Vidye muntanda ukihanga). It also commands
hospitality and respect for the stranger because,
as a Luba proverb put it, “Your guest is your
God” (Mwenyi obe I Leza obe). In this era of
globalization and reactionary ethnocentrism,
African proverbs convey a great wisdom on
universal brotherhood.
It should be noted, however, that proverbs do
not claim an extraordinary divine revelation and
authority. They are a product of human experi-
ence and reflection, and subsequently their wis-
dom reflects the limitations of human frailty.
Thus, feminists rightly point out that, in a patri-
archal society, sexist proverbs have been canon-
ized to sanction the status quo of male
dominance. In this context, fidelity to the will of
the ancestors implies a dynamism that creates
new proverbs conducive to the ancestral impera-
tive of harmony and respect for all life. Indeed,
African proverbs have always been dynamic in
their development and their polysemic structure.
An absolutization of one single interpretation or
one single set of proverbs would be tantamount
to the betrayal of African tradition.
Finally, it is worth noting that the wisdom of
African proverbs has a universal character that
facilitates dialogue between African traditional
religions and other world religions. Needless to
say, the impact of African proverbs of ancient
Egypt on the Bible is a subject well acknowledged
by Biblicists, and the mention of Amenemope in
the Bible is a glaring testimony to that impact,
along with the influence of Egyptian religion on
Moses as recorded in the Acts of the Apostles in
the New Testament.
Mutombo Nkulu-N’SenghaSeealsoOral Tradition
Further Readings
Carney, J. (1971). Onyame: Concepts of the Supreme
Being in Akan Proverbs and Folktales.Worldmission,
22 , 42–49.
Cocquyt, A. (1953). Proverbes des Ntomba e Njale.
Aequatoria, 16 , 147–152.
Gray, E. (1944). Some Proverbs of the Nyanja People.
African Studies, 3 , 101–128.
Gyekye, K. (1973). Philosophical Relevance of Akan
Proverbs.Second Order, 2 , 45–53.
Senior, M. M. (1947). Some Mende Proverbs.Africa, 17 ,
202–205.
Sumner, C. (1992). Anthology of Oromo Proverbs (Part
I).Eshet,A Bilingual Magazine, 6 , 39–42.PTAH
The priesthood that developed around Ptah was
based in the capitol constructed to administer Kmt
(ancient Egypt) as a new nation. The name of
that municipality was Mn-nfr, which literally
means “Beautifully Established.” Mn-nfr (called
Memphis by the Greeks) was the spiritual and
administrative center of Kmt, It was established
soon after the southern Federation of Upper Kmt
successfully welded itself to its northern neighbor,
the Federation of Lower Kmt, into a world power
known globally by the following names: Kmt, the
Black Nation, Ta-mery, the beloved land, and
Tawy, the two lands. Mn-nfr was the central base
of the Ptah priesthood, and the city’s strategic
location on the Nile River would eventually give
the priesthood access to a magnificent world trade
port of goods and exchange of ideas.
The world became familiar with the God Ptah
and the wisdom distributed by his priesthood.
Ptah was declared the God of original creation
and the first official godhead of ancient Egypt
(Kmt). The priests of Ptah, following the dictates
of Kmt’s leaders, established Ptah throughout Kmt
as the unifying concept linking all regional and
functional deities and priesthoods. This initiative
was launched some time around the year 3400,
more than 5,000 years ago, within Kmt’s Early
Dynastic period and remained through the period
of Kmt’s Old Kingdom (circa 3100 through
2160), for a period of almost 1,300 years.
The high priest was referred to as wer-
kherep-hemu—Greatest of the Controllers of
Craftsmen—reflecting the importance and status
of the professional crafts at that time. The Ptah
priesthood of the newly formed nation ministered
a uniting ideology that sought to fortify the social
order, ensure stability, and generate eternal life.
The priesthood of Ptah provided the philosophic
underpinnings of this ideology in cooperation with
Kmt’s royal and civil administrators (Pharaoh fam-
ilies, ministers, and municipal leaders). Ptah,Ptah 543