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A Wo rd fo r the Wi se:
So met imes in hu man life, yo u need t o blend yo ur speech wit h pro ver bs, id io ms,
quo t es and wise sayings. I n Afr ican cu lt ure[s], an eld er is co nsider ed an elder
when he speaks w it h pro ver bs. When an eld er sp eak s wit ho ut a pro ver b, it is
lik e a child chasing t he w ind wit ho ut resu lt s. Pro verbs co lo ur t he sp eech and
make t he au d ience happ y o r t ho ught fu l.
The Bib le uses nu mero us met ap ho rs, p ro verbs and wise sayings t o exp lain
event s and s it uat io ns. Read ing t hem o ffer s co nso lat io n in o ur present co nd it io ns
and ho pe fo r a bet t er to mo rro w.
And Jesus is t he mo st lik ely per so n we can po int o ut who never spo ke wit ho ut
using a pro ver b, a wise saying o r a met ap ho r . E lder ly per so ns were mesmer ized
by h is abilit y t o spro ut o ut wit t y sa ying s o ffhand. One eld er even cha lleng ed
him and said, “Yo u are no t up t o fo rt y and yo u t alk lik e t his?” He was fu ll o f
wisdo m.
Examp les o f his saying s are man y. He said at o ne t ime, “T he Sabbat h was mad e
fo r man and no t man fo r t he Sabbat h”, o r “Dest ro y t his t emp le and in t hree d ays,
I shall r aise it up again” and at ano t her t ime he said, “When am lift ed up fro m
t he eart h I shall draw all men t o mys elf.” Of co urse, t hey were sho rt o f
und erst and ing.
1
Fr . Vi c tor C. Y ak ub u i s pr i est of t h e Ca t hol i c Di oc es e of Za r i a , Ni ger ia . He ca n be
r ea ch ed a t vi c ch en y@ ch en dekem en . com . T h i s com pi l at i on wa s m a de bet ween 1987 a n d 1994.
But m ost l y i n 1993/ 1994 wh en I a ssum ed t h e posi t i on of Pr es i den t of t h e Phi l osoph i ca l
Soci et y of St . August i n e’s Ma j or S em i n ar y J os, Pl a t ea u St a t e – Ni ger i a a n d con tr i but in g
edi t or of Gadf l y m a ga z in e. Speci a l t han ks t o Fr . Isa i ah Och i gbo for hi s suggest i on s on t h i s
c om pi l a t i on espe ci a l l y t h e arr an gem en t an d str uct ur e. Man y t h an ks.
African Pro ver bs and W ise Sayings for Different Occasio ns by V. C. Yakubu
2:
Yo u may be a preacher o r perso n who makes sp eeches ever yday t o an aud ience;
yo u need t o blend t ho se speeches wit h so me wise sa ying s, a pro ver b o r a
met ap ho r.
But remember, when yo ur au d ience is sho rt o f u nd erst and ing, yo u have t o t ake
o ver t he exp lanat io n so t hat yo u do not leave t hem in t he dark.
Mo st impo rt ant ly, k no w when t o app ly t hese pro ver bs t o a part icu lar o ccasio n.
When it is a so rro wfu l mo o d, yo u do not need t o use pro ver bs fo r wedd in g
ceremo ny o r when it is t ime fo r naming ceremo ny; yo ur pro ver bs mu st no t co me
fro m t he bur ial ceremo ny g enre.
Peo p le who list en t o speeches ar e qu ick t o det ect an empt y app licat io n o f a
pro ver b, when it do es no t mat ch t he o ccasio n. Mast er y o f t he pro ver b g ives yo u
t he added ad vant age o f using it when necessar y lik e Jesu s d id.
The Nig er ian nat io nalist and po lit ic ian, Chief Obafemi Awo lo wo [1909 – 1987]
o nce said, “Vio lence never set t les anyt hing r ig ht : apart fro m in jur ing yo ur o wn
so u l, it injur es t he best cau se.
Many Afr ican nat io nalist s used wit t y saying t o fig ht fo r t he ind ependence o f
t heir st at es. Mo st po pular and mo st recent o f t hese is Nelso n Mandela. He said,
“Aft er climb ing a great hill, o ne o nly find s t hat t here are man y mo r e hills t o
climb. ” Fro m o ne o bst acle t o anot her, his peo p le were led t o t he abo lit io n o f
apart heid.
But aft er it , what came next is t he issu e o f sur mo u nt ing pro blems wit h in t he
So ut h Afr ican so ciet y and mak ing it fu nct io nal. So t hat saying is a ver y r elevant
saying when mak ing a sp eech t o a gro up o f peo p le willing t o make change s in
t heir so ciet ies.
In pre- mo der n t imes Afr ican cu lt ures have never had any wr it t en co mp ilat io n o f
t heir sa ying s fro m Casab lanca t o J’Burg and fro m Alg ier s t o Lusak a and fro m
T imbukt u to Ouagado ugo u.
African Pro ver bs and W ise Sayings for Different Occasio ns by V. C. Yakubu
3:
These pro ver bs were handed o ver fro m parent s t o t heir childr en in o ral fo r ms in
st o ries and fo lk lo r es. Over t ime t hese saying s were refo r mu lat ed fo r lack o f
wo rds and mo st o f t hem lo st t heir o rig inal st yle.
