Legacy: Wisdom of African Traditions and the Bible is an in-depth study of African proverbs and their correlation to Bible verses. Why was this an important book for you to write?

I had been collecting compilations of African proverbs for 30 years. Then, about 6 or 7 years ago, as I mention in the book, I came across a book series that compared teachings on topics such as forgiveness or compassion across the great spiritual traditions. There was no African volume in that series, and I wondered about that.

Have you ever seen the posters that compare the Golden Rule across the great spiritual traditions? Next time you see one, look for one of the African versions of the Golden Rule. Chances are, you won’t see any included.

As far as I could tell, there was nothing quite like this. Almost 30 years ago, Archbishop Desmond Tutu published An African Prayer Book (Walker and Company, 1996), with prayers, poems, stories, and some African proverbs, but not compared to Bible verses. I think seeing the proverbs and verses together offers an opportunity for reflection and insight.

Can you share a little about the research process required to pull together such an informative piece?

I started with the compilations of African proverbs that I had, then expanded to other books and websites (which are all listed in the book). Then, as an extra step, I engaged about 30 African collaborators from multiple countries to corroborate the proverbs, provide additional context, and in some cases, share any meanings that could get lost in translation to English. That became a real collaboration, as they offered more proverbs as well as other Bible verses, shared information about context and meaning, and provided more specific attribution than the sources I had used. There was such a generous and gracious outpouring of support, and they have enriched the book tremendously.

What is one thing you hope readers take away from your book?

As someone who respects asking questions, I hope they come away with more questions! I hope it piques their curiosity to learn more, and I do include some suggestions for additional reading for those with an interest.

Beyond that, I hope they come away with an appreciation for the individual wisdom traditions featured in the book, and the way they are passed down like a legacy. For too long, there has been a pernicious, unchallenged notion that there is nothing to learn from African cultures. Nothing could be further from the truth.

What is the next book you are working on, and when will it be available?

One thing I would love to do is issue translations of this book into French and Portuguese, which, with English, are the principal official European languages of Africa—as well as Spanish, to reach diaspora communities. My collaborators tell me there is nothing like this in their countries.

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