The Funniest & Most Interesting African Proverbs in Nigerian Pidgin

Proverbs are sayings that converse wisdom, knowledge, advice or truth. Some call it, simply as "words of wisdom". This is because one needs some levels of wisdom to understand the meaning of proverbs.

Proverbs and African Culture/Tradition

In Africa, the use of proverbs, especially by the elderly persons, is not just a means of communicating wisdom or advice to others, but serve many other purposes. For most Africans, proverbs can serve as references, just like professionals would reference books in their journals or as a religious leader would reference a religious book. Some Africans would begin a conversation by saying "Our ancestors used to say, (then a proverb)", before they proceed with their message.

In African culture and traditional religions, proverbs are the cores of their ritual and enchantment. That makes proverbs part of the African cultural identity. Africans believe that their ancestors communicated through proverbs over modern day communication style. You may not be regarded as a wise African elder if you are not loaded with proverbs. You can see the manifestation of African proverbs as a culture in most African literature, myths and legends. No wonder Chinua Achebe in his book, Things Fall Apart, refers to African proverbs as "A palm oil with which words are eaten".

How Proverbs are used in African

The following are the different ways African consider proverbs in their daily lives:

• Advice from elders: African proverbs mostly focuses on advice. Therefore, the elderly are known to advise the young ones using proverbs.
• Words of Wisdom: Most wise sayings are converse through proverbs. It is also believed that the elderly people are wise and experienced, hence, their desire to speak in proverbs.
• Coded message: Proverbs can be used to hide information from those who do not understand the message, either as a parable or a subject of ambiguity. Such is popular when the elders intend to hide their conversations from the children, such information may include adult content.
• Words of the elders: African elders are known to speak in proverbs and that has become a norm. In Africa, proverbs are synonymous to words from elderly people who have had a lot of experience in life.
• Words to beautify a conversation: Proverbs can simply be used to beautify a conversation to maintain its flow.
• An identity: Proverbs have become part of the African identity as it associates with culture, ethnicity and religion. You can easily identity an African through the proverbs he speaks. That is why you would likely come across phrases like "Igbo proverbs, Yoruba proverbs, Annang proverbs, Ibibio proverbs, Zulu proverbs, Maasai proverbs, Hausa proverbs, etc." These proverbs are known to associate with the people involved.

The Rise of African Proverbs in Pidgin

Pidgin is the most widely spoken language in Nigeria after the official English language. About 70 to 100 million people speak pidgin in Nigeria; the figure can be higher globally. The good news is that Nigerian pidgin is becoming one of the most sought after languages in the world. People from around the world are beginning to show interest in the language, some have even began to use it in social media content creation.

The popularity of Nigerian pidgin is attributed to factors such as the rise of the Nigerian entertainment industry through Nollywood movies and Nigerian Afrobeat. The industry has embraced pidgin English for years making it a language that echoes in the minds of viewers around the globe. Don't forget that the Nigerian movie industry (Nollywood) is among the top three largest movie industries in the world, only debated by the American movie industry (Hollywood) and the Indian movie industry (Bollywood). Also, Nigerian music industry is the largest in Africa and among one of the highest music exporter globally. Afrobeat singers like Ayra Starr, Burna Boy, Wizkid, Rema, Davido, Tems, Asake, Omah Lay, Kiz Daniel, Ruger, Ckay, Tiwa Savage, and many others have taken the Nigerian music to the global stage. Some of these singers boast of millions of live streams and have topped all music charts. Meanwhile, these Nigerian music icons mostly sing in Nigerian Pidgin English. In addition, Nigerians don't shy away their culture and identity, and pidgin has become part it.

The above information implies the popularity of the Nigerian pidgin and why creating content like this in the language is important. Learning African proverbs in Nigerian pidgin can help you master the language better. Mastering proverbs in pidgin is also good for those who have interest in learning pidgin as it would help improve their vocabulary. Moreover, African proverbs sound funny and interesting in pidgin as we will express below.

Funny African Proverbs in Nigerian Pidgin

1. For village wey only lion na barber, goat go carry him bear bear like that.

2. Draw for me the tin wey you draw for my neighbor no sabi sey face no be the same.

3. Na the same teeth wey dog de use play with him pikin, e de use bite am.

4. Pesin wey de run because e see lion and pesin wey de run because lion see am no de run same speed.

5. E de hard for pesin wey them pray for, talkless of who them swear for.

6. Wetin de make you laugh fit make you cry someday.

7. If head no shake, bird fit preach on am.

8. “Water sweet,” na for inside cup.

9. No matter how goat sickness be, e no go allow lion take am go hospital.

10. Who snake don bite before no de play with lizards.

11. “No food for lazy man” no be for pesin wey him mama get restaurant.

12. No matter how powerful a pastor is, e no de close eyes pray for mad man.

13. Pikin fit play with him mama breasts but no him papa testicles.

14. Big head no mean say na sense full am.

15. Pesin wey dog de pursue and pesin wey lion de pursue no de run di same speed.

16. Cockroach no fit win case for court where fowls be the judges.

17. Pesin wey sell eggs no de start fight.

18. Respect foolish pesin to avoid noise,

19. Before you carry widow woman comot, ask am wetin ki him husband.

20. Anger no fit make yam cook.

21. Agama lizard go remain agama even if say e travel go city.

22. Make sun hot as e like, fowl no go still lay boiled egg.

23. Pesin wey swallow coconut don trust him anus.

24. Mice wey follow lizard go swim go remain wet even when after lizard body don dry.

25. Pesin wey sleep with itchy anus de wake up with smelly fingers.

26. Who live for house wey roof leak no de celebrate rainy season.

27. Child wey play with him mother's breasts no fit try am with him papa's scrutum.

28. Na mechanic no allow make pesin sabi mad man again.

29. Na condition make clayfish bend.

30. Na village wey boys no de where dog de answer boy name.

Most Interesting African Proverbs for Advice in Nigerian Pidgin

31. Leave that young man wey de desperate make e go hunt. If him kill elephant, him poverty don end, if elephant kill am, him poverty don end.

32. Waka waka pikin no de chop hin mama's hot food.

33. Pesin no fit de for house sabi how many tubers of yams farm fit produce - Annang proverb.

34. Pikin wey sey him mama no go sleep, himself no de sleep.

35. Chicken wey stubborn de end him wahala inside a pot of soup.

36. Poor man wey de alive better pass rich man wey don kpai.

37. Animal wey escape trap de fear every stick wey de bend - Ibibio proverb