
The Igbo of Nigeria believe that an eloquent speaker speaks not many words but garnishes his speech with proverbs and anecdotes. They are also excellent at passing information with short and sometimes witty stories. They fondly express it with the saying: “ilu bu manu eji eri okwu” which could loosely be translated into “Proverbs are ingredients used in cooking speeches”. For example, this popular story –The Wooden Bowl – could be reduced...