Ivorian Proverbs From Ivory Coast

Sayings of Ivorian origin

When the flamboyant blooms, the White withers.

People do not like people but they love people’s money.

Pineapples are small, large, and sweet. In other words, all girls are mature.

The stranger has big eyes but he doesn’t see anything.

When myopic become visionaries, mute are heard.

In the village that you don’t know, the chickens have teeth.

In the villages where there are no oxen, the sheep’s feet seem strong.

It takes two to make a quarrel.

Their mosquito won’t bite me.

No trees bore fruits without having first flowers.

Too much discussion means a quarrel.

Save your fowl before it stops flapping.

Mutual affection gives each his share.

The twig that falls in the water will never become a fish.

Better a bad wife than an empty house.

Teeth will never quarrel with the tongue.

He who talks incessantly talks nonsense.

Taking aim for too long can ruin your eyes.

What God has written, a witch doctor can not erase.

A bad son gives his mother a bad name.

When the rain pours on chili peppers, it does not diminish its virility

The panther and the sheep never hunt together.

The lazy man is jealous of the one who works and succeeds.

Taking water from the same well doesn’t make all the wives’ gravy taste good.

Everybody loves a fool, but nobody wants him for a son.

If you are not going to bite, don’t show your teeth.

The death of an elderly man is like a burning library.

Two flavors confuse the palate.

Mutual gifts cement friendship.

The sheep hang out together but they do not have the same price.

Until the snake is dead, do not drop the stick.

A little leaven smoothes away the whole lump.

If you do not know the town, you will marry the witch.

He who cannot sleep can still dream.

He who gives a monkey as a present doesn’t keep hold of its tail.

A poor man’s sheep will never get fat.

Ingratitude is sooner or later fatal to its author.

The little black ant can get into a man’s home, but that man can not go to her home!

A friend will wipe away sweat but not blood..

The Republic of Côte d’Ivoire

Ivory Coast is a country located in West Africa. Bordering Guinea and Liberia in the west, Burkina Faso and Mali in the north, and Ghana in the east. The Gulf of Guinea (Atlantic Ocean) is located south of Ivory Coast. Ivory Coast is a republic with a strong executive power invested in its President. Through the production of coffee and cocoa, the country was an economic powerhouse in West Africa during the 1960s and 1970s. Ivory Coast went through an economic crisis in the 1980s, contributing to a period of political and social turmoil. Changing into the 21st-century Ivorian economy is largely market-based and still relies heavily on agriculture, with smallholder cash-crop production being dominant. ~ An excerpt from Wikipedia page on Côte d’Ivoire.

The official language is French, with local indigenous languages also widely used. An estimated 65 languages are spoken in Ivory Coast. One of the most common is the Dyula language, which acts as a trade language, as well as a language commonly spoken by the Muslim population.

Yamoussoukro  is the political capital and administrative capital of Ivory Coast and an autonomous district of the country.

The national anthem of Ivory Coast

“L’Abidjanaise” (“The Song of Abidjan’”) is the national anthem of Ivory Coast.

Lyrics ( English )

We salute you, O land of hope,
Country of hospitality;
Thy full gallant legions
Have restored thy dignity.
Beloved Ivory Coast, thy sons,
Proud builders of thy greatness,
All gathered together for thy glory,
In joy will we construct thee

Proud Ivorians, the country calls us.
If we have brought back liberty peacefully,
It will be our duty to be an example
Of the hope promised to humanity,
In building, united in the new faith
The homeland of true brotherhood.