The Wise Man Knows Many Proverbs

I am not sure if I’ve mentioned it earlier but a significant Yoruba language tradition, and also Igbo tradition, therefore one might dare say Nigerian tradition, is the use of proverbs in everyday speech. In fact whilst rummaging in the dusty bowels (or should I say lofty heights of 8th floor) of my University library in Sydney before I came to Nigeria, one of the few books I found with any significant reference to the Yoruba language, was one on West African proverbs. Read one of Chinua Achebe’s village setting novels and you’ll soon get the picture about Igbo proverbs. In them, it seems like every second sentence by an elder is a proverb.

Occasionally, people use them around here use them in my presence, and more rarely I might ask the meaning. I thought maybe I’d just share a few I learnt recently. Some require explanation and some are more obvious. But Nigerians readers please don’t be too harsh on my explanations/translations, for they were given to me by someone else.

Agbe po la ja ri kan ko lole
(The person who carries oil off the roof is not the only thief)
Meaning – Palm oil, one of the main two oils used around here, is traditionally kept on the rooftop to keep it warm and prevent it from settling/coagulating or something. The proverb is saying that when it is stolen, you need the thief and someone to lift the thief up on the roof. It is therefore supposed to be used when one perpetrator claims innocence by saying "I was only helping, it was the other guy that did the crime". Very useful for small children I think.

Eni tab a tori e fagbon ko ni duro je nbe
(Who soever will break coconut on his head will not live to eat it)
Meaning – this one has a historical (mythical?) story. Supposedly a king had a bunch of slaves who collected coconuts for him. One day he decided to test the strength of his slaves by breaking coconuts on each of their heads. His advisors warned him thus, that by doing so he will be losing his slaves that get the coconuts for him.
When talking to my workmate about dealing with difficult (but influential and critical) people in our work he taught me two funny proverbs.

Ebe laa be osika ko je a rilu gbe
(Sometimes you must pacify a wicked person to live in the same town with him)

Ka do bale fa rara ko pe ka ma ga
(Prostrating for a dwarf doesn’t mean you won’t grow tall)

Believe me there are hundreds more. I’m sure a few university students and researchers over their time must be documenting all of these, but this is just a taste after all. I’ll try and post a few more of my favourites here soon.