Space and Text in Setswana Proverbs

Abstract

This article looks at the concept of space and text embodied in proverbs, with reference to Setswana—an African language spoken in South Africa, Botswana and Namibia. The study follows the theory of Structuralism to understand the use of proverbs among the Batswana. It is argued that the Batswana are a performative nation; their idiom, represented by their sayings, expresses how they relate to their land—terrestrial and celestial. A catalogue of Setswana proverbs is presented, accompanied by their European equivalents, where applicable, as contained in Sol Plaatje’s Sechuana Proverbs with Literal Translations and Their European Equivalents (1916).