I love quotations and aphorisms and proverbs – simplicity coupled with inspiration and power.

In researching Burning Embers, I read a lot of books about Africa, in particular those relating to African culture and philosophy.

It struck me that some of the basic African proverbs have become worldwide currency. Perhaps the most famous is ‘It takes a village to raise a child’. There are various versions of this proverb across different peoples of Africa. For example, ‘It takes a community to raise a child’ (Nigeria, Igbo); ‘A child does not grow up only in a single home’ (Lunyoro); ‘A child belongs not to one parent or home’ (Kihaya); ‘Regardless of a child’s biological parent(s) its upbringing belongs to the community’ (Kijita and Kiswahili). The proverb was made famous when First Lady Hilary Clinton adopted it for the title of her book It Takes a Village: And Other Lessons Children Teach Us.

Then there is a whole host of proverbs that aren’t in everyday language, of which one of my favourites is ‘If you can walk you can dance, if you can talk you can sing’, which originates from Zimbabwe. It reminds me of Mark Twain’s famous quote: ‘Sing like no one’s listening, love like you’ve never been hurt, dance like nobody’s watching, and live like its heaven on earth.’

If you, like me, appreciate African proverbs, I highly recommend taking a look at this wonderful YouTube video that profiles African proverbs with visual backdrops: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eZxjNXNQoZ0.

In addition, this week, in honour of the wisdom of Africans, I’m Tweeting African proverbs all week – so each day you can get a little slice of thinking from the great, colourful, passionate continent.