Shona proverbs and their wisdom vibes

I am an awful translator. As a village boy I have a number of proverbs that I enjoy. All these years I never felt compelled to think and talk of them in some other language. Having joined Afrobloggers I am here thinking of the wisdom of my forebears. Sayings that are profound in every way possible because they speak volumes of who we are. The proverbs are pointers to the rich industries that existed in the Shona world such as farming, hunting, iron production just to mention a few. They speak of the rich flora and fauna of the environment and its relationship with wo/mankind. When I look at them I see people who were keen observers and actors. As philosophers they derived their thinking from what they see, hear and do on a day-to-day basis.

With my awful translation and interpretation here we go…

Kakara kununa hudya kamwe. The predator being fat is eating another. It speaks to the predatory nature or instincts in humans. Imagine how others thrive at the expense of others.

Jungle Law in Action

Kugara nhaka huona dzavamwe. Inheriting is because we have seen others doing that. It speaks of how we can learn from the experiences can be a learning platform or case study.

You want an editor, why not bg-EDITIONS?

Ateya mariva murutsva haatyi kusviba magaro. One who sets mice traps in a burned bush is not afraid to dirty the buttocks. It speaks to how we should face the consequences of our actions so I think

Totenda maruva tadya chakata. We thank the flowers after eating the fruit. This is for us skeptics and non-believers. We are not too forward to accept before seeing the actual result of what ever conceived acts or works in progress.

A possible literary interpretation of the proverb

Zviro zviedzwa chembere yekwa Chivi yakabika mabge ikamwa muto. Things are for trying the old woman from Chivi cooked stones and drank the soup. This I think encourages us to be experimental.

Matakadya kare haanyaradzi mwana. Saying we ate some other time doesn’t sooth a crying child. This one I think shows how past joys can be of no use at the disposal of today or current needs.

From the

Uprooted Villager