teachers

Compiled by Joseph G. Healey

Nairobi: Paulines Publications Africa, 2005.
Paperback, 152 pages.
Price: $5.

Reviewed by John P. Mbonde

The author, Joseph G. Healey, is an American Maryknoll priest who was ordained in 1966. He has worked in East Africa since 1968 and presently is lives in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. He is the renowned prolific writer and analyst of African proverbs and stories including the famous book Towards an African Narrative Theology (published by both Orbis Books and Paulines Publications Africa). He has been in East Africa since 1968, and has written several other books including: A Fifth Gospel: The Experience of Black Christian Values; Kuishi Injili (Living the Gospel); and Kueneza Injili Kwa Methali (Preaching the Gospel Through Proverbs). He is involved in continuous research on African stories, proverbs, sayings, poems, folklore, etc.

In his other recent book, Once Upon a Time in Africa, published by Orbis Books, 2004 Joseph Healey collected stories that are beautifully, uniquely African at the same time convey universal wisdom and truth. “For the specialist in African folklore and the student of life alike, this book is a treasure,”observes Henry Louis Gates, Jr. of Harvard University.

Now African Stories for Preachers and Teachers is published by Paulines Publications Africa, 2005. It has a collection of 139 stories from 18 countries in every part of Africa and range from stories in South Africa to Kenya and Tanzania in East Africa to Burkina Faso and Nigeria in West Africa. The stories are grouped under the following chapter headings: AIDS (7 stories); Community (14 stories); Culture Matters (20 stories); Education (3 stories); Faith (11 stories); Family (12); Good Times and Bad Times (11); Joy and Celebration (11); Life (18); Prayer (6); Seeds of God in African Soil (16); and Stories of the Beginning (10).

The author describes that “story” includes many different forms of African oral and written literature such as folktales, historical fiction, legends, myths, parables, poems prayers, proverbs, sayings, and songs. The book draws on true stories from African history and mission experience in Africa. These real life stories “ those that tell of real people and events — have their own power to inspire, uplift, challenge, and stimulate our lives.

For example, take the story “President Nyerere Disguises Himself as a Beggar” on page 74. “He [the President] disguised himself as a beggar wearing worn-out clothes and an old hat. When he arrived at the gate of the branch of the National Milling Company in Shinyanga, no one recognised him. He simply passed through the gate without permission and went straight to the office of the manager. He knocked on the door and yelled out, “Hey, you people in there! Help me! I don’t have any food…” The manager and his assistant were busy with some local businessmen who were buying the famine relief food that was supposed to go to the Tanzanian people. Finally, Nyerere opened the door and walked into the office. He took off his hat and made himself known. Needless to say, the manager was speechless…”

This book of African Stories is a valuable resource for preachers, homilists, teachers and people who work in communications media as well as for reflection in small groups such as Small Christian Communities and discussion groups in all walks of life.

John P. Mbonde is a retired Tanzanian civil servant, journalist, and author of books, book reviewer and analyst of African oral literature. He has traveled all over the world on academic and study tours.

Mr. John P. Mbonde
P. O. Box 3479
Dar es Salaam, Tanzania
Email: jopahanya@yahoo.com

