Dear Friends interested in African Proverbs, Sayings and Stories,

         Welcome! Karibuni! In 1998, through the help of the Urban Ministries Serving God (UMSG) based in Nairobi, Kenya, we started this Internet Website and Email Mailing List (a type of "Electronic Mailing List" in the Internet World Wide Web language) on "African Proverbs, Sayings and Stories."

         African Proverbs, Sayings and Stories Website
         http://www.afriprov.org

         African Proverbs Email Mailing List
         proverbs-list@afriprov.org

Throughout the years we have expanded our site by adding features such as the African Proverb of the Month (with the current month featured on the Main Page), the Weekly African Proverbs, the African Proverbs Calendar, the Message Board, and several other resources for those interested in African Proverbs, Sayings and Stories that are listed on left-hand side of www.afriprov.org.

Most recently, we have added the online African Stories Database that has been created to provide searchable, user-friendly access to a collection of over 1,000 African stories (of which 531 stories are presently in the database) including folk tales, historical fiction pieces, myths, parables, poems, prayers, riddles, song-proverbs and true stories.

         What is unique is that the origin and starting point is Africa itself. With the renewed interest in African Oral Literature and African culture in general we try to provide a forum for people like you to share your interest and experiences in researching, collecting, writing about and using "African Proverbs, Sayings and Stories." With the marvels of the new information technology we can use this Internet Website to:

1. Share our own work (collections, research, writings, applications, experiences) and enthusiasm for "African Proverbs, Sayings and Stories" with other people with similar interests.
2. Ask questions of, and obtain materials from, other people with similar interests.
3. Compile an ongoing collection of a wide variety of resources (in the form of an Annotated Bibliography, Books Reviews and News Archives) related to "African Proverbs, Sayings and Stories."
4. Support and encourage different people involved in this wonderful world of "African Proverbs, Sayings and Stories."
5. Develop and expand a worldwide network of people interested in "African Proverbs, Sayings and Stories."

         I am the Moderator of this African Proverbs, Sayings and Stories Website and Email Mailing List. I am based in Nairobi, Kenya. My e-mail address with America Online (available worldwide) is: JGHealey@aol.com. The Assistant Moderator is Mr. Joseph Kariuki based in Nairobi, Kenya at: kariukiprov@yahoo.co.uk. The host of our website is CNETGlobal International that has a registered Internet Domain at: www.cngs.com. The Administrator of the website is Mr. Nicholas Adongo based in Manhattan, Kansas, USA at: adongoadongo@yahoo.com. Anyone is welcome to subscribe to the Email Mailing List and thus automatically receive e-mail messages. You are also welcome to register on our Message Board (presently operated by the VBulletin software program) and participate in a variety of forums.

         Good luck. We look forward to hearing from you and sharing our mutual experiences. It is appropriate to conclude this "Welcome Message" with two African proverbs. The commitment to spread the importance and usefulness of proverbs and other African oral literature is expressed in the Ganda (Uganda) proverb: One who sees something good must narrate it. This African Proverbs, Sayings and Stories Website and Email Mailing List can lead to further research, new collections, and fresh applications as expressed in the Sukuma (Tanzania) proverb: That which is good is never finished.

Rev. Joseph G. Healey, M.M.
Nairobi, Kenya
Moderator

 

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