1. Abstract
This paper presents how Nzema proverbs portray women in society. An analysis of the
images of women in Nzema proverbs shows that most of the key images used relate to sexuality
and procreation and therefore perpetuate traditional perceptions of women. Qualities that are
praised in men, such as authority, economic independence and aggression, are not appreciated on
equal terms in women. Women are praised for their fertility, humility, kindness, loyalty,
reliability and dependence. Examples of such Nzema proverbs include: Saa raalɛ tɔ etu a ɔgyi
nrenyia sua nu –“when a woman buys a gun it is kept in the custody of man”. This implies that
whatever belongs to a woman is under the care of her husband. Samples of similar Nzema
proverbs relating women are taken from books, native speakers of the language and analysed
thematically. Among the themes include proverbs that portray women as subordinate, weak,
secretive and obedient. The paper rests on the premises that the images of women as projected in
Nzema proverbs are meant to maintain a status quo where women are seen as partners to their
husbands and as co-citizens to their males of their land by virtue of their psychological and
physiological make-up.
Key words: socialization, gender, philosophy.
1. Introduction
According to Njau (1994), social construction of gender is an end result of the process of
socialization – a process through which the values, norms, beliefs, wisdom, philosophy, customs,
skills and practices of the community and the society are learned, accepted and internalized.
Socialization, therefore, means that people are taught to accept and perform the roles and
functions fixed by society. Men and women are socialized into accepting different gender roles
from birth. Establishing different roles and expectations for men and women is a key feature of

2. socialization in most societies. While men and women differ on account of their biological and
anatomical constitution, gender differences are a product of socio-cultural traditions which are
created and perpetuated through cultural forms such as belief systems and rites as well as
through proverbs and tales, among others, as asserted by Kabira (1994).
A person’s gender behaviour is affected by social or cultural expectations. These
expectations originate from the preconception that certain qualities and therefore roles are
‘natural’ for women while other qualities and roles are ‘natural’ for men. Based on that
assumption, males and females are socialized through social pressure and conditioning to learn
and act according to the different qualities that society considers ‘natural’ for them. Socialization
aims at preparing individuals for their respective roles in society, installing principles, forming
individuals and making them useful members of society.
Based on the above assumptions, this paper seeks to examine one agent of socialization,
namely proverbs and the role they play i0n the social construction of gender. Proverbs are a
literary genre which has been used from times immemorial by the most different people all over
the world, expressing in physical and abstract terms people’s understanding of their
surroundings. Culler (1975) observes that proverbs represent an “anonymous collective voice
whose origin is human wisdom”, Madumulla (1995) notes: “The fact that proverbs are said to
express the collective wisdom of people implies that they constitute the philosophy of the people
reflecting their modes of thinking, embodying their traditional values and means of safeguarding
them.”
Such social constructs are not prejudices against women as many researchers point out. The
stand of this paper is that, the proverbs about women only report what women are and what they
have ever done in society. Though some of such reportages may be ‘bad’, they are, in no way

3. hindrances to women’s desire to achieve the best in life. In the midst of all these so-called
negative images some proverbs create about women, there are a number of them whose names
are recorded in the hallmark of success robbing shoulders on equal terms with men. Among them
are Yaa Asantewa, the Queen mother of Ejuso who led her people to war, Hillale Johnson, the
president of Liberia and a former president of Congo Republic.
1.1. Research Questions
The study sets out to answer the following questions:
(1) How are women depicted in Nzema proverbs?
(2) In how far does the portrayal of women in Nzema proverbs reflect gender-related ideologies
in the communities?
(3) In which way do images of women in Nzema proverbs affect the gender roles and attitudes
prevailing in these communities?
2. The Concept of Proverbs
Defining a “proverb” is a difficult task. Proverb scholars often quote Archer Taylor’s
classic. “The definition of a proverb is too difficult to repay the undertaking... An
incommunicable quality tells us this sentence is proverbial and that one is not. Hence no
definition will enable us to identify positively a sentence as proverbial” Another common
definition is from Russell (1850) “A proverb is the wit of one, and the wisdom of many.”
Proverbs are generally referred to as sayings of the wise (men), they are used to convey
certain messages which reflect the norms and values of the society and are passed on from one
generation to the other. Proverbs are mostly a domain of adults but children also use them.

