AFRICAN STUDIES

AFRICAN LITERATURE
NAME: FREMPONG EMMANUEL OKYERE
CLASS: EVENING MATURED (COMMUNICATION STUDIES)
TAKE ANY FORM OF ORAL LITERATURE OTHER THAN TALES
AND WRITE AN INTELLECTUAL ANALYSIS OF IT
INDEX NUMBER: AUUG09150190

THIS PAPER LOOK INTO DETAILS WHAT PROVERB IS, WHERE AND WHEN USE
PROVERB, THE SIGNIFICANCE OF PROVERBS AND TRANSCRIPT OF PROVERBS
PROGRAMS ON PEACE FM (WOTE BE, MENSU METE BE) ON PALM SUNDAY
2016

proverb is a short well known containing a wise thought according to

Webster dictionary e.g " haste makes waste'' this proverbs teaches us not to
rash in doing things,as students,we should always learn and we must not
wait till examination before we begin to learn.when a teacher finds out that
his students are busy learning only in time of examination, the proverb
"Haste makes waste " can be used because the students will be in haste to
read all the notes and yet they will not get understanding of what they are
reading.
Ruth Finnegan in his book,African oral liternature describe proverb as a
model of compressed or forceful language and described people who uses
proverb as Accomplished
WHEN THUS PROVERBS OCCUR
proverbs occurs on all occasions when language is used for communication
either as art or a tool
when one fails business,go to school, start a job,begins a journey, return
from journey,get married ,give birth or even goes to the chief palace
SIGNIFICANCE OF PROVERB

It summarizes a story, a play or paragraph

proverbs are used to add colour to everyday conversation
proverbs are used in formal speeches before law court
there are twelve of these proverbs in law called maxims that every law has
to know to determine whether he win or loss a case and these are what will
call the law of equity.

the program which focuses on proverb is competed by two people who

goes to the studio and when a person proverbs is not accepted by the
judges, they will say you have shot vulture with gun( woto p3te tuo) one
thing that occurs is before any proverbs competition start,one of the
contestant will say"closed your eyes and open your eyes'' then the other will
respond I have done that , then the other will say if we don't sleep we don't
dream

When a person flactualate, it is saliva which is used to calm it down

Death land, not one person weeds it

If a child does not know how to bath, he/she will be able to bath his/her
stomach

The death that came to the house has not gone; you are now crying that
you are the only one left
When the hunter comes from the bush, and comes with only mushroom, we
don't asked him any further question
Before the ants cross a river, it the help of the stick

He who does not have money, it the fool who advice him
A younger elephant does not want to grow fat, but want to grow old
When you give birth and they don't resemble you, you have, given birth to
tsetse fly
A person, who fetches water, breaks the pot
When the hunter goes to hunting and does not come with a game, he gives
respect to the smelling fish
When beads fall in the presence of the elderly, all will be found.
A person who has slept with your wife before, when you are on the same
toilet and sees his penis, you will be terrified

When you go to a person house and you see feaces on a chair, dont be in
hurry to take it from the chair, it might be the king of the house

When your sister marries a Northerner, you will never eat a sick cow
"When you want to know the life style in the forest, you don't go to the sea
shore
When a child knows how to washed his hands well, he eats with the elderly
When was the last time you used a proverb? as at the time I was
writing this paper,Sunday 3rd April 2016,I used a proverb in Akan that says "
the slap that is near you, must be taken without hesitation" .I used this
proverb on "Onua FM 95.1 on a program called "kyere Wadwen" why did I
used the proverb? I had performed poorly in a contest which questions were
posed to me to answer in twi and knowing well the third round will be the
final around,the quiz mistress wanted to find out whether I will start
answering the question first or will wait to answer second,then my respond
came with a proverb"slap which is near you must be taken without
hesitation" meaning I will start answering first.
Ruth Finnegan in his book " African Oral literature stated that proverbs are
often skillfully introduced into speech at crucial moment and are influential in
the actual decisions reached.this statement was proved to be true when

after given this proverb,I managed to come closed to the girl I was
competing by having 35 points and she having 36 point in a contest.if I had
startard answering all the question by proverbs,I would have confused my
competitor and would have won with high margin.... my advice to those
going for competition is to learn some proverbs that will boast their morale.

Ruth Finnegan in page 434 of his book on African oral literature, this
proverb" The maker of a song does not spoil it",simply means it is not right to
interfere with someone who understands his own business. supposing a
government official is wasting government resource and qoute the above
proverb to people who questions why he spending so much. the people can
also qoute the proverb " when the is peruguin worth gold dust in a town,it
belongs to the community.these means that if the people allow that
government official to waste their ressources,they will at the end be tax to
pay even debt that will be incurred in the future.
African proverbs are even used by international professors, the vicechancellor of university of Cambridge professor sir Leszek Borysiewicz used
African proverb in Cambridge Alumni Magazine issue 76-Michaelmas 2015,
and said if you want to travel fast, travel alone. if you want to go far, travel
together.
the above proverbs explain why Cambridge has come far in raising fund to
support it infrastructure ,students and professors in maintaining high
standard of Academic performance, the school did not raise the money which
is the race alone but through the help from it Alumni and donors support.

Ruth Finnegan oral literature page 430 brings into the mind the importance
of a woman to a man and how men must take proper care and learn to
understands women.this is evidence in Ashanti proverb " A wife is like s
blanket,when you cover yourself with it,it irritate you and yet if you cast it
aside you feel cold.no matter an irrirating wife will be,when it comes to
bed,the women always keep the warth of a man
life thus not always give man only sweet things ,but one has to taste the
bitter things also ,irritating of a wife being bitter and warm of a woman being
sweeter makes a main to gain experience in life

let me end this paper with a proverb that says man came to do
some,but not all time will not allow me to say much about proverbs,but
whenever I have an opportunity, I will talk again on proverb.

SOURCES: AUDIO RECORDED OF PALM SUNDAY PROVERB PROGRAM ON

PEACE FM CALLED ABEBUO ON 20TH MARCH 2016
African oral literature-Ruth finnegan
webster-Dictionary
CAMBRIDGE ALUMNI MAGAZINE ISSUE 76-MICHAELMAS 2015