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Of Tsumo: Shona Proverbs

Tsumo: 5 Shona Proverbs Translated – Becoming The Muse

Tsumo is a proverb in the Shona language Zimbabwe. Tsumo expressions are wise sayings used to drive a point, teach morals, warn and inspire. While the meaning of some of the proverbs can be understood literally the interpretations reveal deep wisdom.

Tsumo

•Kutsva kwendebvu varume vanodzimurana

Literal Translation: When beards burn, men will douse each other out
Meaning: There comes a situation when we need help from other people.
No man is an island


•Rine manyanga hariputirwi mumushunje

Literal Translation: That which has horns cannot be concealed in a bundle of grass
Meaning: What is hidden will one day be revealed
Truth will prevail

•Kandiro kanoenda kunobva kamwe

Literal translation: A plate will go where another plate has come from
Meaning: One is likely to get favour returned from those one has favoured
One good turn deserves another

•Mapudzi anowira kune vasina hari

Literal Translation: Squashes fall to those who have no clay pots
Meaning: Opportunities go to those who cannot utilize them
Fortune favours fools

•Murombo haarovi chine nguo

Literal Translation: A poor man never hunts and kills anything with skin (large enough to be worn)
Meaning: Fate can condemn a man to never rise above his station
Misfortunes never comes singly

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Responses to “Of Tsumo: Shona Proverbs”

  1. LisaRomans avatar
    LisaRomans

    I find “Kandiro kanoenda kunobva kamwe” really true these days.

    We get from where we give.

    Reply
    1. Beaton avatar
      Beaton

      Exactly ^_^ you have captured it so succinctly.
      ~B

      Reply
    2. musanjufu benjamin kavubu avatar
      musanjufu benjamin kavubu

      Kutsva kwendebvu varume vanodzimurana

      The reason we have Afrobloggers

      Reply
      1. Beaton avatar
        Beaton

        No blogger is an island!!
        ~B

      2. LisaRomans avatar
        LisaRomans

        Yes. We all need somebody.

        There’s power in community.

  2. Nabbale Vicky avatar
    Nabbale Vicky

    yesssss, a good one deserves another.

    Reply
    1. Beaton avatar
      Beaton

      no good deed goes unrewarded
      ~B

      Reply
  3. Wonani avatar
    Wonani

    These are really interesting!
    I’ve noticed that so many posts I have gone through have at least 1 proverb that has something to do with helping each other. I’m so happy it’s a part of who we are. Ubuntu.

    Reply
    1. Beaton avatar
      Beaton

      Its not surprising since proverbs were supposed to be a way of passing down our Afrikan ideals such as unity of purpose, not forgetting where we come from, importance of heeding advice and just be decent people.
      ~B

      Reply
  4. Livia_Abbooki avatar
    Livia_Abbooki

    Thanks Uncle B for the wisdome shared. Can’t wait to share these proverbs as advice.

    Reply
    1. Beaton avatar
      Beaton

      Afrika has such rich sayings!!!
      ~B

      Reply
    2. Linda Stella avatar
      Linda Stella

      As I read through I thought of asking for an audio to learn how to say the proverbs.

      African proverbs are filled with so much wisdom.

      Reply
      1. Livia_Abbooki avatar
        Livia_Abbooki

        Wow Linda, I will be more than welcome to share the audio. Thanks for appreciating.

      2. Beaton avatar
        Beaton

        Waiting for the audio too 😂😂
        (did you see mine ?)
        ~B

      3. Beaton avatar
        Beaton

        Hi Linda, did you see the audio embedded at the bottom?
        I added it later on after a few other people reached out asking.
        ~B

      4. Linda Stella avatar
        Linda Stella

        Yes I saw and listened to it.
        Thank you very much.

  5. Shuvai Mlilo avatar
    Shuvai Mlilo

    Thanks Uncle B, your grey hair shows that you are full of wisdom.

    Reply
    1. Beaton avatar
      Beaton

      Wise wise lol
      ~B

      Reply
    2. Shuvai Mlilo avatar
      Shuvai Mlilo

      Thanks for the audio at the bottom.

      Reply
  6. Anomaly avatar
    Anomaly

    The audio is a winning move, taking notes 🤞🏾

    Reply
    1. Beaton avatar
      Beaton

      I have been meaning to add audio for my blog since the first time I discovered podcasts just that WP did not support the feature but now that I know they can, my next poetry post is going to be lit!!!
      ~B

      Reply
      1. Anomaly avatar
        Anomaly

        Hey now!!! You’re leadership 🙌🏾
        I wanna try it too sometime, perhaps I’ll come back to yesterday’s and add an audio too for starters

        Looking forward to that poetry post😁

      2. Beaton avatar
        Beaton

        absolutely, yesterday is a very good place to start… That sounds so impossible I love it
        ~B

  7. Sam "Goldie" Kirk avatar
    Sam “Goldie” Kirk

    Is that your voice that we hear? If so, then you don’t sound like I thought you would. I expected you to have a deeper voice.

    Those are some funny (but true) proverbs. Thanks for sharing!

    I think it’s a great idea to add an audio recording of the post. Maybe post it at the top so people can choose? Just an idea.

    Reply
    1. Beaton avatar
      Beaton

      Hahaha in my head I dont sound like that either, does listening to your recorded voice make you want to apologise to everyone you have ever talked to?No? Just me hahahaha

      Well, the proverbs were usually derived from observations of everyday life so there’s some literal truth to them.

      I added the audio some time after publication of the post and was facing some technical difficulties with the embed feature as it refused to play the correct feed a couple of times so I hadnt wanted a glitchy block as the first thing into the post.

      I have always wished I could embed an audio feed to some of my blog posts especially poetry and short stories but the podcast embed feature wasnt available until recently so am still figuring out the best way to do it as the audio has to be hosted somewhere else since one cant upload directly to site, unless on premium subscription.
      ~B

      Reply
      1. Sam "Goldie" Kirk avatar
        Sam “Goldie” Kirk

        No, that’s quite normal. I read an article about it. It’s a real phenomenon that we sound to ourselves differently than we do to others. (I hope!)

      2. Beaton avatar
        Beaton

        Right? Something about how you hear yourself subjected to bone conduction giving you some resonance, I think I rewad somewhere that you might probably not be able to recognise your disembodied voice played back to you if you didnt know it was you… just like how if you met your dopplegenger you might probably not immediately pick it up unless someone else pointed it out.
        ~B

  8. ethneticme avatar
    ethneticme

    Oh! I didn’t know the words you write are also spoken out loud 😂👏🏽👏🏽

    Reply
    1. Beaton avatar
      Beaton

      Its something I have been wanting to do from the day I discovered podcasts..
      ~B

      Reply
  9. Sir Courage avatar
    Sir Courage

    Quite interesting, I love the literal translations as well. How about making it a book/Pdf and putting it o. Amazon?

    Reply
  10. Of Kutsva Kwendebvu – Becoming The Muse

    […] kwendebvu varume vanodzi is Shona proverb that literally translates to: when beards burn, men will douse each other out. This proverb means […]

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  11. Of Coffee With Chine Nguwo – Becoming The Muse

    […] with me, I would tell you that our culture evolved from a history of hunting which is why our proverbs are peppered with hunting metaphors, for example; Sango rinopa aneta which loosely translates to […]

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