ALPHABET E
Seeking help from a ruthless or prideful wealthy person
Enda kumupata wenyoka kwete kuna vapfumi
Meaning
This proverb warns against seeking assistance, refuge, or mercy from wealthy but greedy, arrogant, or exploitative people.
Deeper Insight:
Seeking help from a ruthless or prideful wealthy person poses a hidden danger. Instead of genuine help, you maybe taken adavantage of leaving you worse off than before. The lesson that it is a known threat is safer than someone who pretends to have the power to help but turns against you.
This proverb encourages self-reliance, dignity, and caution. if you’re struggling financially or socially don’t desperatey beg for favours from wealthy individuals who lack empathy, as the emotional cost of that charity will be far too high.
English Equivalents:
There are a few English proverbs and idioms that capture the same essence:
- “Better face a danger than be humiliated by pride.”
- “Better a known danger than a false friend.”
- “He who sups with the devil must have a long spoon.”
Panorwa hama nehama mutorwa bvira kure
Meaning:
A warning to outsiders against interfering in domestic disputes or private family conflicts. Relatives can have fierce arguments, but their shared blood line means they will eventually reconcile, forgive each other, and protect their family unit.
Once the family reconciles, both sides often turn their anger against the interfering stranger who stepped into their business.
Deeper Insight:
The advice is if you notice a husband and wife arguing bitterly in public, or two siblings fighting over an inheritance, you are expected to stay out of it unless explicitly called upon as a formal community elder or mediator. It teaches caution, boundaries, and the preservation of one’s own peace.
English Equivalents:
Several English idioms and proverbs carry the exact same warning:
- “Don’t intermeddle in family quarrels.”
- “Never step between a man and his wife.”
- “Blood is thicker than water.”
- “He that passes by, and meddles with strife belonging not to him, is like one that takes a dog by the ears.” (the self-inflicted danger of interfering).