Elders must educate the youth on proverbs

The Gikuyu of Kenya believe they have to speak in proverbs, and that he who is intelligent must understand.

The Igbo of Nigeria say that "proverbs are the kola nuts with which words are eaten", while the Yoruba aver that "a proverb is the horse of words; if a word is lost, a proverb is used to find it."

The above examples only serve to underscore the importance with which elders in African societies attached to the use of not only proverbs but metaphorical speech in general.

Proverbs, similes and metaphors played a normative, reflective, summative and aesthetic role especially in day to day social relations. In fact for one to be elevated to the coveted position of an elder, one’s mettle had to be measured as proof that one was conversant with the usage of such metaphorical language.

Metaphorical language was the embodiment of the wisdom of the society. Elders were, therefore, expected to impart the community’s ken of knowledge to all and sundry, and especially the youth, through this medium.

It was expected that any intelligent person would not fail to grasp the objects of reference in metaphorical speech and how such objects compared with what was meant with respect to a given context.

If for instance, it was said in a certain context that "the forest has not changed, it is only the monkeys that are different", it would be naÔve for one to come out guns blazing and claim the speaker had insulted his audience by calling them monkeys.

Dishonest elders

I, therefore, think it dishonest for ‘nominated elders’ to misconstrue Prime Minister Raila Odinga’s ‘omena’ and ‘mbuta’ phrases in reference to the poor and hapless illegal settlers and the monied squatters of the Mau Complex.

What a pity. What, pray can the youth learn from them? Indeed, things are changing pretty fast and not for the better. It seems as if now, more than ever before, that someone has to remind these latter day elders that they have ceased being the custodians of our rich African heritage.

Instead, they have become political hirelings for destruction.

I do not think that the Mau conservation is within their purview as nominated elders. This is only but a testament to the fact that these so-called elders are more than willing to be engaged in all manner of political brinkmanship.

{Francis Tome, Bumula}