African Proverb of the Month
April 2008
Agulu pii odiyo otac. (Acholi)
Jungu la maji hukandamiza kata. (Swahili)
The water pot presses upon the small circular pad. (English)
Acholi (Acholi,
Sudan)
Sayings
Background, Explanation, and Everyday Use
The Acholi people live mainly in Northern Uganda. The otac is the
small circular pad used as a stand and also for carrying water pots on the
head. Unless the pot is lifted the pad cannot be removed. The Acholi proverb
refers to the position of an individual who is forced by authority or public
opinion to do or to refrain from doing certain acts against his or her will.
The proverb presupposes the wisdom of a practical existential option for an
action that promotes the good of the community.
Biblical Parallels
"So Pilate, wishing to satisfy the crowd, released Barabbas for them; and after flogging Jesus, he handed him over to be crucified" (Mark 15:15).
“Could anyone refuse the water of baptism to these people, now they have received the Holy Spirit just as we have?” (Acts 10:47). In the context of this Scripture passage Peter (as well as the other Jews present) were surprised that the Holy Spirit had come down on the Gentile believers as well. They were to recognize their Gentile colleagues as their brothers and sisters in Christ. Thus the Gentiles were admitted to Baptism even though the Jewish tradition would not have allowed this.
NOTE: Today tribalism and ethnicity are one of the main causes of oppression, violence and wars in Africa. As Christians the foundation of our identity is first and foremost in Christ through Baptism. All other elements of our identity come after that.
Contemporary
Use and Religious Application
This Acholi proverb can be applied to the call for reconciliation and peace in Kenya against the background of the violence that immediately followed the December, 2007 General Election. The voice of the suffering Kenyan people is like the agulu pii pressing on the optic -- the political leaders who are expected to come up with practical solutions to bring about reconciliation and peace among the people even if the wishes of the individual political leaders may not be realized.
This also reinforces the theme of the just completed 2008 Kenya Lenten Campaign: “With a New Heart and New Spirit” (Ezekiel 36:26). Unless we accept the Risen Lord to renew us, the much desired call for reconciliation and peace may not bear fruit in our lives.
Rev. Thomas Komakech, AJ.
General Council – Apostles of Jesus
P.O. Box 30589, 00100 Nairobi, Kenya (before June, 2008)
P.O. Box 24946, Karen, 00502 Nairobi, Kenya (after June, 2008)
Email: frthomask@yahoo.com
African Proverb of the Month
Mar 2008
Wacha noma, bonga amani. (Sheng)
Leave bad things, talk peace.
Dere amani manzee. (Sheng)
Drive peace my colleagues.
Sheng (Kenya)
Sayings
Background, Explanation, and Everyday Use
Our research in Nairobi, Kenya during the months of January and February, 2008 uncovered these 40 sayings and slogans on peace, peacemaking, reconciliation and justice. These messages are listed in English in alphabetical order together with the Sheng and Swahili translations where used and available.
Choose Peace for Kenya (Chagua Amani Kenya).
Choose Peace, Prevent Bad Situations (Chagua Amani, Zuia Noma).
Drive peace my colleagues (Dere amani manzee).
Extend an olive branch to your neighbor, Symbol of Peace.
Help
save Kenya.
I am a Christian first, a Kenyan second and a Kikuyu third.
I am KENYAN. I want PEACE. Let's WALK the TALK.
If Annan can't resolve our political crisis, we should be prepared for anything.
I'm 4 peace.
I spit out bad things, I welcome peace (Noma naitema, amani naikaribisha).
I support Peace in Kenya
Justice 4 Kenya.
Keep peace.
Kenya -- Our Unity Is Our Pride.
Lay down your pangas, arrows, rungus, guns.
Leave bad things, talk peace (Wacha noma, bonga amani).
Let peace fill our heart, our world, our universe.
Let peace prevail.
Let's emphasize peace, let's satisfy God (Tuzingatie amani, tumridhishe Mungu).
Let's unite.
Make Me an Instrument of Peace in Kenya.
May peace rule over Kenya. And this peace should begin with me (Amani itawale
Kenya. Na amani hiyo ianzie kwangu).
Mothers, Daughters, Sisters, Wives: Help to Stop the Violence. Promote Peace
Through Forgiveness and Reconciliation.
Through young people a march to freedom has started. It is a march without violence.
One people. One nation. Choose peace.