4. Proverbs cover every sphere of life. They are generally not explained but members of the given
community understand their message through the context. Proverbs help to maintain certain
attitudes.
Hence those which are used in reference to men or women help to convey a certain
picture of what women or men are what they should be, how they should be treated in society as
Ayanga (1996) supports.
Proverbs are often poetic in and of themselves, making them ideally suited for adapting
into songs. Proverbs have been used in music from opera to country to hip-hop. Proverbs have
also been used in music in other languages, such as the Akan language.
2.1. Cultural values and Proverbs
There is a longstanding debate among proverb scholars or paremiologists as to whether the
cultural values of specific language communities are reflected (to varying degree) in their
proverbs. Many claim that the proverbs of a particular culture reflect the values of that specific
culture, at least to some degree. Many writers have asserted that the proverbs of their cultures
reflect their culture and values; this can be seen in such titles as the following: Vietnamese
cultural patterns and values as expressed in proverbs, Huynh Dinh Te. (1962), Fatalistic traits
in Finnish proverbs, Kuusi (1994).The Wisdom and Philosophy of the Gikuyu proverbs: The
Kihooto worldview, Wanjohi (1997), Prejudice, power, and poverty in Haiti: a study of a
nation's culture as seen through its proverbs, Tavernier-Almada (1999), Proverbiality and
worldview in Maltese and Arabic proverbs, Mifsud-Chircop (2001).
However, a number of scholars argue that such claims are not valid. They have used a
variety of arguments. Related to this line of argument, from a collection of 199 American

5. proverbs, Jente (1932) showed that only 10 were coined in the USA, so that most of these
proverbs would not reflect uniquely American values. Grauberg (1989) argues that since many
proverbs are so widely circulated they are reflections of broad human experience, not any one
culture's unique viewpoint. Giving another line of reasoning that proverbs should not be trusted
as a simplistic guide to cultural values, Mieder (1993) once observed “proverbs come and go,
that is, antiquated proverbs with messages and images we no longer relate to are dropped from
our proverb repertoire, while new proverbs are created to reflect the mores and values of our
time”, so old proverbs still in circulation might reflect past values of a culture more than its
current values. With so many barriers to a simple calculation of values directly from proverbs,
some scholars like Prahlad (1996) feel "one cannot draw conclusions about values of speakers
simply from the texts of proverbs". Also, within any language’s proverb repertoire, there may be
as Doyle (2012) puts it, “counter proverbs”, proverbs that contradict each other on the surface.
When examining such counter proverbs, it is difficult to discern an underlying cultural value.
Many outsiders have studied proverbs to discern and understand cultural values and world
view of cultural communities. These outsider scholars like Larry (1982) are confident that they
have gained insights into the local cultures by studying proverbs, but this is not universally
accepted.
Seeking empirical evidence to evaluate the question of whether proverbs reflect a culture’s
values, some have counted the proverbs that support various values. For example, Moon (2009)
lists what he sees as the top ten core cultural values of the Builsa society of Ghana, as
exemplified by proverbs. Moon (2009) found that 18% of the proverbs he analyzed supported the
value of being a member of the community, rather than being independent. This was

