African Symbols, Proverbs and Myths: The Hermeneutics of Destiny

The problem of final destiny remains one of the most perplexing issues in all cultures. After this life, what next? Deeply researched, this book examines Igbo symbols, proverbs and myths and demonstrates their significance as man’s pronouncements upon himself; self-confession in the understanding of the African conception of human destiny. It shows, too, that a large part of what traditional Africans believe is couched in symbolic language. Since what is conveyed in language, albeit symbolism, is often not very obvious, the book offers new insights into the relationship between language and Hermeneutics. Using semantics as the axis of reference, it reveals the accumulative intentions characteristic of African symbolic forms and the this-life-centredness of their conception of human destiny.