Rezensionen 
279 
Anthropos 96.2001 
the tone marking allows us to present this proverb on 
3 lines as follows (H = high tone; L = low tone; LL = 
bimoraic low tone; the fullstop separates syllables): 
mukulu shlnshimuka H.L.L LL.H.H.L 
nanku LL.H 
bukitlu bumanyike H.L.L L.H.H.L 
In this way, the tonal parallelism as well as the iso- 
syllabism between lines 1 and 3 are very clear. In this 
proverb, the word mukulu simply means “older than, 
elder,” and not “old man” as suggested by the author. 
“Old man” is rather “mukulakaje.” In both cases, the 
inadequate translation misleads the reader. The meaning 
of the proverb is distorted when “elder” is replaced by 
“old man.” 
The comparative lists on pp. 183-185 contain small 
inaccuracies such as the supposedly Ciluba word ngu- 
bu, instead of nguvu or Kiswahili ngombe, instead 
of ng’ombe (the first nasal should indeed be velar, a 
phoneme always noted ng’) ; in Kimbundu, it is striking 
that “millet/sorghum” and “beans” are expressed by the 
same word, masa. Perhaps such problems would have 
been avoided if the author had consulted linguistic works 
instead of relying only on Obenga 1985. 
On page 90, class 14 strangely appears to have a ma- 
/- prefix, instead of bu-. Besides, the example provided 
is a plural and not an abstract noun as one would expect 
for class 14. We suppose the word “Nairo”, at the 12th 
line in the references (235) is actually “Nairobi”. 
Finally, the relevance of drawings in a book with 
such a strong scientific bia^ is questionable. Except 
for those illustrating proverbs on the woman, these 
drawings do not provide much useful information. As 
a matter of fact, Kongo proverbs seem to be rather 
misogynous, like proverbs from other parts of the world. 
The author is, of course, not to be blamed for this, as 
he is just analysing available data. Moreover, proverbs 
being essentially symbolical - as the interesting list 
on pp. 158-160 shows -, it is clear that they should 
not be interpreted literally. However, we think that if 
the book is to be used by younger readers (which is 
suggested by the numerous pictures!), the presentation 
of the woman as the source of man’s sufferings only 
contributes to perpetuate negative traditional prejudices. 
A proverb such as “To eat with a woman, you are eating 
With the devil” (n° 33, 137), commenting a picture in 
which a large devil appears behind a woman, does not 
contribute much to the moral development of girls and 
boys of our time. Besides, the Christian influence is too 
obvious here, as there are no devils in African traditional 
religions. Other pictures tending to associate the woman 
With evil and lack of self-control are the ones on pp. 129 
a °d 155, showing respectively a woman with an extra 
lo ng tongue to illustrate the proverb “A loose tongue 
ls a disease” and two women quarrelling to illustrate 
the proverb “All that the dog sees remains in its heart”. 
Also a diagramme like the one on p. 136 to represent 
the bidimensional character of the woman symbol is not 
ne cessary for adult readers. 
Apart from these formal and semantic remarks, Li- 
Sl utba’s book does possess numerous qualities and mer 
its. In the first place, it throws a new light on the proverb 
genre. So the proverb appears to be a metaphorical 
and symbolic system that highlights the fundamental 
values of a society. Secondly, it illustrates how little one 
knows about African societies, contenting oneself with 
prejudices about such concepts as the individual and the 
group, the experience of time, etc. For instance, it is 
very important to observe that the relationships between 
the individual and the group are totally different from 
what is generally claimed, namely that only the group’s 
interests are prevalent, while the individual is almost 
anonymous. Lisimbi’s analysis of values summarized in 
the table of p. 55 is particularly revealing in this respect. 
The values that range at the top are Prudence, Patience, 
Union, and Self-reliance, that is, precisely those values 
that allow the individual to survive. Of course, as the 
analysis also shows, the individual cannot survive if 
he does not care for the group. Particularly interesting 
is the important role played by self-reliance. This also 
contradicts the generally admitted idea that the African 
individual heavily relies on the group for his survival. 
It is known that societies such as the Igbo (Nigeria) 
or the Shona (Zambia) strongly encourage personal 
initiative and individual success. (Besides, successful 
individuals in these societies are allowed to recite their 
own praises, being indeed entitled to rejoice in merits.) 
Lisimbi’s work magnificently illustrates this aspect of 
African societies. The conclusion to be drawn from the 
proverbs as analysed in this book is that it is more 
correct to consider that there is a dialectical relationship 
between the individual and the group, rather than putting 
one above the other. In other words, it appears that 
the individual counts as much as the group. As the 
writer rightly puts it : “In the Kongo perception union 
is a force that binds group identity. Stemming from 
man’s gregarious character, it is as a prerequisite for 
the ultimate survival of the individual” (64) and this is 
true in many African societies. Another commonplace 
is that Africans do not care about the future. Now, these 
proverbs put the emphasis on “preparedness,” a notion 
suggesting that one is responsible for the future and 
meaning that if one wishes to reap tomorrow, they have 
to sow today. As the Bakongo put it: If you want to 
breakfast in the morning, prepare (the meal) on the eve 
(Proverb n° 8). Hence the necessity of hard work, of 
learning, and of educating the children properly. 
The interest of Lisimba’s study is enhanced by its 
comparative character. Indeed, the values derived from 
the proverbs in different African languages define what 
is termed “ubuntu” (or an equivalent word) in African 
philosophy. We can render this concept by “bantuhood,” 
that is, humanness, humanity, or humanism. This, we are 
made to understand, is exactly what the Bantu speaking 
people consider to be wisdom. One can even deduce 
from these proverbs that an intelligent man or woman 
according to the Bantu, is not the one who has succeeded 
in accumulating a large amount of knowledge, but the 
one who combines understanding and experience, the 
one who possesses ubuntu. This is the meaning of the 
proverbs 13 and 36: Mayela mayoka nsongo (translated