- African Proverbs, Sayings and Stories
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Tetela: Diwala eko kalasa le wadi l’umi (Tetela) |
Tetela (Democratic Republic of Congo) Proverb
Background, Explanation, History, Meaning and Everyday Use
The Tetela people (or Batetela in the plural) are an ethnic group of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, most of who speak the Otetela. The Tetela is a Bantu language. The Batetela live in the region between Lusambo and the Upper Congo River, in the provinces of Sankuru and Maniema. They are related to the Kusu people, and only became separate in the late 1800s after the arrival of Arabs and Belgians in the region. Both the Batetela and the Kusu are subgroups of the larger Mongo group. The name Motetela comes from a god named Motetela, meaning either "he who laughs not" or "he at whom one may not laugh History according to Emil Tor day, who studied the tribes of the Congo between 1908 and 1909, the Batetela originated on the right bank of the Lomami River and migrated to their present territory at some unknown date. In 1869-70 their language is called Otetela. (Otetela, Kitetela, Kikitatela), also Sungu, is a Bantu language of northern Kasai-Oriental Province, Democratic Republic of Congo spoken by the Tetela people. The Batetela live in the area between Lusambo and Upper Congo River, in the provinces of Sankuru and Maniema. It is a little more than that. The territory limits of the Tetela community are defined by influences of the population in a territory. Tetela leaving their ancestral home some settled down in the grass-land of the Lubefu, others in the forest of the Lukenye River. Some came into contact with the relatively cultured Basongye and Isambo, others with the primitive Bakusu; some were influenced by the Baluba coming from south others by the AKEL, immigrant from the north.
Biblical parallels
And the birth of Yahshua Messiah was this way (for His mother Mariam had been betrothed to Joseph) before the coming together of them, she was found having babe in womb by the Holy Spirit. But her husband4, Joseph, being just, and not willing to make her a public example, he purposed to divorce her secretly. Matthew 1:18-19
Love has patience, is kind; love is not envious; love does not make a vain display of it, and does not boast; it does not behave indecently, does not pursue its own things, is not easily provoked, thinks no evil; does not rejoice in unrighteousness, but rejoices in the truth. Love quietly covers all things, believes all things, hopes all things, and endures all things. And now faith, hope, and love, these three things remain; but the greatest of these is love. 1Corinthians 13:4-7, 13
Wives, submit yourselves to your own husbands, as to our Master, because a husband is head of the wife, as also Messiah is Head of the Congregation, and He is the Savior of the body. But even as the Congregation is subject to Messiah, so also the wives to their own husbands in everything. Husbands, love your wives, even as Messiah also loved the Congregation and gave Himself up on its behalf5, Ephesians 5:22-23
Teach the older women likewise to behave as becomes the worship of Elohim, not false accusers, not being enslaved by much wine, but to become teachers of good things, that they might train the young
women to be modest, to love their husbands, and their children, to be discreet, chaste, good homemakers, good, obedient to their own husbands3, so that the Word of Elohim may not be blasphemed, Likewise exhort the children to be modest; Titus 2:3-6
Contemporary Use and Religious Application
When two people are in love, it’s important they know each other’s character. Knowing character is to understand your partner. It’s like learning because someone must be prepared accordingly. Marriage also must get people to assist in building it. This is to mean that people should look for people who will counsel those who want to get married. This is because there are different levels like time for friendship, time for courtship, which is a very good time to understand and learn each other on how the other make decisions and other aspects. It’s a memorial in this stage that you may decide to continue or to stop the relationship. When you pass this level it means you have understood and learned your partner’s character and you accept the mutual obligation, thus you can now decide to get into marriage, its important your parents take responsibility of teaching their children well on how to build a strong marriage. A good parent is the one who take responsibility of teaching his/her children on how to live with others and build a house that does not collapse. This is to mean, if you decide to get married you should not break it. Any child taught by his/her parents has a responsibility of also teaching his/her sons and daughters the same. In education everything you learn is not easy always. There are those that are difficult, others may surprise you at the end, its important you accept it and understand for you to succeed. It is like a school. This is all the same with marriage because a good marriage needs a good preparation on how to succeed in it.
Elysee Meta
Beautician
Tel : +254-722705778
Email : elizemeta@yahoo.com
Nairobi
Kenya