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Luganda proverbs (Beitrage zur Kulturanthropologie)

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This is a remarkably detailed compilation of close to 5500 proverbs of the Ganda ethnics (Baganda) of Uganda. The proverbs are translated and interpretred along alphabetical sequence, although many of the proverbs are repetitions of others written in a different tense or with different spellings. Ferdinand Walser meticulously employed several published, unpublished and oral sources from English, Dutch, French, German, and Luganda languages. The translations and interpretations are primarily from Luganda to English, but synonymous proverbs in European, as well as as other African languages are brought in now and then. The proverbs are also often made to refer to each other in the cases where they are synonymous, and this also makes their meanings clearer. At a very limited level, Walser mentions some personal names linked to the proverbs. Although the book was published in 1982, most of it was apparently compiled from the 1930's until 1957, after when Walser left the Buganda territory to head for his native Austria. Like many native African writings, Walser found difficulty in getting the work published, and it was not until 1977 that a major grant that would get the book in print was rendered by Missio Catholic missionaries. Although many people thereafter polished up on the book, with the convenience of modern computerized publishing methods, the names of these contributors are unfortunately not mentioned. In the introduction, the editors mention an important aspect of the book (vii): "...the great advantage enjoyed by the author [Walser] who lived with the [indigenous] people for many years when most of the proverbs he collected were still living tradition and not merely consigned to paper. The reader will surely appreciate Walser's method of listening to the people, and to many of them, to learn the real meaning and usages of proverbs." The Ganda people have one of the wealthist traditions and stock of African literature that includes their highly intriguing proverbs of culture and wisdom. Anyone with interest in such aspects is urged to explore this master volume of detail.

This is the most important collection of Luganda proverbs to date. Although the manuscript was completed in 1957, it was not published until 1984 due to various technical and financial difficulties. Sadly, by then the author was dead! This collection of some 5000 Luganda proverbs is the most comprehensive of its type. It includes English translations of most of the proverbs listed, both literal and application based, making it particularly valuable to the non-native reader. It goes further to give equivalents to some of the proverbs in several other modern languages.