6. corroboration to other evidence that collective community membership is an important value
among the Builsa.
There are many examples where cultural values have been explained and illustrated by
proverbs. For example, in Nzema there is a proverb that shows the peoples’ cultural value does
not favour friendship: Too much friendship made the crab lose its head. The Gurunis also have it
that: A running cow has no faeces, which shows the significance of faeces in that society. These
are significant evidence that some proverbs reflect the cultural values of a group of people.
Identity as a cultural element is one of such reflections of proverbs among the Nzema. A number
of proverbs relating women actually construct their social and political identity. But the
controversy is shifted to another dimension of whether the proverb portrays the women the way
they are not or proverbs only describe the nature of women as seen by society.
In this write-up the analysis is based on establishing how proverbs portray women in the
Nzema society. This could further be explained that women are seen in peculiar ways which are
informed by Nzema proverbs and such images depicted are accepted by the society by the belief
that a proverb is a doubtless statement that reveals only the truth. The view that proverbs report
only facts could also be a subject of debate because until recently, society is refusing to accept
everything reported by proverbs.
2.2. Conservative language of Proverbs
Because many proverbs are both poetic and traditional, they are often passed down in fixed
forms. Though spoken language may change, many proverbs are often preserved in conservative,
even archaic, form. In Nzema, for example, words like akɔkɔsekyi (vulture), Kwesi & Quarm
(1998), is no longer in everyday usage, ɛkpɔtɛ is rather common. Others are ayedɛ (knife), now

7. dadeɛ, ahweanga (slim), now ɛdenra and belandane (shed), now kpɔda. In English, for
example, "betwixt" (now “between”) is not used by many, but a form of it is still heard (or read)
in the proverb "There is many a slip 'twixt the cup and the lip." The conservative form preserves
the meter and the rhyme. This conservative nature of proverbs can result in archaic words and
grammatical structures being preserved in individual proverbs. The conservative form of
proverbs explained should help one to understand why some proverbs contain archaic words or
words from other languages.
In addition, proverbs may still be used in languages which were once more widely known in
a society, but are now no longer so widely known.
Proverbs are often handed down through generations in the Nzema society. Therefore, many
proverbs refer to old measurements, obscure professions, outdated weapons, unknown plants,
animals, names, and various other traditional matters. Therefore, it is common that they preserve
words that become less common and archaic in broader society. For example, English has a
proverb The cobbler's children have no shoes. The word "cobbler", meaning a maker of shoes, is
now unknown among many English speakers, but it is preserved in the proverb. In Nzema, dwɛtɛ
used to be money instead of ezukoa as used today hence the proverb Dwɛtɛ yɛ fɛ na bɛnga
bɛntafe, meaning money is delicious yet it cannot be tasted.
3. Materials and Procedures
The proverbs considered in this study were collected from a book of Nzema proverb. In the
past, there was a tendency to examine African proverbs that talk exclusively about womanhood
to understand the role and position of women in Africa (Mbiti, 1988). The major pitfall of such
an approach is that it does not give one a fuller understanding of gender relationships between

8. men and women. It would be difficult for one “to understand the social construction of either
masculinity or femininity without reference to the others” (Kimmel, 1987: 12) “as the two are
relational constructs” (Jackson, 1993: 66). In Africa even proverbs that principally point out
men’s and women’s occupation of distinct physical and psychological dimensions of existence
basically communicate the contested relationship between them. In this study, proverbs about
manhood were included for a better analysis of the relationship between the sexes.
3.2 . Method of Data Collection
The proverbs for the study were selected from a book of Nzema proverbs published at the
Bureau of Ghana Languages. In addition, speakers of the language were asked to give proverbs
related to women, their meaning and the situation where they are used, after that the writer, as a
native speaker, added some few. Inquiries about the authenticity of the proverbs were made
through further questioning of the speakers. The people consulted, stay in the community, use
the language very often at funerals, gatherings and other social functions where proverbs are in
daily use. Some of them hold the position of chiefs, council members, staff bearers and family
heads. In the Nzema society, these people are considered custodians of the culture and the most
reliable persons to resort to for such information.
3.1. Method of Data Analysis
Any study on African proverbs should start from the complex cultural, social and
psychological factors that influence the production and consumption of the proverbs. For
example, the Nzema proverb,
Raalɛ biala lɛ ye kodoka.
Woman every has her corner

