Samling af acoli ordsprog - fra Kenya - rubriceret efter emner

A unique historical and linguistic resource for those in anthropology, art, folklore, history, linguistics, literature, psychology, religion, sociology, and environmental studies, as well as performers and poets. Not simply relics of the past, proverbs are an oral tradition containing historical and anthropological knowledge missing from conventional sources, and as micro-histories, provide a valuable source for the reconstruction of the manners, characteristics, and worldviews of societies. While only a few hundred Kamba proverbs have ever appeared in print, thousands have circulated over time, from the monsoon exchange era of the Roman Empire through the advent of Islam, European imperialism and colonialism to independence. Today, a resurgence of interest in the form has been generated via social media, songs and vernacular radio programmes. This book provides the first, comprehensive collection of Kamba proverbs from Eastern Kenya in their original Kĩkamba language and in translation. Analysing 2,000 proverbs drawn from oral interviews, archival collections, museum artefacts and published sources, the author traces the origins of each and explores their meaning, interpretation and use. Covering a diverse range of subjects that ranges from plants, animals, birds and insects, to weather, land, the roles of men and women, cosmology, ritual and belief, healing, trade, politics and peacemaking, the book offers new insights into Kenya's rural world and the expansion of Kamba society, East African history, language and culture of vital significance for the social sciences. A valuable comparative work for societal change elsewhere in Africa and beyond, the book also suggests an innovative, alternative approach to the study of the African past.

Holly Porter explores wrongdoing and justice, and sexual violence and rape, among the Acholi people in northern Uganda.

“I acknowledge the pain, suffering, trials, tribulations, and all that our ancestors endured for the family. It is my prayer that readers find enlightenment in these pages and attain greater pride in family, community, culture, and heritage. Also, I hope they will celebrate the rich contributions of our ancestors to the world. Each time they reflect on these proverbs, I pray they will garner courage and strength to overcome the difficulties of the past, present, and future. Finally, I trust the wisdom and knowledge passed down from our ancestors will be shared with our descendants for ages to come.” (Jack L. Bynum)

Okot p'Bitek's epic poem, Song of Lawino, debates Acholi customs around the time that Uganda became independent. This book presents seminal anthropological works from that period by p'Bitek himself and by Frank Girling, who was researching among the Acholi when p'Bitek was a teenager. They were both introduced to anthropology in Oxford by Edward Evan Evans-Pritchard, and they both faced difficulties writing up their fieldwork. Girling, a veteran of the Spanish Civil War, was a suspected communist activist, and was expelled from Uganda in 1950. Against the odds, he managed to complete his doctorate, but the Colonial Office demanded cuts to the published version. Okot p'Bitek is a famous African creative writer, but his engaging anthropological studies have been unjustly neglected. He found academic ideas about Africans taught at Oxford misconceived and offensive. He rejected established analytical approaches and, consequently, the university failed his doctorate in 1970."