African Proverbs 2.0
When roaming the internet for ancient African proverbs, I came across these, produced by (mostly) Africans now situated in various parts of the world, but off course, people that until recently lived in Africa. These are not written by the folks quoted themselves, but rather sent in and collected by said authors.
These (not all though) holds certain kernels of wisdom, discernible by using Wisdom as your companion. Just keep asking yourself, what is good and what is evil? You`ll get there. Not all of these rings true in my ears. Try reading them out loud to a friend, see how they read it and how they react. Then see if there is wisdom or levels of understanding by comparing and discussing your answers. Enjoy !
If beards signified intelligence, the goat would have been a genius.
By Nandom Wuyep, Bukuru Expressway, Jos, Nigeria.
A horse has four legs, yet it often falls.
By Akutser Aungwa Alfred, Makurdi, Nigeria.
The child of the crab walks sideways like his mother.
A Sotho proverb, by Moeketsi John, Maseru, Lesotho.
It is not necessary to blow out the other person's lantern to let yours shine.
A Swahili proverb, by Beda Mushi, Dar es Salaam, Tanzania.
We share the same sun but not our homes.
A Kalenjin proverb, by John Limo, Nakuru, Kenya.
You won't last long, so leave a legacy.
A Somali proverb, by Sayid Ahmed M, Mogadishu, Somalia.
Had you known what bees eat, you would not have tasted honey.
A Swahili proverb, by Juma Kasika, Dodoma, Tanzania.
The house of a person we love is never far.
By Mokelifi Johnson ThankGod, Abuja, Nigeria.
You think of water when the well is empty.
By Agata Kassa, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
A set of white teeth does not indicate a pure heart.
By Amaka Cordis, Anambra, Nigeria.
One knee doesn't bring up a child.
A Swahili proverb, by Samuel Adjetey Cleland, Accra, Ghana.
When the bird which flies in the sky is about to die, its legs usually point to the ground.
By David A., Nigeria.
The fire screened by the elders does not burn.
A Bemba proverb, by Brandon Siliombe Libanga, Kitwe, Zambia.
When a fire starts from the shrine, no precaution can be possible.
By Efitia Felix, Maracha, Uganda.
One who eats a guinea fowl does not start to look like a guinea fowl.
A Bemba proverb, by Boniface Mukosayi, Luanshya, Zambia.
Do not let the goat you might carry on your shoulder play in the mud.
A Mende proverb, by Mohamed Musa Barrie, Freetown, Sierra Leone, and Dac Samu, Toronto, Canada.
The grains of corn in a bottle get viewed with disdain by the hen.
A Yoruba proverb, by Ismail Olarinde, Nigeria.
The teeth of a dog do not lock together.
A Swahili proverb, by Annie Jordan, Moshi, Tanzania.
When the baby grows, the crying changes.
By F Tapon, Hillsborough, UK.
The mouth of an elder may stink but out of it comes wisdom.
A Tonga proverb, by Mzee Elvis Malambo, Lusaka, Zambia.
A short person hangs his bag where his hand can reach.
An Igbo proverb, by Unyime Esiet, Uyo, Nigeria.
Whether you touch it, or you eat it, it's still garlic.
A Hareri proverb, by Nebila Abdulmelik, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
When the hyena drinks, the dog can only look on.
A Hausa proverb, by Oguntoye Stephen Babatunde, Ibadan, Nigeria.
The cradle is rocked but the baby is pinched.
By Martin Misinde, Lilongwe, Malawi.
A calf doesn't laugh at a hornless cow.
By Olichey Don Gabriel, Bolgatanga, Ghana.
A wise person is the one who listens to advice.
A Kikuyu proverb, by Charles Kariuki, Nairobi, Kenya.
Your neighbour knows you are alive but only you know how you are living.
An Oromo proverb, by Nimona Benti, Finfinne, Ethiopia.
When building a house, don't measure the timbers in the forest.
By Abraham L. B. Freeman, Monrovia, Liberia.
Faults are like hills. You climb yours and then see other people's faults.
A Hausa proverb, by Bashir Mustapha, Kano, Nigeria.
A letter from the heart can be read on the face.
A Swahili proverb, by Stewart Omondi, Kisumu, Kenya.
It is not changing into a lion that is hard; it is getting the tail of a lion. By Alieu Conteh, Sierra Leone.
Evil enters like a needle and spreads like an oak tree.
An Ethiopian proverb, by Aster Assefa, Stockholm, Sweden.
Uxolo lube nawe
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