African Proverbs

What is a Proverb??

• They take the place of ordinary words

• Carefully crafted with wisdom, moral and philosophical ideals

• What are some proverbs you have heard before?

• Emphasis on experience & behavior

“Name That Proverb” Game

• On the following slides will be American proverbs – use your African proverb handout to figure out which African proverb is parallel to the American proverb

• Ready? Set….GO!!

Parallel

• When the cat’s away, the mice will play

• When the master is absent, the frogs hop into the house.

Parallel

• People who live in glass houses should not throw stones.

• Ashes fly back into the face of him who throws them.

Parallel

• The early bird catches the worm.

• The horse who arrives early gets good drinking water.

Parallel

• You can’t teach an old dog new tricks.

• You do not teach the paths of the forest to an old gorilla.

Parallel

• Speech is silver but silence is golden

• The fool speaks, the wise man listens.

Parallel

• Out of sight, out of mind.

• Absence makes the heart forget.

Parallel

• Think before you speak.

• Do not say the first thing that comes to your mind.

Parallel

• If at first you don’t succeed, try, try, again

• By trying often, the monkey learns to jump from the tree.

Parallel

• A bird in hand is worth two in the bush.

• He who hunts two rats, catches none.

Parallel

• Don’t wash your dirty linen in public.

• Home affairs are not talked about on the public square.

Parallel

• There is safety in numbers.

• Cross the river in a crowd and the crocodile won’t eat you.

“Name Than Proverb” Part II

• This time you will need to find the African proverb that is the OPPOSITE of the American sayings.

• Ready?? Set…..GO!!

Opposite

A watched pot never boils.

If you watch your pot, your food will not burn.

Opposite

• Clothes make the man.

• When a man is wealthy, he may wear an old cloth.

Opposite

• Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never harm me.

• A cutting word is worse than a bowstring; a cut may heal, but the cut of the tongue does not.

Opposite

• Where ignorance is bliss, ‘tis folly to be wise.

• Not to know is bad; not to wish to know is worse.

Your Turn!!

• Take 10 minutes to write a proverb of your own. It must be creative, contain a form of wisdom and emphasize a philosophical ideal.

“Osebo’s Drum”

• Proverbs are very often used as the underlying premise of Folk Tales. What do you think the premise of this story is?

• Display of superiority of wit over sheer strength or size.

• Does this sound familiar??