Administrator – Page 40 – African Proverbs, Sayings and Stories

March 6, 2008

Apr. 2006: “Until the lion has his or her own storyteller, the hunter will always have the best part of the story.” – Ewe-mina (Benin, Ghana, and Togo) Proverb

Gnatola ma no kpon sia, eyenabe adelan to kpo mi sena. (Ewe-mina) A moins ce que le lion ait son propre narrateur, le chasseur aura toujours […]

March 6, 2008

Mar. 2006: “A warthog eating its fill does not delight a pig.” – Sena (Mozambique) Proverb

Kukhuta kwa njiri, nkhumba nkhabe sekera bi. (Sena) Se o javali ficar saciado, o porco nao fica satisfeito (Literal: A saciedade do javali, o porco nao […]

March 6, 2008

Feb. 2006: “Une pierre de chez soi vaut dix de l’oued” – Southern Tashelhayt Berber (Algeria, Morocco) Proverb

Azru n-tmazirt yuf mraw n-wasif. (Southern Tashelhayt Berber) A stone from home is worth ten from the riverbed. (English) Une pierre de chez soi vaut dix […]

March 6, 2008

Jan. 2006: “The (word) of a friend makes you cry; the (word) of an enemy makes you laugh.” – Tuareg (Algeria, Burkina Faso, Mali, Mauritania, Niger) Proverb

Ta n-ameri salah, ta n-amiksan sadsa. (Tuareg) The (word) of a friend makes you cry; the (word) of an enemy makes you laugh. (English) La (parole) […]

March 6, 2008

Dec. 2005: “Patience can cook a stone.” – Fulfulde (Benin, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Chad, Mali, Niger, Nigeria, Sudan, and Togo) Proverb

Munyal deefan hayre. (Fulfulde) Avec beaucoup de patience on peut cuire même une pierre. (French) Patience can cook a stone. (English) Fulfulde (Benin, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, […]

March 6, 2008

Nov. 2005: “The person who has eaten and satisfied himself or herself does not care for the one who is hungry.” – Matengo (Tanzania) Proverb

Jojutupii ngakumanya mwini nzala. (Matengo) Aliyekwisha kushiba hamjui mwenye njaa. (Kiswahili) The person who has eaten and satisfied himself or herself does not care for the […]

March 6, 2008

Oct. 2005: “Kutokana na woga, kobe alikufa mashuani.” – Lugbara (Uganda and DRC) Proverb

Drinza si okuku dra oboa. (Lugbara) Due to shyness the tortoise died in a boat. (Literal English Translation) Kutokana na woga, kobe alikufa mashuani. (Literal Swahili […]

March 6, 2008

Sep. 2005: “Provided no person stunts or destroys a sprouting palm kernel seedling, it will definitely grow into a palm tree.” – Esan (Nigeria) Proverb

Sade a bha gbe eban, eban di khien Edin. (Esan). Provided no person stunts or destroys a sprouting palm kernel seedling, it will definitely grow into […]

March 6, 2008

Aug. 2005: “Swallow saliva before you cross a one-log bridge.” – Ngoni (Tanzania, Mozambique) Proverb

Mila mata, pewiyomboka mtandu wa libihi. (Ngoni) Umeze mate unapovuka juu ya daraja la gogo moja. (Literal Swahili) Penye kikwazo piga moyo konde. (Figurative Swahili) Swallow […]