9. ‘Every woman has her secret’,
may be used to inform or warn a husband who wants to know everything about his wife. This is a
circumstance meaning of the proverb. The same proverb could be used to socialize males in
general so that they would know how to “properly” handle their future wives. This means that
the domain of discourse affects the meaning of a proverb.
The kind of a sexist proverb a person uses and the degree of explicitness in which the
proverb and the situation that triggered its utterance relate to each other are partially determined
by the kind of assumption the speaker of the proverb makes about the knowledge the receiver
shares with him or her. In turn, the way a listener perceives a proverb may be affected by the
kind of hypothesis or proposition he/she constructs about the speaker’s plans and intentions upon
hearing the proverb. Just as in the reading process, Kramsch (1997) said the listener of a proverb
may adjust, revise or discard his or her schemata as the transparency of the rhetorical situation of
the proverb increases.
As other researchers like Paltridge, (1994) and Tyler (1994) stressed, the structural
simplicity of a text (proverb) may not guarantee increased comprehensibility. A reasonable
understanding of the proverb should take into account the historical and cultural contexts within
which they were structured. Without such information, one can hardly make out the meaning of
the proverb. In general, a listener is required to look for interlocking relationships between
language (lexis and syntax) and what is not language according to Bell, (1991) and Paltridge,
(1994). These extra textual factors may include context of situation (e.g., sociological variables
and the physical and temporal occurrence of the proverb), discourse features (e.g., the tenor of
discourse and the domain of discourse), and the semiotic occurrence of the proverb. Since a
single proverb can have divergent meanings used under varied circumstances, it is difficult to

10. sharply distribute individual proverbs across distinct themes. For example, there is a situation
where a proverb chiefly used to indirectly denigrate femininity suggests how the ideal of
masculinity potentially leads men to pronounce risk. This fact requires one to combine two
methods of analyzing qualitative data: content analysis and hermeneutics, Frey et al., (1991),
Hitchcock & Hughes (1995).
4. Thematic discussion of the construction femininity in sample proverbs
After collecting the proverbs, they are categorized according to their general propositional
content. The categorizations are made by looking at the most obvious superficial meanings of the
proverbs. There is no fixity in the categorization made. It is obvious that if the researcher works
again and again over the proverbs, he may find intra-textual synonymy between them.
Here, the researcher discusses the meaning of the proverbs and their social and
psychological implications on women as well as men. Due to space limitation and to avoid
unnecessary repetition of similar ideas, the researcher avoided discussing the meaning of each
proverb separately. The discussion has therefore been done under themes and proverbs that fall
under each theme have been enlisted under it.
A theme is the major idea or moral precepts in a particular work (Agyekum, 2007). A
theme generally can be referred to as the main idea within a piece of information; be it written or
oral. Braun et al (2006) see a theme in research as a representation of a level of patterned
response or meaning from the data that is related to the research questions at hand.
It must also be known that references have been made to some proverbs about men in some
cases as the subject about women could not be completely dealt with if it is done in isolation.

11. 4.1. Proverbs depicting the subordination of women and the superiority of men.
Some proverbs show that women have no or little power over their men counterparts and in
marriage, power is in the hands of the husband, the woman is to be submissive and obedience to
her husband without complaining. Others go further to point out that whatever a woman
possesses belongs to her husband. First, this informs the husband about his responsibility in
taking care of his wife. It socializes men to care for their wives and what their wives possess.
Secondly, it tells women to respect and obey their husbands. Women are to eschew stubbornness
to the authority of their husband and no matter how rich a woman may be, the man is still the
commander in chief and administrator of the marriage household. The essence of such proverbs
is to ensure peace and order in the marriage home and society at large. It establishes the need for
a leader who serves as a uniting and controlling force in societal life, without which there could
be lawlessness. Imagine what would happen if everybody is a leader in all affairs. An organized
society therefore requires a hierarchy of administration. This is sometimes seen as oppression to
women but we should not lose sight of the fact that even in every country, however wise her
people, they still need a national leader who steers national affairs towards its set goals. Among
such proverbs are:
a) Raalɛ sie boane a nrenyia a pɛ ye bolɛ a.
Woman rears sheep (Part.) man that burgain its price
(Part.)
“When a woman rears a sheep, it is her husband who determine the price”.
It means a woman’s authority lies with her husband. It also means a woman is under her
husband. It is used to show a woman that she is under her husband in terms of power relation or
authority.

