Twenty Theo-Centric Igbo Proverbs

Abstract Proverbs feature prominently in human verbal communication across all societies and are the building blocks of a people’s wisdom developed over time, and handed over to successive generations. Among the Igbo ethnic group of Nigeria, proverbs form a part of the religious education of the young ones, with theo-centric proverbs containing the acts of the deities and human responsibility to them. Using mainly the secondary sources of data gathering and analysis, the study highlights the pertinent role of proverbs in religion, and the usage of proverbs to promote the utility value of belief in deities, and man’s fulfillment of his existential duties to these divine beings. This research highlights the deep-running inter-connectivity of religion and Igbo proverbs, presenting them as a veritable means of encouraging, promoting and re-enforcing the beliefs, morals and practices which give the Igbo traditional community its religious and cultural identity.