Ila proverbs

Ila is a language spoken by 106,000 people in Zambia.

Beak

• Kula-kula, vu.
  • Translation: To clean the beak by rubbing it on the ground.
  • English equivalent: The remedy is often worse than the disease; Burn not your house to rid it of the mouse.
  • G. Fowler, Dennis (2000). A Dictionary of Ila Usage, 1860-1960. LIT Verlag Münster. p. 311. 

Clothing

• Ndaakusamine ceci cicona nicibiya, kufumba umbili oobaka
  • Translation: I have put these ugly skins on, but at least they cover my body.
  • English equivalent: Make do with what you have.
  • Meaning: Though what you may use may seem ugly, it still performs its original purpose.
  • Source for meaning and proverb: G. Fowler, Dennis (2000). A Dictionary of Ila Usage, 1860-1960. LIT Verlag Münster. p. 22.