Our beloved country. Let Kenya be for ALL.
Peace. Love. Unity. Now's the time.
Peace -- Wanted Alive.
People for Peace in Kenya.
Promote Change Through Active Non-Violence.
Resettle ALL IDPs.
Say NO to Corruption.
Say "No" to Violence. Say "Yes" to Peace.
Stand Up for Safer Neighborhoods.
Support peace. Cool down. (Weka amani. Poa).
Use your freedom to express yourself in a non-violent way.
We are for peace.
We are Kenyans. Why fight
We Kenyans have the terrible disease of tribalism.
We Want Our Country Back
Some of these sayings and slogans are religious, others advocacy, others political, others humanitarian and others cultural. These sayings and slogans were found on/in:
Announcements on radio and TV
Banners
Bumper stickers on vehicles
Billboards
Bottom of email messages
Everyday conversion
Graffiti written on walls, gates, rocks, large stones, etc.
Meetings
Newspapers and magazines
Poems
Popular songs
Postcards
Posters
Prayer services
Sermons
Signs on public buses called matatu
Stickers
Talks
Text messages on cellphones
T Shirts
We have chosen two popular Sheng sayings used by the youth in Nairobi to represent the whole genre.
Wacha noma, bonga amani. (Sheng)
Leave bad things, talk peace.
Noma is a popular Sheng word that rhymes with homa, the Swahili word for "fever"
or "malaria." The advanced stage of
cerebral malaria is a very bad thing and can cause a person to go crazy
and do crazy things. Bonga means to "talk" or "speak."
Dere amani manzee. (Sheng)
Drive peace my colleagues.
Dere means "to drive" or a "driver" and manzee means a "colleague" or "colleagues."
For Kenyan youth the word "colleague" means a person with whom you share common values towards issues on the ground or common views on certain situations. For now, the colleagues are holding common views on peace, constitutional change, shared resources, security for all, gender and opportunities for youths. This Sheng saying also proclaims peace.
NOTE: The youth subculture in Nairobi, Kenya coined Sheng as a common language of interaction among them. The word Sheng has it origins in the 1970s to capture the then new youth language of Nairobi and picked up momentum in the 1980s and 1990s. It is a blend of Swahili, English and other local Kenyan languages such as Gikuyu, Dholuo, Kamba, etc. It is the short form of Swahili and English, hence Sheng. Later it incorporated other local languages, but the name of the new blend remained the same. The Swahili part of the formation of the word is at the front meaning that Swahili contributed more words and phrases in the new language. It is thought to have originated in the Eastlands Estate in Nairobi. Later in the 1990s the youth from the middle class estates of Nairobi used a different form of this language with English contributing more words and phrases so this form was given the name Eng-ish. However this form did not catch on and was "eaten" by the Eastlands Sheng that is the form that was commonly used and that spread to Kenya's main cities and towns.
This unique language has been attributed to the language complexity in Kenyan cities that attracts a wide variety of languages. It has also been seen as the youth's attempt to carve out a niche for themselves, to give themselves a special identity and communication style, and to mark out how distinct they are from the older generation of their parents. Their parents try to solve practical issues by tracing them back to their ancestral homes and customs especially in rural areas (referred to as "upcountry"). For the youth this was a waste of time. Especially for those youth born and raised in Nairobi they are city people, they are urban dwellers. They admire and like this new cosmopolitan world. They have no connection to their ancestral homes especially in rural areas. So Sheng is their own "in" language of the city. It unites the youth in the city.
In the emotional realm of ethnicity (negatively
called "tribalism") in Kenya today, the Sheng language is seen as
one of the answers to the negative notions of ethnicity in urban areas
given that no one ethnic group (and its specific language) is able to
solely identify with the Sheng language. It is a composite of
many languages.
In addition, in the past few months the youth in Nairobi have coined slogans such as
I'm 4 peace and Justice 4 Kenya that use their shorthand codes in text messaging.
Biblical Parallels
"Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God" (Matthew 5: 9).
"Jesus himself stood among them and said to them, "Peace be with you" (Luke 24:36).
"Now I appeal to you, brothers and
sisters, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you be in
agreement and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be
united in the same mind and the same purpose" (1 Corinthians
1:10). Used in Cardinal John Njue, the Catholic Archbishop of Nairobi,
Kenya's Pastoral Letter entitled Be Reconciled to God; Now is the
Favorable Time (2 Corinthians 6:2) in Lent, 2008.
