10 AFRICAN REMARKABLE PROVERBS WITH A MORAL LESSON

The gentle monkey

1. Allowing the monkey to wear clothes doesn’t guarantee the animal to join the dining table. Meaning: Some people abuse their trust if you are kind to them. Don’t take a friend for a fool if he helps you every time. 

2. A man who hangs around a beautiful lady without saying anything, yet he likes her, will end up serving the guests on her wedding day. – Just be bold to tell a lady you like her if you’re interested in her. 

3. A beautiful girl without any intelligence ends up abusing herself. Her private part suffers the most. – You need to be intelligent too if you are beautiful, else you will end up sleeping with thousands of men to ruin the ‘golden box.’ 


4. Whoever presents his own head to break a coconut would not be able to partake in eating it. – This is a warning to be careful in whatever you do because some kindness may put you into very big trouble. 

5. There is no way a chicken will pass corn or maize without swallowing it. Even if the corn is too big to swallow, the beak will break it into pieces. If a friend offers you a place, be careful not to get closer to his wife because of temptation. 

6. The buttocks are like a married couple. There is constant friction between them, yet they still love and live together. – There is no marriage or relationship without a dispute. If misunderstanding comes, settle it amicably before planning to divorce.

7. Never let negative people rent a space in your head. Raise the tent and kick them out. – You have the power to resist evil influence. Don’t follow bad friends to put you in a place you never wished to be. 

8. If one finds a wallet on the road and takes all the money in it before he finds the owner, there is no reward or blessing for you. Giving the owner all his money back will reveal your honesty, for the owner to do something extraordinary for you. “This is what I did, and the owner helped me to be employed. I’m still at the same place after twelve years.” 

 9. When you are doing well in life, climbing up with success, remember to help those you are leaving behind. One day, if things go badly for you, they will remember what you did for them, and they will help you, too. – Be kind to the less fortunate ones, because no one knows tomorrow.

10. The heart of a rich man lies in his wealth, and that of the poor man lies in the faith of God. The reason poor people sleep better than the rich because they always think of their wealth. Jesus confirmed it.” It is easier for a camel to pass through the eye of the needle than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God.”

If One Pretends To Be Dead, Mourners Will Pretend To Bury Him Alive

Discussing your problems with someone you love is the best way to get help and solutions to the problem.

“If one pretends to be dead, mourners will pretend to bury you alive,” is one of the thousands of African proverbs meant to educate, shape our lives, and inspire us, as each proverb carries a moral lesson, advice, and wisdom. This particular proverb speaks against pretending.

As imperfect human beings, we are responsible for both the good and bad things we do. Whichever way one takes it, to pretend is also considered to be something bad. 

The question is, why do people pretend? According to a study, pretending has both advantages and disadvantages.

Sometimes one needs to pretend. For example, when all of a sudden in a cinema hall, a gunman on a shooting spree takes everyone by surprise without any escape route, pretending to be dead among those already dead could save your life. 

But in other ways, pretending can cause self-destruction, depression, loneliness, and other psychological problems. How?

The pressure in society is enormous. Things are not going well, yet many people prefer to hide their problems behind a false smile. 

If you don’t share your problem with your family or a trustworthy friend, how can someone know your problem to give the attention or help you need? 

Researchers reveal that hiding a problem behind a false smile or faking happiness is more likely to bring you harmful feelings.

You might not be happy with your job because your boss or a colleague is sexually harassing you, exploiting you physically, emotionally, and mentally, yet you wear a false smile behind such psychological scars. 

Instead of pretending to be okay, it’s always better to tell your problem to someone to receive help.

Many wish to be someone because of the extravagant lives other people live. But we must be careful about what we sometimes wish for. We must be content with whatever we have to live a happy life. 

Don’t let your neighbor’s expensive car push you to live beyond your means, and put on a fake smile, deceiving people that you are living great, while you know that you are struggling to make ends meet.

In Africa and other countries around the world, many are believed to be sick of HIV but scared to go and see the doctor, because they aren’t ready to be told they have contracted HIV or Aids.  

They would rather prefer to hide their problems with a fake smile, forgetting that no one drinks medicine on behalf of a sick person.

To pretend that everything is okay, while suffering, is not good for our health; we must, therefore, confine our problems to those close to us for help and solutions. That’s the only way we can overcome and defeat our problems.