Namibian Proverbs

Sayings of Namibian origin

An old monkey never forgets how to climb trees.
A diamonds father is coal, yet it regards itself as upper-class.
Learning expands great souls.
A parasite cannot live alone.
When a tiny toe is hurting the whole body stoops down to attend to it.
Where there are birds, there is water.
If your mouth turns into a knife, it will cut off your lips.
Those who live together cannot hide their behinds from each other.
If the State is going to fall, it is from the belly.
The bone given to you by the king is meat.
The earth is not ours, it is a treasure we hold in trust for future generations.
When the fish gets rotten, it all starts from the head.
Only the strong survive.
A man cannot undo his past. can zebras wipe away their stripes?
God is in the details and so is the devil.
A glutton is never satisfied.
God speaks a foreign tongue.
He who has bad breath cannot smell it.
When the fox is hungry, he eats butterflies.
Elephants carry each other.
The ears do not lose their interest.
From little date seeds, great things are born.
That which leaks cannot stay full.
There are many a good tune played on an old fiddle.
A fool laughs at himself.
A mother is always a mother.
The ways of the immoral are always predictable.
Moral people sleep well at night, but the immoral seem to get pleasure from the waking hours much more.
Gold like the sun melts wax and hardens clay.
Half bread is better than nothing.
Where you see the tail, there is the mouse.
The trees never meet but people do.
An heir also inherits quarrels.
Envy and greed grow on the same stalk.
A braggart is recognized by his headgear.
It’s easy to wad your neighbor’s field.
Even a weak lion is not bitten by a dog.
It is the one who lies by a fire who feels the heat.
I am not dead yet. I can suffer a bit more.
Only the mountains never meet.
If you want to give God a good laugh, tell him of your future plans.
Never kill the cat that cries.
It is always a pleasure to greet a friend from afar.
As soon as the monkey has climbed a tree, it will start abusing from its elevated position.
To the white horse the zebra said: ‘i am white too,’ and to the black horse: ‘i am really black.’
Today butterflies, tomorrow wasps.

The Republic of Namibia

Namibia is a country in southern Africa whose western border is the Atlantic Ocean. It shares land borders with Zambia and Angola to the north, Botswana to the east and South Africa to the south and east. Although it does not border Zimbabwe, less than 200 metres of the Zambezi River separates the two countries. Namibia gained independence from South Africa on 21 March 1990, following the Namibian War of Independence. (Source)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Namibia

Windhoek is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Namibia. It is located in central Namibia in the Khomas Highland plateau area, at around 1,700 metres (5,600 ft) above sea level, almost exactly at the country’s geographical centre. The population of Windhoek in 2011 was 325,858, growing continually due to an influx from all over Namibia.

German and Afrikaans were official languages. Long before Namibia’s independence from South Africa, until 1990 when English was instituted as the sole official language of Namibia though only about 3% of the population speaks it as a home language.

“Namibia, Land of the Brave” is the national anthem of Namibia.

Lyrics:

Namibia, land of the brave
Freedom’s fight we have won
Glory to their bravery
Whose blood waters our freedom
We give our love and loyalty
Together in unity
Contrasting beautiful Namibia
Namibia our country
Beloved land of savannahs,
Hold high the banner of liberty
Namibia our Country,
Namibia Motherland,
We love thee.