Traditional Chad Wisdom

Nan ngon ì kóò ngon.

“A child's maternal uncle is, in truth, a second mother.”

A mother's brother owes his sister's children the same care and closeness a mother would, reflecting how deeply family duty runs through the maternal line.

I-bbol màdi tá, i-rai bbe.

“If you respect your friend, together you will build the village.”

Mutual respect between companions is the foundation on which a strong, lasting community is built.

Oo ya màdi à, oon yai o.

“Listen to what is said of your friend, and listen for yourself as well.”

Criticism spoken about someone else is often a lesson worth applying to oneself, since the same faults rarely belong to only one person.

Ngon àw mba tá, gèr mba.

“First the child sets out on the road, and only then does he come to know the stranger.”

Real understanding of other people and customs comes only through the experience of traveling and meeting them, not by staying home.

Yò ì mende, ré màdí ún à, ún o.

“Death is like the game of méndé: if your friend plays, play beside him.”

In hardship and mourning, as in a shared game, true friends stand together and take their turn at each other's side.

Màn à gang, bà bbo à gang àlé.

“The rain can stop falling, but hunger never stops.”

Basic needs such as hunger allow for no pause, so the work needed to meet them must continue whatever the weather brings.

Kùm ì ngè-bbol, bà ji ì ngè-ra.

“The eyes are afraid, but it is the hands that do the work.”

A task may look frightening from a distance, but it is action, not fear, that actually gets the work done.

Ngè-ta tà táà, nàl kày táà àlé.

“The one who warns that the sauce is running low is the one who will not dare finish it alone.”

Someone who loudly urges others to hold back is often the one quietly planning to take the largest share.

Yáá kä köy tä, i-ra kä ngàngá àlé.

“Matters that touch the throat should never be handled by force.”

A pressing or sensitive dispute is resolved with patience and wisdom, never by aggression, or it will only choke tighter.

Nàjä kä tà lò söl tä i käla bajäl.

“The word spoken at night is the tail of the black lizard.”

Agreements or decisions made in the dark of night, when judgment is clouded, carry little real weight; serious matters wait for the clarity of day.

Áá kä döi tä à, kä ji tä òso.

“Keep watching what sits on your head, and what is in your hand will fall.”

No one can give full attention to two urgent matters at once; a mind divided between two priorities will let one of them slip.

Ngè-kàl kagä àl, äsà kä bbogärò.

“The one who does not climb the tree eats only the unripe fruit.”

Only those willing to make the effort reach the best rewards; whoever avoids the climb must settle for less.

Bbètä kä bbi äsà mänjo àlé.

“The monkey that sleeps does not eat the beans.”

Opportunity favors those who stay alert and active; the idle miss what is freely there for the taking.

Màdä-bbeí ì ngè-töl hòr dòí tä.

“It is your neighbor who puts out the fire at your own house.”

In a true emergency it is the neighbor close at hand, not distant family, who comes to help, so neighbors deserve constant care and respect.

Gòwró kä ngon ì kä kùmänèé.

“Even the little squash carries its own seeds.”

Even the young or the small have something worth offering, so their voices deserve a place in the council.