10 ancient African proverbs

Several of Africa’s cultures have hundreds of years of tradition. The cradle of humanity is located on that continent that houses the heirs of very ancient societies. Thus, in In African proverbs we find a sample of all that wisdom accumulated.

Many African proverbs have given rise to sayings or aphorisms in cultures of other continents. It is no wonder, since many of them are truly beautiful and profound. They have a naturalness that enchants and a logic that dazzles.

This time we wanted to bring a selection of old african proverbs. They deal with different topics, but always with the same objective: to serve as a guide for life. They are simple, but that does not mean they are light. Quite the opposite: they exude depth. These are ten of those great teachings.

African proverbs about hunters

Many African proverbs talk about hunting. After all, several of the cultures of that continent coexist with fierce nature. In this Nigerian proverb, for example, the importance of staying alert is appreciated: “The hunter does not rub himself with grease and go to sleep next to the fire”.

This other one is a beautiful metaphor: “The hunter who chases an elephant does not stop to throw stones at the birds”. This is one of the African proverbs from Uganda. It can be interpreted in two ways. One, that when a fight is fought for a large objective, we should not be distracted by small fights. Another is that those who have great goals are somehow obliged to move forward, without stopping.

This other proverb is a nice teaching: “A tiger does not have to proclaim his fierceness”. It refers to the fact that those who are truly strong do not need to prove that they are strong. Like the tiger, he only shows his claws when necessary. On the contrary, it is the weak and insecure who seek approval with each of their actions.

Proverbs of caution

In almost all ancient cultures, caution/prudence was highly valued. For primitive man almost everything was unknown, surprising and virtually threatening. That is why several of the oldest African proverbs speak of prudence. This one, for example, points out: “A man doesn’t wander far from where his corn is roasting”.

In the same way, this other proverb from Swahili culture says: “If you don’t plug the holes, you’ll have to rebuild the walls”. Both this and the previous one talk about the importance of taking care of what we already have.

Another African proverb states: “Evil penetrates like a needle and then is like an oak”. It has a poetic tone and this time the warning focuses on the spiritual world. He shows that the negative elements are at first very subtle and almost imperceptible, but when they are allowed to grow they become resistant viruses, difficult to eradicate.

Millennial warnings and proverbs of hope

In Burundi this proverb is very popular: “You can’t hide the smoke if you lit a fire”. He points out that actions always have visible consequences, no matter how much they try to hide them. Any act leaves a mark, no matter how discreet it may be.

This other proverb warns about the effects of letting yourself be carried away by uncontrolled emotions: “Passion and hatred are children of intoxicating drinks”. This is very true and realistic. Extreme feelings and passions end up taking over the will when they are allowed to grow freely. There is an unhealthy satisfaction that drives us to nourish these drives.

But just as there are many African proverbs aimed at warning about risks or bad feelings, there are also others that call us to cultivate hope. This one, for example, is very beautiful: “Remember, if there is a storm, there will be a rainbow”. It is very true that after difficult moments, moments of peace also come. This other one is also very hopeful: “The river is filled with small streams”. He draws attention to the fact that big victories are made up of small achievements.

All African proverbs are really beautiful. These are statements that have been repeated from generation to generation, and that have educated entire communities. They are, without a doubt, an important legacy that we can all learn from and with which we can be fascinated again and again..

You might be interested…