My grand fat her at 97 years will clo se his eyes and speak in pro ver bs. So met imes
he sp eak s end lessly. My grand mo t her is wo rst. At 88 years, she lo ves t o sho ut in
pro ver bs and if yo u do n’t u nder st and t hem she get s angr ier in pro ver bs. I have
co me t o lo ve t hem fo r t he ins ig ht s t hey o ffer via pro ver bs and wise sayings fro m
t heir wealt h o f exp er iences.
As so meo ne who must t alk almo st ever y day o f my life, I imb ibe t he u se o f
d ifferent cat ego r ies o f pro ver bs. At t imes, t he aud ience is t hr illed and at ot her
t imes t hey are co nfused o r ju st seem pat het ic. So met imes my aud ience is
t ransfixed fo r lack o f u nder st and ing may be becau se I never said t he p ro ver b
acco rd ing ly. But do n’t be d isco uraged as I have never been.
Abo ve all, t hey have been insp irat io nal and necessar y when co mpo sing a t alk o r
a speech t o an aud ience. Yo u too mu st do t he same and yo u have yo ur o wn
co mp ilat io n fro m yo ur cu lt ure.
Always beg in by mesmer iz ing t hem wit h an alr ead y med it at ed pro ver b and t hen
bu ild o n t hat . The mo st impo rt ant perio d t o shoot one is eit her fro m t he
beg inn ing, t he midd le o f yo ur speech o r at t he end.
Always mak e it so u nd int erest ing, co her ent and st raig ht fo rward. The best t hing
abo ut pro ver bs is t o say it wit ho ut a break, o r to break in t he midd le o f it and
sig h, t hen co nclud e t he seco nd half. Yo u will t hr ill yo ur aud ience and send t hem
in co mp let e jit t ers fu lly mesmer ized.
African Pro ver bs and W ise Sayings for Different Occasio ns by V. C. Yakubu
4:
He was fo nd o f us ing man y pro ver bs wh ile preaching o r t eaching his st udent s.
This is ded icat ed to his lo ving memo r y. List ening t o him eit her preaching o r
t eaching was fu n and man y list ener s lo ved t he way he t ailo red h is sp eeches fu l l
o f id io ms, pro ver bs and wise sayings.
Each t ime he ment io ned t hese pro ver bs in h is sp eeches, t he aud ience was always
t hro wn in laug ht er. But t he messag e was clear.
Feel fr ee t o do wnlo ad t hese wise saying s and use t hem acco rd ing ly. I n case yo u
have co mment s, quest io ns o r suggest io ns to wards impro ving t his co mp ilat io n,
do feel free to send me yo ur o bser vat io ns fo r fut ure impro vement s.
They are put int o gro ups co nt aining t en pro ver bs o r wise saying s. Read t he m
carefu lly o ver a nd o ver t o get t he sense and ho w t o app ly t hem at yo ur next
o ccasio n.
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African Pro ver bs and W ise Sayings for Different Occasio ns by V. C. Yakubu
5:
105 African Proverbs for Your Delight
Group I
Group II
Group III
21.Never ask a land lo rd fo r a chair when he has o nly a mat o n which he sit s.
22.Do es t he mere sig ht o f a but cher mak e t he so up t ast e delic io u s?
23.I f wat er is ro tt en wit h what shall yo u wash it ?
24.The ear is never great er t han t he head.
25.No mat t er ho w lo ng t he neck is, t he head is always o n it s t o p.
26.Wit h p at ience, even a ho t plat e o f so up can be licked.
27.The fr iend o f a t hief sho u ld be read y t o hear unco mp liment ar y co mment s.
28.The nat ive do ct or kno ws t hat he can do no t hing wit ho ut Go d.
29.One who chases a fo wl t hat do es no t belo ng t o him is bo u nd t o t umble.
30.Fro gs and t o ads like wat er but no t when it is ho t .
African Pro ver bs and W ise Sayings for Different Occasio ns by V. C. Yakubu
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Group IV
Group V
Group VI
African Pro ver bs and W ise Sayings for Different Occasio ns by V. C. Yakubu
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Group VII
Group VII
Group IX
African Pro ver bs and W ise Sayings for Different Occasio ns by V. C. Yakubu
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Group X
91.Wat er do es no t just develo p a t errib le o dour unless so met hing has d ied in
it .
92.The chameleo n says it shall no t change it s d ig nified way o f walk ing ju st
becau se t he fo rest is o n fire.
93.The snak e has no hands and no leg s, yet it can climb t rees.
94.It is senseless t o t ry t he cap o n t he k nees when yo u have yo ur head.
95.A lamp t hat decides to act like a wo lf sho u ld be read y fo r t he hu nt er’s
arro ws.
96.I f a hand shak e go es beyo nd t he elbo ws, t hen it beco mes su sp ic io u s.
97.Yo u sho u ld no t k ill t he eart hen wo r m fo r an o ffense co mmit t ed by t he
snak e.
98.When t he bu sh rat gro ws to o o ld t o cat er fo r it self, it beg ins t o feed fro m
t he br east s o f it s o ff-spr ing s fo r sur viva l.
99.Ever y per so n pu lls a ro pe to wards himself.
100. A man do es no t kno w t he impo rt ance o f h is but to cks unt il a bo il
develo p s o n t hem.
Group XI
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African Pro ver bs and W ise Sayings for Different Occasio ns by V. C. Yakubu