Proverbs (ebe) are the main ingredients in the Akan language.
Akan proverb: Obi Nkyere Abofra Nyame. (No one points out God to a child.)
Meaning:The omnipotence of God; the existence of God is not limited only to adults.
Akan proverb: Onipa ye de. (Being human is sweet.)
Meaning: No man lives in isolatio
Akan proverb: Nsa baako nkura adesoa. (One hand cannot lift a heavy load.)
Meaning: Unity is strength.
Akan proverb: Aware nye nsafufu na woaka ahwe. (Marriage is not like palm wine to be tasted.)
Meaning: Marriage is a commitment to be made; a life long affair.
Akan proverb: Obi hwe wo ma wo se fifi a wo nso wohwe no ma ne de tutu. (Those who take care of you while you cut your teeth, you also take care of them when they lose theirs.)
Meaning: Children’s responsibility towards parents, the elderly or the aged.
Akan proverb: Woko aware a bisa. (Make enquiries before you marry.)
Meaning: Warns against hasty marriages.
Akan proverb: Obea ko aware a, ode ne na ko. (When a woman enters into marriage she takes her mother with her.)
Meaning: The way a woman is brought up by her mother is reflected in her conduct as a wife.
More Akan proverbs below:
Death’s ladder is there for everyone to climb. ~Akan proverb
Fowls will not spare a cockroach that falls in their midst. ~Akan proverb
If all the seeds that fall were to grow, then no one could follow the path under the trees. ~Akan proverb
It is a fool whose own tomatoes are sold to him. ~Akan proverb
Marriage is like a groundnut: you have to crack them to see what is inside. ~Akan proverb
Only birds of the same clan or species play together on the same tree. ~Akan proverb
The rain wets the leopard’s spots but does not wash them off. ~Akan proverb
The child is capable of splitting open the snail, not the tortoise. ~Akan proverb
The clever bird is easily trapped in the leaves at the edges. ~Akan proverb
The family is like the forest: if you are outside, it is dense; if you are inside, you see that each tree has its own position. ~Akan proverb
The good mother knows what her children will eat. ~Akan proverb
The knot tied by a wiseman cannot be undone by a fool. ~Akan proverb
The one who asks questions doesn’t lose his way. ~Akan proverb
When the hen steps on the feet of her chicken, she does not mean to kill them. ~Akan proverb