12. Traditionally, rearing of animals is the occupation for men while the woman provides
assistance in feeding, bathing or cleaning the pens. If a woman is given a goat as a gift, she
would add to her husband herd because the two make a family and what belongs to her also
belongs to him. The proverb therefore shows women as belonging to their husbands.
Again, it could also be explained that so far as the man has not traveled he remains the
supreme authority and in his absence his wife is the next in command unless he stated
categorically of some other person such as his first son in his place. Even in this case, a son
cannot bypass his mother and take decisions when his father is away and he has been assigned
some responsibilities. His mother still remains the next in command. The woman remains a
subordinate among the extended family households as far as her husband is in control, but not to
her own children or the children of other household members. Her subordination is felt only
when her husband or parents-in-law are around.
(b) Nrenyia a kposa maa raalɛ di a.
Man that chew for woman eat (Part.)
It is the duty of the husband to chew for the wife.
It means a man must care for his husband. He must provide her with clothing, housing and
feeding, among others. It is used to advise a man to take active responsibility of his wife in terms
of expenditure. Contrary, the woman does not spend even if she has the money. This practice is
now fading in the society as women are now also expected to work and earn living for the
family. This has become necessary due to the increased burden of caring for the family on the
man alone, especially in this time of economic hardship. Formal education and paid jobs have
also made it possible for women to have employable skills, unlike the past when women were
glued to the home as housewives. However, when situation arises, such as the man refusing his

13. responsibilities and relying heavily on the supplementary effort of the woman, his attention is
quickly drawn to the norm or tradition of society.
b) Nrenyia le ekyi a bɛfɛlɛ ye nrenyia.
Man is small (part) theycall him man
“No matter young a male person is, he is called man”.
This means that women should respect the authority of even a boy just as they would for a
man. In family issues, the boy’s view should be considered. A woman cannot be abusua
kpanyinli, family head, if the only man available is a boy. It shows that certain positions are
solely reserved for men only in all situations. A woman can also be head in the group of other
women but when the group members consist of both sexes, even the youngest boy available
could be made head of the family.
In another context, the proverb is used when physical strength of a man is needed. It
explains that in the absence of a grown man, the strength of a boy cannot be underrated. Hence,
the proverb depicts that males are stronger than females and the strength of the youngest boy
must not be underrated or equated with that of females. As a result of this image about women as
weak, all work that requires physical strength is to be done by the men. During farming, for
instance, cutting of trees, removing stumps and up-rooting cassava have to be done by the men
while the women perform such easy jobs like weeding, burning, gathering and peeling. There are
a number of cases in the society where a woman is ridiculed as ‘man’ or ‘Adwoba Nrenyia’ that
is, ‘Adwoba Man’( Adwoba is a name for females born on Tuesday. Such children are noted for
their outstanding strength and braveness like men. The male name for Adwoba is Kodwo). If a
woman is called Adwoba Nrenyia it means her strength is equal to that of a man. Such women
are not liked by men for marriage because they might prove stubborn to their husbands.

14. c) Raalɛ si sua a nrenyia a da anwuma a.
Woman builds a house (part.) man that sleeps top (part)
‘If a woman puts up a building, it is man who sleeps upstairs’.
It means the husband is the owner of his wife’s property. It is used to show that the
authority of a man supersedes that of a woman. In the Nzema society a man is the head of the
household and so all other members fall under his authority, including the wife.
4.2. Proverbs about gender-based activities
Among the Nzemas and elsewhere in Africa, the physical make-up of woman restricts
them from undertaking certain activities in the society. Hence, there is a direct dichotomy
between what should be done by a woman or a man. Here are some of such proverbs:
a) Raalɛ tɔ ndumunli na ɔndɔ etu.
Woman buys gunpowder and buys not a gun
‘A woman buys gunpowder, not a gun’
This means that a woman is not supposed to sell gunpowder since that relates to man’s
occupation. Gunpowder is used by hunters during hunting an occupation for men. Hunting is
associated with men because of its tediousness and the risk involved. Hunters move in the night
into deep forest to kill wild animals. It therefore requires braveness and courage to do it which
the society thinks women do not have. Women are seen as cowards and easily frightened beings.
There are several items associated with the occupation of men which are not support to sell
because they lack the technical know-how on their usage and maintenance.
b) Raalɛ tɔne adwobanenɛne na ɔndɔne etu ndumunli.
Woman sells cane and sell not gun powder.

