Author: Chinua Achebe
The seminal Nigerian novel, Things Fall Apart, is a powerful
story following the protagonist Okonkwo during his life in a small Nigerian village during the late 19th and early 20th century. The story
excellently highlights pre-colonial aspects of Nigerian rural life,
specifically the Igbo culture in Southeast Nigeria where this story takes
place. Scattered throughout the narrative are various Nigerian proverbs.
Ibo say: “When the
moon is shining the cripple becomes hungry for a walk.”
This proverb especially hit home for me when I was living in
a village in rural Nigeria with no electricity. The phases of the moon become
so much more distinct and integrated in your nightly life when living without
artificial light. Granted there wasn’t the total absence of light, people had
flashlights, kerosene lamps and a lucky few had generators. But these devices
cost money to operate so no one kept them on into the depths of the night and
only used them sparingly. When the moon was full I always enjoyed the ability
to walk around the village without a flashlight, the increased light seemingly
urging all to explore the unknown of the night.
“As our people say,
‘When mother-cow is chewing grass its young ones watch its mouth.’ Maduka has
been watching your mouth.”
Sometimes I think that humans believe we make rational
decision, based on the complex operation of observation and critical thinking.
But sometimes I think we forget the importance of simple emulation and also
forget that sometimes we are emulating and while other times we are emulated.
But as the dog said,
‘If I fall down for you and you fall down for me, it is play’.
A strikingly clear proverb and interestingly enough, this
could be something said between two dogs or between a dog and a human(and as it
alludes to, human to human). The relationship humans have with dogs and some
dogs(especially puppies) lack of understanding when “playing” becomes
“aggression” makes this proverb easy to understand.
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