In serious talk or in ordinary conversation, Africans liked to start with a proverb that speaks about the topic of the moment. The use of proverbs in Africa is a very powerful communication form. It allows people to understand the meaning quickly and also to remember what was said long after the conversation or the meeting is over. Indeed in the African context, a proverb is worth a thousand words!

Although they may be based on given cultures and traditions, proverbs are usually essentially expressions of universal truths. In their application proverbs are not necessarily tied down to the community that first produced them. A Fulani can easily adopt a proverb from another ethnic group and make it appropriately fit his/her circumstance. Proverbs are usually short and highly condensed sayings, which are generally anonymous in their authorship and authoritative in its application. Brevity is, therefore, one characteristic of a proverb, and this brevity helps to make proverbs memorable, that is, easy to learn and retain in memory. Some proverbs are musical, and rhythmic as is shown by the following Fulani proverb, Feere fendi fettande kono virazam haazaani (The need to create made sour milk, but fresh milk is not bitter).

The use of proverbs as a source of moral authority is facilitated by their nature. In their brevity, musicality, and depth of meaning, proverbs are not only easily memorable, they are also easy to apply at appropriate occasions. It is their nature, incidentally, that makes it possible for them to be easily used in everyday speech. They help enrich and add color to everyday speech, as they help a speaker make a point briefly, sometimes with devastating effect.

As distilled accumulation of time-tested experiences, and ancestral wisdom, proverbs are also useful in the transmission of what are perceived as adequate and desirable moral standards and healthy social interaction. Proverbs initiate youth into adulthood, especially in societies where they are the preserve of elders. And as the youth are initiated into adulthood, they absorb the codes of human behavior as they prepare for future roles as guardians of ancestral wisdom and culture.

The following are proverbs from all over Africa. They are grouped into categories, but with many overlapping.

Categories proverbs