The Proverb and Oral Society Free

By using the literature of the Oromos in modern Ethiopia, the author delves into the problematique of orality, of all orality. The spoken words of an oral society constitute oral texts translatable into philosophical discourse, argues the author. When carefully studied, proverbs, songs and poems are potential sources of philosophical reflections. A meticulous attention to the functions of sender, receiver, actual situation, and tradition reveals the wisdom of orality as a source of philosophical imagination.