A brief description of Sudanese social structure might help the reader to understand the cultural background that is relevant to the use of proverbs in Sudanese society. The traditional social structure in Sudan is a hierarchical system based on the nuclear family as well as the extended family. The family has always been regarded as the cornerstone of Sudanese society. All members of the society occupy a number of social roles and statuses regardless of age. These social roles regulate and organize the behaviour of children, husband, wife, parent and grandparent. Children are socialized to accept the nature of the extended family along with other unquestioned social and cultural values.
In some families, relatives from different generations live in the same household and are looked after by one person, often the father or the eldest son in the family. Children understand at an early stage of their life that they will be obliged to take care of their parents in old age, as well as other relatives who may not have children. They learn how their parents look after grandparents when they listen to their mothers quoting proverbs to prepare them for their responsibilities in future. A commonly heard one is:
G 5ِR TUD ,;ID A' Metean takbar tasheel h'imli?
When will you grow up to take my load (responsibilities)? (139) This proverb is widely used by mothers when they praise their sons.
Another proverb describes a successful and patient son as:
TK T5"
Jamal sheal
A carrier camel (140)
This means that the son cares for his family and relatives and takes responsibility for solving their problems.
Sudanese whatever their different beliefs and tribes agree that elders must be looked after, protected and treated with great respect. Taking care of the elderly is the responsibility of the entire society. Where a person has no child, his relatives, and sometimes even neighbours, must bear that responsibility. Elders must always be addressed in polite language regardless of kinship.
Priority in caring should be given to the closest relationship as this proverb says:
0VVVVA+4F GVVVVWI3 4VVVV' 0VVVV942,X 0VVVV'Yا Al-umo a'ryanah ma biksi khaltu
He whose mother is naked will not clothe his aunt (145)
Sudanese also stress the importance of blood relationships and prefer membership in a kinship group to strength their group or tribe, quoting proverbs such as:
ZVVV2,[+ا GVVV X GVVV5X VVV3إو 4VVV9أو GVVV5X VVV3إ GVVV X GVVVFأو 4VVV9أ
Ana wa akhi a'la ibn a'myi wa ana wa ibn a'myi a'la al-ghareeb I and my brother are against my cousin and I and my cousin are against the stranger. (146)
Or the following proverb for example means that relatives support each other when needed.
\2,VVVVV]+ا \VVVVV34[+ا TVVVVVهYا Al-ahal, al-ghaba al-d'rea
Relatives are a dense forest (147)
Proverbs that emphasize the importance of kinship, social groups and their status in the society are mainly dealt with in Chapter 5 in this study.
Solidarity and unity are main characteristics of Sudanese society. Social roles of different members of the family, especially fathers, mothers and elders, are clearly defined among Sudanese families. Because children are expected to be protectors of their parents in their old age, early marriage is encouraged to ensure that one has a secure future when he is old. The following proverb expresses this expectation:
_2,AW2 Lٍ+ٍو نإ ر45`+ا Al-h'imar inn wilidd yistreah'
Even a donkey will have some rest (in future) if he has a child (151)
It implies that one of the main duties of children is to protect their parents in old age and to ensure they have a comfortable life.
In Sudanese society, not a single group compromises on the belief that disobedience to parents brings a curse and damages individuals' lives.
ب,VVVV+ا ZVVVV][3 نو,VVVVa' LVVVV+اE+ا ZVVVV]b
Ghad'ab al-walid maqroon bighad'ab al-rab Parents' anger is connected to God's anger (156)
Sudanese also believe that children inherit their fathers' behaviour; if a father has good morals the child will follow his social values. Children are expected to imitate their parents' bad behaviour; people remind them later that they are just doing what their parents have done:
كLVVVVVVV+4a3 كLVVVVVVV+او GVVVVVVVP+ا Al-fi waldak bigaldak
What is with your father will stick to you. (172)
Despite the rapid changes in Sudanese society and the vital role that women play in Sudan, women are still regarded with a suspicious eye. Although statistically the number
of women in higher academic institutions is higher than that of men, men describe women as ignorant. Even if a man is illiterate, he can describe an educated woman as weak and ignorant (or just a woman). Having a male baby is considered as an important event in family life whereas having many girls in the family causes anxiety, distress and sometimes sorrow, as the following proverbs indicate:
ت455 + ت4@;+ا )ه
Ham al banat lilmamat
Worries about girls last to death (247) در43 4*94.أ رEI]+ا مُأ
Um al-d'koor ad'anah barda
The mother of boys has peace of mind (252)
Women are also described as helpless and having no say in any matter:
0VVVVV;Mر c34VVVVVD ,NVVVVVK ,VVVVV5+ا
Al-marah sha'ar tabia' raqaba
A woman is like hair that follows the neck (254)
She has no chance for leadership and is not entitled to higher responsibilities:
VV7ر 4هوLVV3 4VV' ,VV5+ا
Al-mara ma badoha rasan
A woman will not be given a leash (256)
Some men think that domestic violence and the stick are preferred disciplinary tools for women especially in the Western Sudan, as this proverb says:
ةر45Rو ةر4aُ9و ة,' ،4QX )*@' cH,D 4' \D%D
Talata ma tarfa' minahum a's's'a mara wa nuqarah wa humara Do not keep your stick away from these three: a woman, a drum and a female donkey (257)
Ironically, it suggests that even a male donkey should be treated with respect, but not a female donkey.
All females in Sudanese society are supposed to marry and to have children. By customs, some parents and brothers still think they have the right to choose a husband for their daughters or sisters without considering them.
4VVVVV*+ ر4VVVVVAFإ =VVVVVA3و ,VVVVVF كLVVVVV+و Waladak khiyru wa batik ukhtar liyha
Let your son choose his wife by himself but choose a husband for your daughter. (228)
Women play a big role in disciplining their children, who will be the men of their society in future. Therefore, choosing a wife with good morals and values from a good family has a great impact on children’s behaviour:
TVVVVVVVV24P9 ناEVVVVVVVVW@+او TVVVVVVVVf4;M ل4VVVVVVVV",+ا Al-rijil qabail wa al-niswan nafail
Men are measured by their tribes and women by their deeds. (269)
The status of and attitude toward women as reflected in Sudanese proverbs is dealt with in Chapter 5 in this study.
Good company or friendship is identified as a measurement of people’s characters. The good man has good friends and an evil man keeps bad company, and in difficulties and bad times one distinguishes between real friends and frauds. Good neighbours are regarded as closer than relatives; the next proverb urges that one should build his house where he can find good neighbours.
راLVVVV+ا TVVVV;M ر4VVVVJ+ا Al-jar qabl al-dar
(Seek) the neighbour before the house (213)
Guilt culture is a method of imposing Sudanese ethics. A person with bad intentions is believed to face internal and external sanctions. He may be punished either by God for his bad deeds or by his own self by twinges of conscience.
4*H كLMا,' cٌِ7و ءEW+ا ,H4`' ,H4R 42
Ya h’afir mah’fir al-su was’a’ maragdak fiyha
You who dig a hole for evil, make your space wider in it (231)
Other main characteristics of Sudanese society that are reflected in their proverbs are charity, courage, generosity, hospitality, honour, dignity, liberality and self respect.
Goodness is connected with popular moral qualities like courtesy, amiability, fortitude and endurance. Proverbs that reflect these values are dealt with in later sections in this work.
Chapter Five