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Book Reviews

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

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Post date February 21, 2008

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

Compiled by Joseph Pampalk

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

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31 Dec. 2002	“Muthii ndaumbikaga ndigu.” Kimbeere — Embu Dialect (Kenya) “Whoever walks out cannot leave a banana on the fire.”
30 Dec. 2002	“Cia muka mukari iricagwa muithenya wa wambura.” Kimbeere — Embu Dialect (Kenya) “Those of the mean people are consumed on the celebration day.”
27 Dec. 2002	“Mucera na mukudu akundukaga wa take.” Kimbeere — Embu Dialect (Kenya) “Whoever walks with unworthy people becomes unworthy.”
26 Dec. 2002	“Umoja ni nguvu, utengano ni udhaifu.” Kiha (Tanzania) “Unity is strength, division is weakness.”
24 Dec. 2002	“Alalaye usimwamshe,ukimwamsha utalala wewe.” Kiha (Tanzania) “Let dogs sleep, otherwise if anything done against them is a problem.”
23 Dec. 2002	“Akipenda chongo huona kengeza.” Kiha (Tanzania) “The one who sees the beauty doesn’t see the difference.”
20 Dec. 2002	“Apandaye haba, huvuna haba.” Kiha (Tanzania) “He/She who farm little harvest less.”
19 Dec. 2002	“Akufaaye kwa dhiki ndiye rafiki.” Kiha (Tanzania) “A friend in need is a friend in deed.”12/18/02
18 Dec. 2002	“Ada ya mja hunena, mwugwana ni kitendo.” Kiha (Tanzania) “A lazy person talks for so long, a determinant does.”
17 Dec. 2002	“Mtoto wa mfalme hutinga kwao ndani.” Kiha (Tanzania) “The Prince/Princess has all rights in his/her home.”
16 Dec. 2002	“Kazana kulima, vyakupewa havitoshelezi.” Bena (Tanzania) “Struggle to farm, gifts can’t satisfy your needs.”
13 Dec. 2002	“Mazishi ni yetu wote.” Bena (Tanzania) “Funeral is for us all.”
12 Dec. 2002	“Usipokula huwezi kutoa baraka.” Bena (Tanzania) “If you don’t eat, you can’t give blessing.”
11 Dec. 2002	“Mungu ni mkuu wa yote.” Bena (Tanzania) “God is greater for everything.”
10 Dec. 2002	“Ukikataa wengi ni mchawi.” Bena (Tanzania) “If you don’t agree with the majority, you are a wizard.”
09 Dec. 2002	“Usipotii wazazi ulilaniwa.” Bena (Tanzania) “If you don’t respect your parents, you were cursed.”

29 Nov. 2002	“Mtoto wa nyoka ni nyoka.” – Bena (Tanzania) Proverb The child of a snake is snake
27 Nov. 2002	Usilima hua huli.” – Bena (Tanzania) Proverb If you don’t farm you are not eating.
26 Nov. 2002	“Kazana kulima, usione wanakula.” – Bena (Tanzania) Proverb Struggle farming, don’t see them eating.
25 Nov. 2002	“Jembe la mundu ni baba na mama” – Bena (Tanzania) Proverb Hoe and slash is your father and mother.
20 Nov. 2002	“The day a man taste the “sweetness” of a woman,that day he also taste the bitterness” – Igala (Nigeria) Proverb
19 Nov. 2002	“A boy who wish to grow into a full man must not waste his time trying to fill the hole his father died trying to fill.” – Igala (Nigeria) Proverb
18 Nov. 2002	“You don’t need pain killers for another man’s headache.” – Igala (Nigeria) Proverb

30 Sep. 2002	Proverbs on God, Humanity and God’s Creation “God does not sleep.” Bette proverb This proverb is taken from Proverbs of Africa: Human Nature in the Nigerian Oral Tradition by Ryszard Pachocinski, Professors World Peace Academy, Minnesota, 1996. All the proverbs are collected from Nigeria.
27 Sep. 2002	Proverbs on God, Humanity and God’s Creation “The world sees the mouth, God sees the stomach.” Igala proverb This proverb is taken from Proverbs of Africa: Human Nature in the Nigerian Oral Tradition by Ryszard Pachocinski, Professors World Peace Academy, Minnesota, 1996. All the proverbs are collected from Nigeria.
27 Sep. 2002	“Beauty is an empty calabash.” Kundu (Cameroon) Source of All Evil: African Proverbs and Sayings on Women , by Mineke Schipper, Phoenix, Nairobi, 1991.
26 Sep. 2002	“Beauty is an empty calabash.” Kundu (Cameroon) Source of All Evil: African Proverbs and Sayings on Women , by Mineke Schipper, Phoenix, Nairobi, 1991.
25 Sep. 2002	“Beauty is an empty calabash.” Kundu (Cameroon) Source of All Evil: African Proverbs and Sayings on Women , by Mineke Schipper, Phoenix, Nairobi, 1991.
24 Sep. 2002	“Don’t interrupt a woman fetching water.” Namibia Source of All Evil: African Proverbs and Sayings on Women , by Mineke Schipper, Phoenix, Nairobi, 1991.
23 Sep. 2002	“One who seeks a wife does not speak contemptuously of women.” Ashanti (Ghana) This week the proverbs are all from Source of All Evil: African Proverbs and Sayings on Women, by Mineke Schipper, Phoenix, Nairobi, 1991. Provider is Joseph Kariuki.
20 Sep. 2002	“The man may be the head of the home; the wife is the heart.” Gikuyu (Kenya) proverb from Source of All Evil: African Proverbs and Sayings on Women by Mineke Schipper, Phoenix, Nairobi, 1991.
19 Sep. 2002	“Mother is God number two.” Chewa (Malawi) proverb from Source of All Evil: African Proverbs and Sayings on Women by Mineke Schipper, Phoenix, Nairobi, 1991.
18 Sep. 2002	“Your mother is still your mother, though her legs be small.” Chewa,Malawi
17 Sep. 2002	“Does a man set up a plantation without a wife?” Ganda,Uganda
16 Sep. 2002	“Regular work tires a woman but totally wrecks a man.” Nairobi, Kenya

