Selected and adapted from a compilation by Lady Kofo Ademola appearing in a Bookcraft Ltd. publication (Ibadan, Nigeria). Here arranged by country of origin.
Ghana
* An empty sack will not stand upright.
* There is no difference between the man who steals and the person who watches for him while he steals.
* A poor dancer always blames the drum.
* At the tribunal of the foxes, the chickens are always guilty.
* Do not try to lean on a wall that is not near you.
Kenya
* If a man cheats you once, shame on him; if he cheats you twice, shame on you.
Liberia
* You cannot stop a bird from flying over your head, but you can prevent him from nesting there.
Malawi
* If you think everyone is good, you have not met everyone.
Nigeria
* Do not tell a child not to touch a hot lamp; the lamp will tell him.
* A thief is a thief whether he steals oranges or diamonds.
* Truth is like oil; no matter how much water you pour on it, it will always float.
* A cow without a tail will be mocked by little flies.
* It does not matter how high your hat is; everybody knows the level of your head inside it.
Sierra Leone
* He who takes a child by the hand takes a mother by the heart.
Sudan
* Stealing a drum is easy, but finding a place to beat it is not.
Uganda
* It is easier to wake up a person who is asleep than a person who pretends to be asleep.
Miscellaneous
* Only a tortoise knows where to bite another tortoise.
* It is too late to start digging a well when the house is already on fire.
This article is copyrighted and is for private use and study only.