15. ‘A woman sells cane not gunpowder.’
This also means that what women sells be related to women’s work and should be different
from the work of their men counterparts. A cane and gunpowder are all used in war but while
gunpowder requires extra skills and care because it involves the use of gun or because it is
explosive, a cane does not need any special skill to sell.
4.3. Proverbs depicting women as the source of kinship
Among the Nzemas and the Akans, inheritance and kinship is matrilineal. A person inherits from
the brother of his or her mother not from his father finds him or herself as a member of his or her
mother’s family. A person whose mother is no more becomes miserable and lonely in the family
for a number of reasons. First, the mother is not available to provide for him or her. Secondly,
the mother is not available to unite the siblings together. Each sibling moves his or her individual
way when the mother dies. Examples of such proverbs are seen below:
a) Abusua bɛdi ye bɛ nli akunlu
Family they take it their mother’s stomach
‘Kinship is traced from the mother’
This means that child’s kinship is the same as that of his or her mother. People of the same
grandmother or great grandmother see themselves as kinsmen or kinswomen. They provide for
one another because of the bond. A brother has a stronger love that a cousin or nephew because
the two have one mother. In the society, one’s family members are likely to reject him or her
when the mother dies. He or she is left alone to fend for him or herself. When there is any family
property, a child continues to enjoy from it but the moment the mother dies that ends the
enjoyment. Hence when your mother dies, your kinship also ends.
b) Bɛnlɛ bɛ nli a bɛngyi ɛhɔlɛ.

16. They do not have a mother, (part.) they do not deslike a crab
‘One without a mother should not dislike a crab.’
It means that an orphan has no option to choose what he or she wants to eat. An orphan is not
expected to bluff towards people who are not his or her mother. You can only bluff when your
mother is alive. That is when you decide what to eat from a number of dishes. In her absence,
you even lack what you would eat so you have no option to choose what you would eat.
c) Saa ɛ nli wua ɛnee wɔ abusua ɛwie
If your mother dies then your family finishes
‘If your mother dies you have no family.’
This means that the presence of our mother makes us part of the family but when she dies, no
family member remembers us any longer. This is seen in the family very often when one loses
his or mother. He or she is not treated the way they would when the mother was alive.
d) ɛrɛladane yɛɛ aze mɔɔ ɔ mra bali a.
A mother that know what her children will eat (part.)
‘Only mothers know how to provide for their children.’
This means that mothers have greater care for their children than anyone else. No one could
replace the mother and no one could treat children better than their mother. Only she could care
and love her children. In her absence, orphans become miserable. Even if there is someone who
provide for such orphans, their happiness could be equated to the one they had when their mother
lived. Women are therefore the hope of their children when they are alive.