30 Aug. 2002	“All monkeys can not hung on the same branch.” – Nairobi, Kenya
29 Aug. 2002	“Bow-legged person does not hunt antelopes.” – Nairobi, Kenya
28 Aug. 2002	“A tractor driver doesn’t fear dust.” – Nairobi, Kenya
27 Aug. 2002	“A stomach is not carried by a fool.” – Nairobi,Kenya
26 Aug. 2002	“Big talkers won’t be your in-laws long.” – Nairobi, Kenya
23 Aug. 2002	“An orphaned calf licks its own back.” – Nairobi, Kenya
22 Aug. 2002	“Only a medicine man gets rich by sleeping.” – Nairobi, Kenya
21 Aug. 2002	“No child should be babied while another is offered to the hyena to bite.” – Nairobi, Kenya
17 Aug. 2002	“The possessor may become dispossessed.” – Nairobi, Kenya
15 Aug. 2002	“One in the woodpile does not laugh at the one in the fire.” – Nairobi, Kenya
14 Aug. 2002	“A lone runner says he has legs (runs fast)” – Nairobi, Kenya
13 Aug. 2002	Two roads overcame the hyena. Matthew 6:24: “No one can serve two masters…You cannot serve God and wealth – Swahili, Eastern Africa Proverb and Luyia, Kenya:
12 Aug. 2002	Gikuyu Ethnic Group, Kenya Proverb: In this world there is no rest. Lamentations 1:3: “Where she [Judah] lives among the nations, she finds no place to rest.”
09 Aug. 2002	A word in the heart does not win. Proverbs 31:8: “Open your mouth in behalf of the dumb, and for the rights of the destitute.” – Gikuyu Ethnic Group, Kenya Proverb
08 Aug. 2002	Traveling is learning. Sirach 39:5: “He travels among the peoples of foreign lands to learn what is good and evil.” – Shona Ethnic Group, Zimbabwe and Gikuyu Ethnic Group, Kenya Proverb
07 Aug. 2002	To be hated by a human being is not to be hated by God. Matthew 10:28: “Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul; rather be afraid of the one who can destroy both soul and body in Gehenna.” – Gikuyu Ethnic Group, Kenya Proverb
06 Aug. 2002	He whose seeds have not germinated does not put down the seed container. Philippians 2:12: “Work out your salvation with fear and trembling.” – Gikuyu Ethnic Group, Kenya Proverb
05 Aug. 2002	Two guests cannot be entertained satisfactorily at the same time. Matthew 6:24: “No one can serve two masters. You cannot serve God and mammon.” – Gikuyu Ethnic Group, Kenya Proverb
02 Aug. 2002	A child points out to you the direction and then you find your way. Isaiah 11:6: “A little child shall lead them.” – Luyia Ethnic Group, Kenya Proverb
01 Aug. 2002	One person is thin porridge or gruel; two or three people are a handful of stiff cooked corn meal. Ecclesiastes 4:9,12: “Two are better than one…A threefold cord is not quickly broken.” – Kuria Ethnic Group, Kenya/Tanzania and Ngoreme Ethnic Group, Tanzania Proverb

