"Yashinga mu minzi itelaga." (BaSukuma, Tanzania) Okuwangalira mumazzi ttekikufuula muyonjo oba atukura. (Baganda, Buganda) Kukaa muda mrefu ndani ya maji si kutakata. (Swahili) Rester longtemps dans l’eau ne lave pas. (French) To stay a long time in the water does not make you clean. (English) Baganda & African Proverb sensational series. Background, Explanation, History and Everyday Use The Sukuma people form the biggest ethnic group in Tanzania with more than six million members. This population is concentrated in and around Mwanza and Shinyanga Regions. Other present ethnic groups have been progressively isolated or assimilated into this big unit. To speak the Sukuma language is the most normal thing in many villages of the area, and many Sukuma beliefs and practices are very much alive today. The Sukuma Cultural Centre and Museum in Bujora near Mwanza is increasingly visited by school children and young people. There is a sense in urban centres such as in Mwanza city and in some other places that parts of the population are losing touch with their ancient traditions and they feel the need to rediscover what had been the lives of their ancestors. Nowadays many young people might feel being Tanzanians, or aspire to be modern people familiar with new technologies and with Swahili and English before feeling being part of the Sukuma heritage. Nowadays, it is rare to find somebody able to read and write in Sukuma language even when able to speak it. To live in Sukumaland might not be enough to make you familiar with what makes a Sukuma person. It takes something else, that is, some efforts and interests for what represent the values and beliefs of Sukuma people in order to integrate them in one’s life. To stay in the water for a long time does not necessarily make you clean; it takes some effort as well. Sometimes this saying is accompanied with a story whose details delight children: One day a great competition was addressed to the animal kingdom in order to find out who was the cleanest of all. Fish of the Lake Victoria felt very proud by telling themselves that because they live in the water, they cannot be defeated. As a result, they did not care about their cleanliness when the great day arrived. Crabs presented themselves with sands all over their bodies, fish with algae around their neck, crocodiles with meat parcels between their teeth and so on. They were quickly dismissed. Meanwhile, animals such pigs, monkeys or donkeys prepared themselves very well by taking pains to wash themselves and were consequently winners. The teaching is plain: Do not assume your condition is sufficient in order for you to reach a certain achievement. Do not neglect hard work in order to succeed. Baganda & African Proverb sensational series.
Posted on: Sat, 06 Jul 2013 10:42:19 +0000