Nyina w'umuntu agira ake kezi.
“Someone's mother always comes first.”
Family loyalty, especially to one's mother, takes precedence over all else.
— Traditional Rwanda Wisdom, Rwanda
Source: Traditional Rwanda proverb, public-domain oral tradition
More Proverbs from Rwanda
Laws are heavier than stones.
Formal rules and obligations weigh on people more heavily than any physical burden.
There is no place where peace reigns at night.
Darkness brings uncertainty; true safety cannot be taken for granted even where things seem calm.
A proverb never comes as if from nowhere.
Every piece of traditional wisdom is rooted in real experience and carries a genuine lesson.
Homes might burn all night, but they always go out by morning.
Even the fiercest troubles eventually subside; hardship does not last forever.
A name is not the man.
A person's reputation or title does not define their true character; judge by actions, not labels.
There is no pregnancy that is not useful.
Every undertaking carried through to term produces something of value, even if its worth is not obvious at first.