Proverbs are how Africa remembers.

Under the Baobab is a growing collection of African proverbs, name meanings, and the cultures they come from, each one tied to a specific people and language.

Enter under the baobab See a few, first ↓

In many African communities, a large old baobab at the center of the village has long served as a natural meeting place, its shade wide enough for a whole gathering to sit beneath. Proverbs get told there, disputes get settled there, memory gets kept there. This project takes its name from that role: a place where every proverb keeps the name of its people, and every name keeps its meaning.

A few, to start

Each with its meaning, where it comes from, and the facts attached to it.

See them all →

Where these come from

Akankente · strip-woven

Yorubaadire · resist-dye

Bambarabogolan · mud cloth

Ndebelegeometric wall painting

Come sit under the baobab.

Enter under the baobab

Under the Baobab · Bilingual EN/FR · Built on verified sources