African Proverbs and Proverbial Names [Paperback]

Jonathan Musere (Translator)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 1, 1999

This is the first book, ever, that comprehensively illustrates the relationships between African proverbs and proverbial names. Close to 700 proverbs are are heavily explored and referenced here. Though many African personal names are of proverbial origin, the issue has not been adequately explored. The literature in this book is of the Ganda people of Uganda. The Ganda form the largest ethnic group in the country, they have an impressive collection of oral and written literature that contains thousands of proverbs, and their language (Luganda) is the most widely spoken native language in Uganda. A mix of such aspects as metaphor, wisdom, sarcasm, happiness, misery, humor, instruction, disappointment, praise, affection, ethics, royal and civil roles, etiquette, past and present modes of human interaction, friendship, enmity, religion, and war is communicated in African proverbial language. Proverbs and idioms are some of the most efficient windows into African culture. Personal names associated with with proverbs mainly serve as milestone reminders of significant happenings in the life or family of the person named. It can be quite a task to translate meaning from a language and culture significantly different from the other. Even after lengthy interpretation, concepts and rationale in African culture can appear perplexing to a non-African mind. Nevertheless, the hundreds of proverbs and names here are given detailed explanation and referencing. The pronunciation is here attached to the personal names that accrue from the proverbs. Common proverbs from other cultures, that are synonymous with the ones in this book, are in many cases here given so as to further clarify meaning. There are thousands of Ganda proverbs, not mentioned in this book, that have never been sufficiently interpreted in print. Indigenous African information continues to "disappear" because of inadequate research attention. This book is intended to to give the reader a diverse understanding and appreciation of African societal dynamics, the book also serving as a naming guide on which those of African descent and those with interest in Africa and Africans can ponder. The information is presented so as to be easily comprehensible to the general reader. Further, the book would serve as a general circulation and reference book in the academic arena. Academics of such areas as anthropology, history, literature, linguistics, philosophy, psychology, and sociology with reference to Africanism would benefit. The work is relevant to to such sub-fields as cultural anthropology, etymology, folklore, onomastics, and sociolinguistics.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"...such proverbs...their deeper meanings...make this book worth reading...[for]...a better grasp in comprehending African names. ...highly recommended..." -- Papyrus, Winter 2000, Vol.6, No.2

About the Author

Jonathan Musere has written numerous books and articles on a variety of sociological areas that include American nativism and immigration, disease spread, African culture, African proverbs, and African personal names.

Product Details

• Paperback: 210 pages
• Publisher: Ariko Pubns; 1st edition (April 1, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 096459692X
• ISBN-13: 978-0964596924
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.4 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #6,773,480 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Journal Review Excerpts--African Proverbs & Proverbial Names, August 24, 2001

By A Customer

This review is from: African Proverbs and Proverbial Names (Paperback)

"Until the publication [of this book], it has been extremely difficult to find any primer that collects and defines the meanings of some African names and proverbs in the English translation. [The book tries] to delineate, translate, and put into definitive contexts, these names and proverbs, as a means of reaching the bigger English audience that is still unaware of the rich African traditional linguistic heritage....[The book] looks at the relationship between African names and African proverbs.... The author goes into great length in defining and explaining these proverbs. ...such proverbs and their deeper meaning...make this book worth reading if one wants a better grasp in comprehending African names. The book has been made easier to read by the author's inclusion of two indices. One index deals with the general themes in the book, while the other one specifically looks at the names in the text. Over half a century ago, one leading African linguist...M.B. Nsimbi, had argued that writers would publish more books about African names and proverbs. Unfortunately his prophecy still remains unfulfilled as few works have been written about this still unexplored field. Nevertheless, it is heartening to see African linguists such as Jonathan Musere rising to the occasion. Nonetheless, Musere's work is just a tip of the iceberg in light of the millions of African names and proverbs that await to be analyzed and exposed to the world. In the face of the onslaught of western culture, languages and modern technology, African traditional names and proverbs stand a great risk of being obliterated. That is why we need books such as these to be written before it is too late. [The book is]...highly recommended for scholars and students of African anthropology, linguistics, literature, and history as well as those in the African/black diaspora that are interested in learning more about African culture, including those that might want to adopt some African names." (S.B. Isabirye in "Papyrus" Vol.6, No.2, Winter 2000).

5.0 out of 5 stars Book on African Translated Proverbs & Related Personal Names, September 29, 2002

By A Customer

This review is from: African Proverbs and Proverbial Names (Paperback)

For the reader or scholar with dedicated interest in African names, proverbs and culture, this is a unique and long awaited title. This is the first book to ever comprehensively illustrate the relationship between African proverbs and their related personal names. Although many African personal names have proverbial origins, the compiling of this information in detail is still in its rudimentary stage. African proverbs involve a wealth of disappearing oral wisdom and tradition that begs for much further exploration. This book involves close to a thousand interpreted proverbs and their associated names, of the Ganda people of Uganda who have a wealth of oral literature that begs for further exploration. The book inevitably serves as a naming guide for those interested in African names. There is a genuineness about this book in that the author writes the proverb in the original language, follows with the translation in English, interpretes the proverb in remarkable detail, and then lists the personal names associated with the particular proverb.