WHERE CONTINENTS MEET: African Proverbs

by Nat -- Ed. Lambie ‧ RELEASE DATE: March 27, 1972

Nat Lambie's photos of urban America interpret these African proverbs with deadpan and often misdirected literalness. ""When one is in trouble one remembers God"" is illustrated by a picture of a church; ""He who knows the way must conduct others"" yields a picture of a blind man being helped across the street; ""Knowledge is like a garden. . ."" accompanies a picture of a graduation exercise; ""A borrowed fiddle does not finish a tune"" is matched (sure enough) by a picture of a fiddle player. Occasional glimpses of wit fail to alleviate the banality of the whole; in fact, the juxtaposition of a picture of a policeman turning off a fire hydrant and the saying ""Indecision is like a stepchild: if he doesn't wash his hands he is called dirty; if he does, he is wasting water"" seems almost perversely superficial. What emerges here is not so much the native wisdom of the proverbs as the obtuseness of their misapplication.

Pub Date: March 27, 1972

ISBN: N/A

Page Count: -

Publisher: John Day

Review Posted Online: N/A

Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 1972

Categories: NONFICTION