Skip to main content

AWESOME AFRICAN PROVERBS

By


AWESOME AFRICAN PROVERBS
Throughout time immemorial, proverbs have been used to entertain, educate and give lessons among other uses in almost all communities. Africa is home to a diverse number of tribes and consequently on of the greatest collections of awesome proverbs.
Some of them provoke thought as much as they provoke laughter. Most if not all have relay invaluable moral lessons whom its told to. Here are some of them from some of the major tribes of Africa just loosely translated. Literally taken they may be witty. Carefully analyzed, they are priceless!


IGBO OF WEST AFRICA

  •    One who is accused of poisoning should not show off his skill in sorcery. (He who is suspected of poison should not do magic.)
  • The old woman who says that she will not run-- if the goat takes her smoking equipment, she will be forced to run. (An old woman who dreads running runs by force when the goat takes her tobacco container.)
  •  One who used a chicken at his mother's funeral [used a chicken to bury his mother] did according to his ability. (He who buried his mother with a fowl, did as he could afford.)
  • One who plants yams on his knees and ties them on his mustache does what pleases him. (He who plants yams on the knees and ties them on his moustache does what he likes.)
  • If one is in a state of poverty and starts trouble, he regrets it when he becomes wealthy. (Evil done in poverty is regretted in prosperity.
      

THE KIKUYU OF KENYA
  •      The quality of a home is only known by its resident
  •     One who doesnt travels their mother is the best cook.
  •    A beautiful girl passes by the poor man's home. 
  •     The prospective initiates may take the initiation bath yet fail to go    through the initiation.

  • The warrior may be tripped over even by a maize cob
  






  THE ZULU OF SOUTHAFRICA


  • Abundance does not spread; famine does..
  •    Almost is not eaten
  •     Blessed  are those who can please themselves.. Zulu Proverb. Blessed are those who can please themselves.
  •     Copying  everybody else all the time, the monkey one day cut his throat.. Zulu Proverb. Copying everybody else all the time, the monkey one day cut his throat.
  •      Copying everyone else all the time, the monkey one day cut his throat.. Zulu Proverb. Copying everyone else all the time, the monkey one day cut his throat.
  •     Darkness conceals the hippopotamus.. Zulu Proverb. Darkness conceals the hippopotamus.
  •   Death has no modesty. Death has no modesty.


SHONA

 


  • It is only the ground that knows a baby mouse is sick.
  •    Men, the burning of a beard is the extinguishing of each others beard.
  • Laugh at a cripple when you are dead.
  • That which has horns is not concealed in a bundle of grass.
  •   One courting bows down and raises his head when married.



YORUBA(NIGERIA)

·       

  •   A man with sweet food before him can not understand the bitterness of famine.
  •   Even if the youth has as many clothes as his father, he has not worn so many out.
  •    However far a stream flows, it never forgets its origin.
  • No God is more demanding than your stomach – it requires a sacrifice every day.
  • One who defames another's character, also defames their own.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

10 Most Amazing Military Upsets by Native African Armies against European Colonists

By
When European colonists landed in Africa, it was all about one thing, grab as much territory as you could and make it yours, by any means necessary. Even before the Berlin Conference, most of African land was already divided among the European and conflicts between them and the natives of the land they had now made theirs were taking shape The violent collisions pitted the well-equipped, well organized and highly disciplined armies of the Europeans with the too often weak armies of people of the African continent. They were no match. More often than not, entire African armies were annihilated wholesomely and their people subdued almost as fast as the battles began. Famous Anglo-French write Hilaire Bellocr even confidently wrote that “Whatever happens, we have the Maxim gun, and they have not” Well, except that the Maxim gun sometimes failed terribly when it faced the unbridled determination, bravery and the sheer spirit of Africans.   Downright unexpected upsets sometime...
Post a Comment
Read more

Fiercest Freedom Fighter Armies of Africa

By
REALLY FIERCE AFRICAN FREEDOM FIGHTER ARMIES 1 . The MauMau(Kenya) The ruthlessness of the MauMau, the Kenyan freedom fighters cannot be overstated. More than 100 British souls were lost thanks to the Maumau. Infact as of 2012,the MauMau was still listed as a terrorist group by the UK. The Lari massacre was the most famous atrocity committed by the MauMau where more than 70 home guards were murdered in cold blood in one night for their collaboration with the British. Thanks to the MauMau too, the British declared a state of emergency in Kenya for almost ten years, from 1952, a period of untold suffering for the Kenyan peoples. Today, MauMau and its leaders like General Kimathi, General China are hailed as statesmen and a day (Mashujaa day) is set aside each year in their memory 2.The FRELIMO(Mozambique) The ruthlessness of the Portuguese in their colonies is   a well-documented fact. In Mozambique...
Post a Comment
Read more

Five Really Old African Towns still Existing

By
       Five Really Old African Towns still Existing   1.Old Lamu Town, Kenya Lamu oldest town is one of the oldest town in Africa where you can actually be able to see some of the original Swahili architecture and culture first hand and as almost as it existed almost 700 years ago. Built in coral stone and mangrove timber, the town is characterized by the simplicity of structural forms enriched by such features as inner courtyards, verandas, and elaborately carved wooden doors. Lamu has hosted major Muslim religious festivals since the 19th century, and has become a significant centre for the study of Islamic and Swahili cultures. 2.Alexandria, Egypt   Alexandria was founded by the Greek conqueror Alexander the Great, and derives its name from the same man. It became an important center of the Hellenistic civilization and remained the capital of He llenistic and Roman & Byzantine Eg...
Post a Comment
Read more