Yoruba Proverbs

Yoruba Proverbs
Author: Oyekan Owomoyela
Publisher: U of Nebraska Press
Total Pages: 515
Release: 2005-01-01
Genre: Social Science
ISBN: 0803204957

"Yoruba Proverbs is the most comprehensive collection to date of more than five thousand Yoruban proverbs that showcase Yoruba oral tradition. Following Oyekan Owomoyela's introduction, which provides a framework and description of Yoruba cultural beliefs, the proverbs are arranged by theme into five sections: the good person; the fortunate person (or the good life); relationships; human nature; rights and responsibilities; and truisms. Each proverb is presented in Yoruba with a literal English translation, followed by a brief commentary explaining the meaning of the proverb within the oral tradition." "This definitive source book on Yoruba proverbs is the first to give such detailed, systematic classification and analysis alongside a careful assessment of the risks and pitfalls of submitting this genre to the canons of literary analysis."--BOOK JACKET.

Yoruba Proverbs and Their Contexts

Yoruba Proverbs and Their Contexts
Author: Ayo Faleti
Publisher: Lulu.com
Total Pages: 251
Release: 2012-01-23
Genre: Education
ISBN: 1447829409

A collection of 215 Yoruba proverbs with literal translations into English and the proverb's context.

African-American Proverbs in Context

African-American Proverbs in Context
Author: Anand Prahlad
Publisher: Univ. Press of Mississippi
Total Pages: 308
Release: 1996
Genre: African American proverbs
ISBN: 9781604737691

A groundbreaking study of proverbs in African-American speech from slave times to the present.

Oral Literature in Africa

Oral Literature in Africa
Author: Ruth Finnegan
Publisher: Open Book Publishers
Total Pages: 614
Release: 2012-09
Genre: Social Science
ISBN: 1906924708

Ruth Finnegan's Oral Literature in Africa was first published in 1970, and since then has been widely praised as one of the most important books in its field. Based on years of fieldwork, the study traces the history of storytelling across the continent of Africa. This revised edition makes Finnegan's ground-breaking research available to the next generation of scholars. It includes a new introduction, additional images and an updated bibliography, as well as its original chapters on poetry, prose, "drum language" and drama, and an overview of the social, linguistic and historical background of oral literature in Africa. This book is the first volume in the World Oral Literature Series, an ongoing collaboration between OBP and World Oral Literature Project. A free online archive of recordings and photographs that Finnegan made during her fieldwork in the late 1960s is hosted by the World Oral Literature Project (http: //www.oralliterature.org/collections/rfinnegan001.html) and can also be accessed from publisher's website.

The Proverb in the Context of Akan Rhetoric

The Proverb in the Context of Akan Rhetoric
Author: Kwesi Yankah
Publisher: Diasporic Africa Press
Total Pages: 295
Release: 2012-02-15
Genre: History
ISBN: 1937306038

Attracting renewed attention by a new generation of scholars, the book presents a comprehensive ethnography of proverb communication in an African culture and achieves a significant breakthrough in proverb studies. The author critically reviews the dynamics of the proverb, one verbal genre that embodies the high point of rhetoric in traditional and contemporary Africa, and explores in rich details the proverb's creative potential, authorship and effectiveness in crisis management. Yankah elevates the documentation of the African proverb beyond decontextualized compilations, and portrays the proverb as a dynamic communicative strategy in which form, meaning and logic are in constant flux. The study, which focuses on the Akan of Ghana, situates the proverb in the heart of real life discourse interactions and monitors its rhetorical efficacy on the basis of indigenous aesthetics. The book should be of value to folklorists, sociolinguists, anthropologists, literary scholars and students of African studies and communications.

The Wiley Blackwell Companion to Wisdom Literature

The Wiley Blackwell Companion to Wisdom Literature
Author: Samuel L. Adams
Publisher: John Wiley & Sons
Total Pages: 516
Release: 2020-02-17
Genre: Religion
ISBN: 1119158273