31 Jul. 2002	To laugh at a person with a defective eye while you hide your own defects. Matthew 7:3: “Why do you see the speck in your neighbor’s eye, but do not notice the log in your own eye?” – Sukuma Ethnic Group, Tanzania Proverb
30 Jul. 2002	God’s rain falls even on the witch. Matthew 5:45: “Your Father in heaven sends rain on the righteous -Fipa Ethnic Group, Tanzania Proverb
29 Jul. 2002	“What goes into the stomach is not lasting.” Mark 7:18-19: “Do you not see that whatever goes into a person from outside cannot defile, since it enters, not the heart but the stomach, and goes out into the sewer.” – Sukuma Ethnic Group, Tanzania Proverb

30 Apr. 2002	“We should put out fire while it is still small.” – Kalenjin (Kenya)
29 Apr. 2002	“Water can not be forced uphill.” – Kalenjin (Kenya)
25 Apr. 2002	“The eye is a coward.” – Kalenjin (Kenya) Proverbs from Oral literature of the Kalenjin by C.Chesaina published by Heinemann Kenya, 1991.
24 Apr. 2002	“We should talk while we are still alive.” – Kalenjin (Kenya) Proverbs from Oral literature of the Kalenjin by C.Chesaina published by Heinemann Kenya, 1991.
23 Apr. 2002	“Even a friend can not rescue one from old age.” – Kalenjin (Kenya) Proverbs from Oral literature of the Kalenjin by C.Chesaina published by Heinemann Kenya, 1991.
22 Apr. 2002	“You can not take away someone’s luck.” – Kalenjin (Kenya) (Proverbs from Oral literature of the Kalenjin by C.Chesaina published by Heinemann Kenya, 1991.)
19 Apr. 2002	“There is no bad patience.” – (Knappert, p. 46, Swahili).
18 Apr. 2002	“A low-class man will just talk; deeds are the hallmark of a gentleman.” – (Knappert, p. 84, Swahili).
17 Apr. 2002	“God is our neighbour when our brother is absent.” – (Knappert, p. 33, Swahili).
16 Apr. 2002	“A donkey knows no gratitude.” – (Knappert, p. 138, Swahili).
15 Apr. 2002	“The climber of ladders will descend [the ambitious person will be brought back down].” – (Knappert, p. 93, Swahili).
12 Apr. 2002	“The good looks of a moron do not stay that way for long.” – Ethiopia (Ayele, p. 23, Amharic).
11 Apr. 2002	“The haughty blind person picks a fight with his guide.” – Ethiopia (Ayele, p. 69, Amharic).
10 Apr. 2002	“The best of mankind is a farmer; the best food is fruit.” – Ethiopia (Ayele, p. 110, Amharic).
09 Apr. 2002	“Do not vacillate or you will be left in between doing something, having something and being nothing.” – Ethiopia (Ayele, p. 91, Amharic).
08 Apr. 2002	“It is foolhardy to climb two trees at once just because one has two feet.” – Ethiopia (Ayele, p. 32, Amharic).
05 Apr. 2002	“Though the lion and the antelope happen to live in the same forest, the antelope still has time to grow up.” (Dzobo #174). (God allows some antelope to escape; they are not extinct.) – Cape Coast, Ghana
04 Apr. 2002	“When you are at home, your troubles can never defeat you.” [because your relatives will come to your aid] (Dzobo #118). – Cape Coast, Ghana
03 Apr. 2002	“A stranger does not skin a sheep that is paid as a fine at a chief’s court.” – Cape Coast, Ghana (Dzobo #25).
02 Apr. 2002	“The orphan does not rejoice after a heavy breakfast.” – Cape Coast, Ghana (Dzobo #191). (He knows that lunch, dinner and tomorrow are still in doubt.)
01 Apr. 2002	“The chicken is never declared innocent in the court of hawks.” – Cape Coast, Ghana (Dzobo #137).