"I have set before you life and death, blessings and curses. Choose life so that you and your descendants may live" (Deuteronomy 30:19).
Contemporary Use and Religious Application
After the national elections in Kenya on 27 December, 2007 there was a lot of discontent and accusations of widespread vote rigging. This led to riots, violence, killings, burning of homes and shops and displacement of people throughout the country. By the end of February, 2008 over 1,000 people have been killed and over 500,000 people made homeless. In the midst of these political and ethnic group (tribalism) crises various peace campaigns emerged with appropriate messages, sayings and slogans. This shows the influence of oral culture in our contemporary African society.
While African youth know fewer and fewer traditional proverbs, the use of popular sayings and slogans is increasing especially in cities. The youth are now using these sayings and slogans to promote harmony and reconciliation among different ethnic groups in Kenya. They are involved more and more in peacemaking and reconciliation activities in Kenya through using their street language of Sheng and other slogans. The youth are encouraged to participate in such campaigns as the Kenya Lenten Campaign 2008 (Kenyan Catholic Justice and Peace Commission) on the theme: "With a New Heart and a New Spirit." The specific focus of Week Two of the campaign was "Youth Empowerment." Many activities have taken place throughout Kenya such as the Kenyan National Youth Violence Prevention Week, the Youth Peace Week, the Peace Caravan and the Peace Run.
An article was published in the 9 March, 2008 issue of the Sunday Times ( Kenya ) called "Of the Youth and Normalcy in Kenya " by Francis Njuguna, a Kenyan freelance journalist. It describes the recent research survey on youth sayings and slogans on peacemaking and reconciliation. It can be found online at: http://www.kenyatimesonline.com/content.asp?catid=9&articleId=1683
A "Cover" Story was published in the 10 March, 2008 issue of America Magazine (USA) called "A Tale of Two Elephants: Overcoming the Postelection Crisis in Kenya " by Agbonkhianmeghe E. Orobator. The author is a Nigerian Jesuit priest who has contributed to this website. He uses the famous (and very popular) African saying to characterize the current postelection crisis in Kenya : When two elephants fight, the grass suffers. What is particularly original is how he applies the saying eight times to President Mwai Kibaki and Raila Odinga who may become the new Prime Minister and to the local situation here in Kenya in the article. It can be found online at: http://www.americamagazine.org/conte...ticle_id=10670
NOTE: A search for "Peace" on this website resulted in 54 matches. In addition many African proverbs are found on the "Message Board" especially in the forum "Using African Proverbs in Daily Life." Go to: http://forum.afriprov.org/msgboard
Mr. Francis Osman Njuguna
Nairobi, Kenya
Email: osnjuguna@yahoo.com
Cellphone:
0720-434819
Mr. Evans
K. Nyakundi
Hekima College Library
Nairobi, Kenya
Email: evansnyakundi@yahoo.com
Cellphone: 0722-566445
Rev. Joseph G. Healey, M.M.
Maryknoll Society
P.O. Box 43058
00100 Nairobi, Kenya
Email:
JGHealey@aol.com
African Proverb of the Month
Feb 2008
|
Kuteka Lesa ke kumweka bwishi ne. (Kaonde) When God cooks, you don't see smoke. (English ) Mende (Sierra Leone) Proverb |
Background, Explanation, and Everyday Use
This Zambian proverb can also be translated as God's cooking does not cause smoke. It shows God's power. The almighty God, the all powerful God just does it. God does not need fire. He just does it. He says it and it is done. There is no other like Him. God is in a class by Himself. This Kaonde proverb refers to the many gifts of God that we take for granted because we never had to work for them such as wild fruits, mushrooms, herbs, etc. We did not cultivate them, but we eat and enjoy them. So this proverb teaches appreciation of God's power and providence.
To show the close connection to other African peoples and languages the Sukuma (Tanzania) ethnic group has a similar proverb There is only one bull in the world (that is, God is all powerful) on the theme "The Unsurpassable Power of God." God's unsurpassable power and might are portrayed in vivid metaphors and actions. These are marvelous things to behold. God is the chief bull of the world.
Biblical Parallels
Creation Story in Genesis. "In the beginning when God created the heavens and the earth, the earth was a formless void and darkness covered the face of the deep, while a wind from God swept over the face of the waters. Then God said, "Let there be light"; and there was light…" (Genesis 1:1-3).
"Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts; the whole earth is full of his glory" (Isaiah 6:3).
"Look at the birds of the air; they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly
Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? (Matthew 6:26). "And why do you worry about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they neither toil nor spin yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not clothed like one of these. But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which is alive today and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will he not much more clothe you -- you of little faith" (Matthew 6:28-30)
Contemporary Use and Religious
Application
Today many people have lost the sense of God, the sense of God's power, the sense of the uniqueness of God. We are challenged to rediscover God's power in the world. We are called to become more "God conscious" – to be more aware of God's power and providence in our lives and to rely on God more in our daily actions. When life seems a failure and everything seems lost, God can intervene and help us. The Shona people in Zimbabwe call God "The One Who Turns Things Upside Down."
As we explore how African proverbs are relevant for today, a quotation from John Ganly is appropriate: "In the oral wisdom of the Bantu people are the riches which no other people have seen, nor have they heard, nor has it entered their minds…Let us save it before it is too late!"
Rev. Joseph G. Healey, M.M.
Maryknoll Society
P.O. Box 43058
00100 Nairobi, Kenya
JGHealey@aol.com
Rev. Donald Sybertz, M.M.
Ndoleleji Parish
P.O. Box 47
Shinyanga Tanzania
African Proverb of the Month
Jan 2008
Nalung'wa naba. (Sukuma)
Nimeumwa na mbung'o. (Swahili)
I have been bitten by a tsetse fly. (English)
Sukuma (Tanzania) Proverb
Background, Explanation,
and Everyday Use
This humorous Sukuma proverb in Tanzania refers to a person who relentlessly pesters another person until he or she pays off a debt. There is a similar Sukuma proverb that says To promise an eye to a blind person meaning that the blind person will pester you until you fulfill your promise.
The proverb also refers to a person who, like a tsetse fly, persistently and relentlessly keeps coming after you again and again until he or she gets what the person wants.
In Swahili there are three words fora tsetse fly: mbung'o, ndorobo, and chafuo. Usage varies from place to place. The most commonly used word is mbung'o.
Biblical Parallels
Luke 18:1-8: "Parable of the Unscrupulous Judge and the Poor Widow."
Luke 11:5-13: "Episode on the Importance of Persistence in Prayer."
Luke 15:11-32: "Parable of the Prodigal Son." The father goes out every day to await the return of his lost son without getting tired or discouraged.
Judges 16: 4-22: "Story of Samson and Delilah." Delilah pestered her husband until Samson told her the source of his great strength.
Contemporary Use and Religious
Application
God is persistent in following us and challenging us. See the dramatic poem The Hound of Heaven by Francis Thompson.
From those strong Feet that followed, followed after.
But with unhurrying chase,
And unperturbčd pace,
Deliberate speed, majestic instancy,
They beat -- and a voice beat
More instant than the Feet.
In turn we should be persistent in prayer. Jesus Christ says: "Ask, and it will be given you; search, and you will find; knock, and the door will be opened for you. For everyone who asks receives, and everyone who searches finds, and for everyone who knocks, the door will be opened. Is there anyone among you who, if your child asks for bread, will give a stone? Or if the child asks for a fish, will give a snake? If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good things to those who ask him (Matthew 7:7-11). And similarly Luke 11:13: "If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will the heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!"
We should not get discouraged and despair in times of difficulties. Whether it is war, poverty, sickness, disease, trials, failures, mistakes, weaknesses, limitations, misunderstandings, etc. we should persevere, we should endure, we should be persistent. And in the spirit of St. Paul: "Let us not grow weary in doing what is right, for we will reap at harvest time, if we do not give up" (Galatians 6:9).
NOTE: This proverb was used to describe my assistants/helpers in researching and writing the definitive version of the famous Sukuma myth of the clever young man Masala Kulangwa and the monster Shing’weng’we. It was published by Mathews Bookstore in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania in December, 2006 in booklets of 32 pages each in three separate languages:
English: Tears of Joy: African Story about Heroes and Monsters
Swahili: Machozi ya Furaha: Hadithi ya Mashujaa na Majitu
Sukuma: Shisoji ja Buyegi: Jigano ja Lishing’weng’we
Rev. Donald Sybertz, M.M.
Ndoleleji Parish
P.O. Box 47
Shinyanga, Tanzania