WHAT BECOMES OF THE YOUTHS WHEN ELDERS MISCONTRUE METAPHORICAL SPEECH?

Dear Sir/madam, The Gikuyu of Kenya believe that they have to speak in proverbs and that he who is intelligent must understand. The Igbo of Nigeria say that “proverbs are the kola nuts with which words are eaten” while the Yoruba say that “a proverb is the horse of words; if a word is lost, a proverb is used to find it.” The above examples only serve to underscore the importance with which the elders in our respective African societies attached to the use of not only proverbs but metaphorical speech in general. Proverbs, similes and metaphors played a normative, reflective, summative and aesthetic role especially in day today social relations. In fact for one to be elevated to the coveted position of an elder in any given community one`s mettle was measured as to how one was well conversant with the usage of such metaphorical speech. Metaphorical language was the embodiment of the wisdom of the society. The elders in each community were thus expected to impart this knowledge to all and sundry and especially to the youth through this medium. As afore said, it was expected that any intelligent person would not fail to grasp the objects of reference in a metaphorical speech and how such objects compared with what was meant with respect to a given context. If for instance, it was said in a given context that “the forest has not changed' it is only the monkeys that are different”, it would be naïve for one to come out guns blazing to claim that the speaker has debased his audience by calling them monkeys! I therefore find it unelderly and totally dishonest for “nominated elders” to misconstrue the Prime Minister`s “omena” and ‘mbuta” phrases in reference to the “poor and hapless illegal settlers” and the “executive squatters” of the Mau complex respectively. What a pity. What, pray thee can the youth learn from them? Indeed things are changing pretty fast and the more they change, they do not remain the same, instead they change for the worst. It looks as if now more than ever before someone has to remind these latter day elders that they have ceased being the custodians of our rich African Heritage and instead they have become political hirelings for destruction. Honestly, I do not think that the Mau conservation is within their purview as nominated elders. This is only but a testament to the fact that the so called elders are more than willing to be engaged in all sorts of political brinkmanship. TOME FRANCIS, BUMULA CONSTITUENCY. http://twitter.com/tomefrancis