Category: Calendars

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 saliva before you cross a one-log bridge. (Literal English)

Ngoni (Tanzania, Mozambique) explanation…

Takipar bich che meloljinge ma. (Tugen)
How easy it is to defeat people who do not kindle fire for themselves. (English)

Tugen (Kenya) explanation…

Abayita ababiri bajjukanya (=bejjukanya). (Ganda)
Waendao pamoja hugutushana. (Literal Swahili Translation)
Umoja ni nguvu. (Figurative Swahili Translation)
Those who walk together warn each other. (Literal English Translation)
Unity is strength. (Figurative English Translation)

Ganda (Uganda) explanation…

El dzamel ma ishbeh aouz rugupta. (Arabic)

The camel does not see the bend in its neck. (English)

Arabic (Libya) explanation..

Klabu ya Simba ilishinda kwa kishindo cha tsunami. (Literal Swahili)

Penye nia pana njia. (Figurative Swahili)

The Simba soccer club beat [their long time rival, the Yanga soccer club] with the impact of a tsunami. (Literal English Translation)

Where there’s a will there’s a way. (Figurative English Translation)

Swahili (Eastern and Central Africa) explanation

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 a palm tree. (English).
 

Esan (Nigeria) explanation…

Faa yalo dzwaa gbe. (Ga)

The one who fetches the water is the one who is likely to break the pot. (English )

Ga (Ghana) explanation…

Design: Nicholas Adongo

Jennifer Ehrentraut

Joseph G. Healey

Joseph Kariuki

Njaa ngla leweni wכ ndoma lכ woma. (Mende)

The dog was beaten by the rain because of love. (Literal English Translation)

Love is blind. (Figurative English Translation)
 

Mende (Sierra Leone) explanation…