African Proverbs 101

My father is not African, but growing up, I heard him once say "Those that don't hear, feel". 

That simply means, if you don't listen and learn now, you will regret it later when you start to feel the consequence of your disobedience. 

I love African Proverbs because they are  so meaningful and wise. Another one I like is this "He who forgives, ends the argument". Or "one falsehood spoils a thousand truths". 

There is so much truth in some African proverbs I'm going to start saying some to my children just to see their reaction. 

Watching Nollywood movies at times brings back a lot of memories of some African proverbs that were once said to you or proverbs you have heard in passing. 

A proverb that almost all Africans have heard is this:-

"What an old man sees while lying down, a young man can never see even when he climbs up the tallest iroko tree". 

That is self-explanatory really. For those who don't understand, it's as simple as this - you will never know more than your parents/elders. They are wiser than you because they have seen it all. 

Pete Edochie (one of my favourite Nollywood legends) who is synonymously known for his proverbs can say something like this- "an egg doesn't fight with a rock". He is one of those actors that when he talks, even with a very low tone, you must listen. You just have to. Or you feel as if you will miss out on something so wise and intuitive. 

I'll be bringing more proverbs to ponder on from time to time. 

Thanks for stopping by.

xoxo