A journey through human history with proverbs
The African Culture House, which has become an example of cultural diplomacy, has also attracted attention with its publications in recent years. Emine Erdoğan's book "My Travels in Africa", "African Food Culture" and "A Selection of African Proverbs" are among the publications of the House of Culture. Zeliha Sağlam, Chairperson of the Board of Directors, said that they are also preparing the 2nd and 3rd volumes of Proverbs and added, "We can say that we are making a journey to the history of humanity in the book."
Born out of Turkey's close relations with African countries over the last two decades, the African House of Culture set out to introduce the experiences and skills of African women to the world and to support women who make a living by producing handcrafted products. The project, which was launched under the patronage of Emine Erdoğan, wife of President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, has turned into an example of cultural diplomacy. In addition to cultural events, performances, exhibitions, seminars, presentations and academic studies, it has also attracted attention with its publications in recent years. We talked to Zeliha Sağlam, the Chairperson of the Board of Directors of the African Culture House in Hamamönü, one of the historical places of Ankara, about the publications of the Culture House over Tanzanian coffee.
From cookbook to proverbs
Contributing to the intangible cultural heritage, "African Proverbs Selection" deals with over 1,500 proverbs from 18 countries in its first issue. Stating that the other countries of Africa, which has 54 countries, will be included in the 2nd and 3rd issues, Sağlam said the following about the book: "We can say that we have brought together proverbs that reflect all our feelings and thoughts from the time humanity has existed to this time, that is, from our roots. We can say that we are making a journey to the history of humanity in the book."
Collecting proverbs of 54 African countries
Contributing to the intangible cultural heritage, "African Proverbs Selection" deals with over 1,500 proverbs from 18 countries in its first issue. Stating that the other countries of Africa, which has 54 countries, will be included in the 2nd and 3rd issues, Sağlam said the following about the book: "We can say that we have brought together proverbs that reflect all our feelings and thoughts from the time humanity has existed to this time, that is, from our roots. We can say that we are making a journey to the history of humanity in the book."
Different words, same meanings
Proverbs such as "What happens to the grass when two elephants fight, happens to the grass." (When elephants fight, the grass is trampled.)", "Two minds are better than one mind." (Wisdom is superior to intellect.), "If you don't want to eat in a bowl, you don't serve your guests in a bowl." (Don't do to others what you don't want done to you.)", which are also used similarly in Turkey, point out that people's needs are the same everywhere. Stating that different uses of similar proverbs from all countries in the world were collected in the book, Sağlam said, "The similarities between proverbs in different countries guide us on our journey to understand human beings. It shows that no matter how different cultures we grow up in, human emotions converge at the same point. In that sense, I think it contributes to a better understanding of human beings and our common values."
Cookbook sheds light on the continent's culture
The book "African Food Culture", which brings together recipes from all over the continent, sheds light on the continent's food culture. The book, which includes 110 recipes from the east, west, north and south of Africa, includes cooking techniques along with photographs. In the book, which is prepared in English and Turkish, it is possible to find many common recipes used with different names in Turkish.
Tuesday 5/08/2025, Tuesday
Source:New Dawn