17. 4.4 Proverbs showing the patience of women
The Nzema society believes that a woman has a lot of patience. It is an endowed gift of
nature to be able to withstand intolerable children and husbands. Hence if a woman loses her
patience, it implies that she has endured the pain for so long.
a) Raalɛ munla kpole a ɔngola anongole kɔ.
Woman frowns big (part.) she cannot part away go
‘ A wife with deep anger against her husband loses the will to part with her husband.’
It means no woman could be very furious against something they dislike. Their anger is
short brief and is easily forgotten. Those who try to act upon deep anger are not able to do what
they decide to do; such as running from the marriage home. Hence women are seen as being
patient and long-enduring people.
b) ɛkolɛzɛne sie ninyɛndane.
Bigstomach keeps filty-things
‘A big stomach contains all sorts of things.’
This means that women have a big stomach to accommodate or tolerate all sorts of issues.
They are tolerant because of the large ‘stomach’ they have. A woman is supposed to tolerate all
her children regardless of their different character traits. Some may be humble while others may
be stubborn but a mother must accept them all without discrimination.
Again, the proverb could mean that the character of a child is independent of the mother. A
child may be wise or foolish depending on his or own character trait and that does not mean that
he or she took after his or her parent and for that matter the mother. Both wise and unwise
children come from the stomach.

18. 4.5. Proverbs showing women as having great love for their husbands
Among the Nzemas, women are seen to express greater love for their husbands. A good is
therefore evaluated by the amount of love she has for her husband. This is expressed in proverbs
such as a woman’s inability to leave her husband when she becomes deeply angry. Examples are
a) Raalɛ munla kpole a ɔngola anongole kɔ.
Woman frowns big (part.) she cannot part away go
‘A wife with furious anger against her husband loses the will to part with her husband.’
This means out of the great love a woman has she could not be so angry as to hate her husband
forever. Her anger is easily forgotten due to the abundant love in her.
b) Raalɛ kulo wɔ a ɔse ɔ diema a le wɔ
Woman loves you (part.) she says her brother (part.) is you
‘When a woman loves you she introduces you as a brother’.
This means a woman would want to treat you as a family member if she loves you and she
would do all she could to prevent losing you. Like the story of Abraham who introduces Sara as
the sister, this proverb is allusively used to show the faithfulness of a woman’s love.
4.6 Proverbs showing that women are the source of procreation

19. Just as a child is seen as property of the mother and not the father among the Nzemas, so is a
mother seen as the source of procreation, though she cannot produce a child without a man. This
is in line with the historically famous quotation of Dr Kwegyir Aggrey that “If you educate a
man you educate an individual but if you educate a woman you educate a whole nation.” A man
matters less in procreation among the people. This gives the women greater value over their men.
Hence many women loves their daughters more than their sons and would prefer to side with
their daughters in quarrels between sons and daughters. Examples of such proverbs are given
below.
a) Nrenyia le abɛlɛ baka ko, raalɛ le bana sira.
Man is corn stick one, woman is plantain sucker.
‘A man is like a corn stalk but a woman is like a plantain sucker.’
This shows that women are seen as more productive than men. Because when a man
produces a man, the procreation ends there. His son may marry and give birth but the children go
into the family of the woman. But the daughter of a man would marry and produce children who
come in to swell the family, together with their grandchildren and great grandchildren, producing
an endless generation for the family.
b) ɛkolɛzɛne sie ninyɛndane.
Big stomach keeps filty things
‘A big stomach contains all sorts of things.’
Just as the one above, this proverb means that women are producers of both wise and
foolish people. Their stomach being large has the ability to contain all sorts of people. Hence
women are the source of procreation.

20. Conclusion
In this paper an attempt has been made to show how Nzema proverbs portray women in
contrast to other scholars who argue that proverbs do no portray cultural values. It has been
established that women are shown differently from men and the reason for this dichotomy is not
to prejudice women and it is also not as a result of men’s bias on women. The fact is that women
are naturally different by the biological, physical and psychological make-up. The paper
therefore takes a stand that proverbs only report what is truth as proverbs are truthful or factual
in nature.
It further implies that any negative description of women such as women being subordinates,
inferior or unwise are what women are except that they try to overcome those tendencies in their
life. In other words men too have negative tendencies that proverbs could portray.
Aside all these, women are seen as life partners to their males in society without which the man
is incomplete in his responsibilities as a father, a husband, as a head of the home and as the bread
winner of the family.
Finally, Nzema proverbs seem to legitimize the superiority of the men with the reservation
that women could exercise their power only in the absence of men and this is in accordance with
natural law.

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