29 Mar. 2002	“He flees from the roaring lion to the crouching lion.” Sechuana (Plaatje, #568). Sechuana
28 Mar. 2002	“A crime eats its own child.” Sechuana (Plaatje, #415).
27 Mar. 2002	“A sorcerer has no distinctive colour.” Sechuana (Plaatje, #423).
26 Mar. 2002	“He has not married a woman; for she is [the equal of] a man.” Sechuana (Plaatje, #159).
25 Mar. 2002	“People know each other better on a journey.” (Plaatje, #37).
22 Mar. 2002	“Let rats shoot arrows at each other.” Sudan (Miller, p. 4).
21 Mar. 2002	“Do not tell the man carrying you that he stinks.” Sierra Leone (Miller, p. 34).
20 Mar. 2002	“You suffer from smoke produced by the firewood you fetched yourself.” Luhya, Kenya (Miller p. 22).
19 Mar. 2002	“A man who dictates separates himself from others.” Somalia (Miller, p. 9).
18 Mar. 2002	“Be on the alert, like the red ant that moves with its claws wide open.” Uganda (Miller, p. 27).
14 Mar. 2002	“Instruction in youth is like engraving in stones.” Berber, North Africa (Stewart, p. 150)
13 Mar. 2002	“To be happy in one’s home is better than to be a chief.” Yoruba, Nigeria (Stewart, p. 114).
12 Mar. 2002	“The elephant never gets tired of carrying its tusks”. Vai, Liberia (Stewart, p. 31)
11 Mar. 2002	“By coming and going, a bird weaves its nest.” Ashanti, Ghana (Stewart, p. 30).
08 Mar. 2002	“(It is better that) trials come to you in the beginning (and you find peace afterwards) than that they come to you at the end.” (Walser #5430).Luganda, Uganda
07 Mar. 2002	“You are sitting in peace (unharmed): as the nose of a cow that feeds among thorntrees and shows no scars.” (Walser, #4583).Luganda, Uganda
06 Mar. 2002	“The rainmaker who doesn’t know what he’s doing will be found out by the lack of clouds.” Luganda, Uganda (Walser, #796).
05 Mar. 2002	“One who is crazy for meat hunts buffalo.” [the most dangerous game animal] (Walser #524). Luganda, Uganda
04 Mar. 2002	The one who says, “My home is peaceful,” buys millet (for brewing beer). [Meaning: a foolish act — when the beer is drunk, the peace of the home will be upset] (Walser, #413).

27 Dec. 2001	“A home without a mother is a desert.” – (Eritrean proverb)
21 Dec. 2001	“A camel does not joke about the hump of another camel.” – (Guinea proverb)
19 Dec. 2001	“When an elephant combats, it is the grass that suffers.” – (Kikuyu proverb)
13 Dec. 2001	“Elderliness is not a disease, but a richness.” – (Kiganda proverb)
11 Dec. 2001	“When others have received, you may still receive, because God is always present.” – (Burundian proverb)
06 Dec. 2001	“Those who respect the elderly pave their own road toward success.” – (African proverb)
04 Dec. 2001	“The tracks of the elephant cancels those of the antelope.” – (Duala proverb)

27 Nov. 2001	“If you are a flag follow the wind.” – (Swahili proverb)
27 Nov. 2001	“The wiseman’s promises are like dew on the field.” – (Nilotic proverb)
26 Nov. 2001	“The goat eats the grass where it is tied.” – (Bamoun proverb)
21 Nov. 2001	“If you are a flag follow the wind.” – (Swahili proverb)
20 Nov. 2001	“There is no hiding place on the water surface.” – (Balari proverb)
19 Nov. 2001	“The villager who always complains and is never satisfied with anything is like an annoying flea on the foot.” – (Nilotic proverb)
13 Nov. 2001	“Wind makes more noise among the trees.” – (Kikuyu proverb)
12 Nov. 2001	“Remember, after the storm there will be a rainbow.” – (Nilotic proverb
09 Nov. 2001	“When the webs of the spider join, they can trap a lion.” – (Ethiopian proverb)
07 Nov. 2001	“When your finger is in pain, your sight is not lazy.” – (Ekonda proverb)