Need history of Kenyan proverb

[Anonymous]

There’s a Kenyan proverb, ‘Until lions start writing down their own stories, the hunters will always be the heroes.’

Is it possible that someone knows more specific source information abou this proverb?

[ChaiMe]

I suggest using the search option on our home page to find sources for that proverb.

When I tried the search using "Kenya" and "lions", I was unable to locate any sources for proverbs like that one.

I did find a variant of that proverb on another search engine: "Until lions have their own historians, tales of the hunt shall always glorify the hunter" . This one is attributed to the Igbo of Nigeria. Don't know how credible the source is, but I hope it helps.

[Anonymous]

On the debate on the origin of a given proverb specifically the one on lions writing their own history, this will be ever be a challenge to establish the source and origin. As you all know, African proverbs are by and large oral in nature. It is hard to tell who coined the proverb and when. However if you are very observant, you will notice that some proverbs betray a certain period in history. Such a proverb about writing history might be recent since writing is a recent phenomenon in most African societies except Egypt. The proverb might also have started with "narrating" the story then later it changes to "writing." It would also be interesting to trace the existance of the same or similar proverb in various societies or ethnic groups and see the shift in construction.

Otherwise, the quest for the origin of African proverbs will remain illusive.

Odomaro

[Anonymous]

The ongoing discussion on the origin of this proverb is very interesting. Our African Proverbs Research Committee is working on this. As a start the April, 2006 "African Proverb of the Month" (to be posted on our website in four days) will have a full write-up on:

"Gnatola ma no kpon sia, eyenabe adelan to kpo mi sena." (Ewe-mina)
"A moins que ce que le lion a son propre narrateur, le chasseur aura toujours la belle part de l'histoire." (French)
"Until the lion has his or her own storyteller, the hunter will always have the best part of the story." (English)

Ewe-mina (Benin, Ghana, and Togo) Proverb

The Moderator