African Proverbs Series: Volume 3

PUBLISHER: University of South Africa, Pretoria

151 pp

ISBN 1-86888-020-6

Professor AT Dalfovo is Head of the Department of Philosophy at Makerere University, which he joined in 1973. He holds a PhD in philosophy (Makerere, Kampala) and a PhD in sociology (Brunel, London). His interest in Lugbara culture began in 1960 and has never abated. Among his publications: The Foundations of Social Life: fe 74 Ugandan Philosophical Studies, Washington 1992, Lugbara Proverbs, Rome 1990, "Lugbara Personal Names and Their Relation to Religion” and "Lugbara Proverbs and Ethics" in Anthropos.

This volume, Lugbara Wisdom, intends to convey the wealth of Lugbara wisdom as enshrined in proverbs. It tries to preserve these "fragments of wisdom’ lest they be scattered and lost in the whirlwind of contemporary changes. Because proverbs mirror the entire existence of a people, those without that experience will find that the short explanations in this book leave many questions unanswered. Such questions remain to prompt a continuous interest in the best of other cultures — their wisdom.

The African Proverbs Series is one of several components of the African Proverbs Project, an international research effort steered by Stan Nussbaum (co-ordinator, American), John Mbiti (Kenyan), Joshua Kudadjie (Ghanaian), John Pobee (Ghanaian), Laurent Nare (Burkinabe), Willem Saayman (South African) and Dan Hoffman (American). The aims of the Project are to promote the collection, study and use of African proverbs.

CONTENTS

Acknowledgements 

List of Illustrations 

Maps 

Introduction to the African Proverbs Series 

Introduction to Volume 3: Lugbara Wisdom 

1 The Lugbara 

2 The Collection of Proverbs 

3 The Nature of Proverbs 

4 The Use of Proverbs 

5 The Wisdom in Proverbs 

The Proverbs

I The Family 

1 Parents

2 Children

3 Other Relatives

4 Marriage

The Community

1 The Home

2 Togetherness

3 Loneliness

4 Hospitality

Work and Food

1 The Need to Work

2 The Approach to Work

3 Food, The Result of Work

Property

1 Ownership

2 Poverty

3 Theft

4 Greed

V Problems 

1 Community Problems 

2 Personal Problems 

3 Mastering Problems 

VI The Human Condition 

1 Personal Characteristics 

2 Human Emotions 

3 Life Situations 

4 Death 

VII Behaviour 

1 Commitment 

2 Discipline 

3 Misbehaviour 

VIII Values 

1 Sincerity 

2 Prudence 

3 Restraint 

4 Pride 

IX Wisdom 

1 Being Wise 

2 The Reasons of Event 

3 Deceptive Appearance 

4 Foresight 

Index of Topics and Key Words 

Alphabetical Index in Lugbara 

Short Bibliography