“Ants surround the dying elephant.”
Once the mighty grow weak, even the smallest creatures who once feared them will close in — a warning about the fragility of power.
— Traditional Burkina Faso Wisdom, Burkina Faso
Source: Traditional Burkina Faso proverb (Proverbicals, 'Burkinabe Proverbs'), public-domain oral tradition
More Proverbs from Burkina Faso
If you haven't been to two marketplaces, you don't know which offers the best value.
Comparing options through direct experience reveals true value.
He who speaks does not know that the listener is smart.
A speaker should never underestimate the intelligence of those who are listening.
One hand does not pick up the flour.
Some tasks are impossible to accomplish alone and require the cooperation of others.
After beating milk, butter is obtained.
Sustained effort transforms raw material into something valuable.
Everything has an end, except the banana, which has two.
A gently humorous reminder that, unlike most things, a banana has two visible ends.
Every birth is the rebirth of an ancestor.
A newborn child is seen as carrying forward the spirit and legacy of an ancestor who came before.