A comprehensive introduction to ancient wisdom literature, with fascinating essays on a broad range of topics. The Wiley Blackwell Companion to Wisdom Literature is a wide-ranging introduction to the texts, themes, and receptions of the wisdom literature of the Bible and the ancient world. This comprehensive volume brings together original essays from established scholars and emerging voices to offer a variety of perspectives on the “wisdom” biblical books, early Christian and rabbinic literature, and beyond. Varied and engaging essays provide fresh insights on topics of timeless relevance, exploring the distinct features of instructional texts and discussing their interpretation in both antiquity and the modern world. Designed for non-specialists, this accessible volume provides readers with balanced coverage of traditional biblical wisdom texts, including Proverbs, Job, Psalms, and Ecclesiastes; lesser-known Egyptian and Mesopotamian wisdom; and African proverbs. The contributors explore topics ranging from scribes and pedagogy in ancient Israel, to representations of biblical wisdom literature in contemporary cinema. Offering readers a fresh and interesting way to engage with wisdom literature, this book: Discusses sapiential books and traditions in various historical and cultural contexts Offers up-to-date discussion on the study of the biblical wisdom books Features essays on the history of interpretation and theological reception Includes essays covering the antecedents and afterlife of the texts Part of the acclaimed Wiley Blackwell Companions to Religion series, the Companion to Wisdom Literature is a valuable resource for university, seminary and divinity school students and instructors, scholars and researchers, and general readers with interest in the subject.

African Proverbs as Epistemologies of Decolonization

African Proverbs as Epistemologies of Decolonization
Author: George Jerry Sefa Dei
Publisher: Peter Lang Incorporated, International Academic Publishers
Total Pages: 0
Release: 2018
Genre: Decolonization
ISBN: 9781433133947

African Proverbs as Epistemologies of Decolonization calls for a rethinking of education by engaging African proverbs as valuable and salient epistemologies for contemporary times. The book addresses the pedagogic, instructional, and communicative relevance of African proverbs for decolonizing schooling and education in pluralistic contexts by questioning the instructional, pedagogic, and communications lessons of these proverbs and how they can be employed in the education of contemporary youth. It presents a critical discursive analysis of proverbs from selected African contexts, highlighting the underlying knowledge base that informs these cultural expressions. Explore alongside the book the ways in which these Indigenous teachings can be engaged by schools and educators to further the objective of decolonizing education by providing a framework for character education. This character-based framework equips the learner to be knowledgeable about power, equity, ethics and morality, and to develop a conscience for social responsibility, as well as to embrace traditional notions of self-discipline, probity, and hard work. This text goes beyond the mere documentation of proverbs to tease out how embedded knowledge and cultural referents in these knowledge bases and systems are critical for transforming education for young learners today.

African-American Proverbs in Context

African-American Proverbs in Context
Author: Anand Prahlad
Publisher: Univ. Press of Mississippi
Total Pages: 309
Release: 1996-07
Genre: Social Science
ISBN: 0878058907

Such sayings as "Hard times make a monkey eat red pepper when he don't care for black", "The blacker the berry, the sweeter the juice", and "Nothing ruins a duck but its bill" convey not only axiomatic impact but also profound contextual meanings. This study of African-American proverbs is the first to probe deeply into these meanings and contexts. Sw. Anand Prahlad's interest in proverbs dates back to his own childhood in rural Virginia when he listened to his great-grandmother's stories. Very early he began collecting "sayings". In researching this book, he spent five years listening for proverbs spoken in bars, clubs, churches, and retirement homes; on street corners, basketball courts, and public buses; at PTA meetings and bingo games. To discover the full context of a proverb, Prahlad considers four levels of meanings - grammatical, cultural, situational, and symbolic. All these operate simultaneously when a proverb is spoken. Part of the artistry in using proverbs comes from the complex interplay of the dimensions of their meanings. From WPA interviews with former slaves, from the lyrics of blues songs, from extensive field research, and from expressions of protest and cultural affirmation, the author reveals the myriad ways African-American proverbs thrive today.

Yoruba Art and Language

Yoruba Art and Language
Author: Rowland Abiodun
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Total Pages: 415
Release: 2014-11-13
Genre: Social Science
ISBN: 1139992872

The Yoruba was one of the most important civilizations of sub-Saharan Africa. While the high quality and range of its artistic and material production have long been recognized, the art of the Yoruba has been judged primarily according to the standards and principles of Western aesthetics. In this book, which merges the methods of art history, archaeology, and anthropology, Rowland Abiodun offers new insights into Yoruba art and material culture by examining them within the context of the civilization's cultural norms and values and, above all, the Yoruba language. Abiodun draws on his fluency and prodigious knowledge of Yoruba culture and language to dramatically enrich our understanding of Yoruba civilization and its arts. The book includes a companion website with audio clips of the Yoruba language, helping the reader better grasp the integral connection between art and language in Yoruba culture.