Proverb #147

“Onye ozi anaghị atụ ilulu.” 

A messenger does not speak in proverbs or riddles.

Igbo adults speak in proverbs and as popularized by one of our own Igbo sages (Chinua Achebe), proverbs themselves are the proverbial palm oil with which we Igbos eat the food of communication. Proverbs convey the wisdom and authority of the speaker and part of that was inherent in the very decoding process as the hearer interprets (and perhaps responds with another proverb). Therefore a messenger does not interject his own proverb or riddle. He only delivers the message because the authority belongs to his sender.

As if it was not enough to learn this principle in Igbo, as a child my mother would quote (in latin): 'delegatus non potest delegare' whenever one of us was sent on an errand and tried sending a younger sibling. This principle of administrative law holds that one with delegated powers cannot further delegate the power (I knew you'd ask  so 'yes, she is a lawyer, and yes she was still a law student or a new lawyer at the time')

Whether in Igbo, English or Latin, one should always understand and keep within the boundaries of delegated duties and powers. A messenger does not speak in proverbs and riddles!

Contributed By Brown Isiodu, Umunjam, Mbieri.


Angles and Shades By: Agam D. Iheanyigwe, Ehime, Mbano

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