5 African Proverbs That Will Give You a Reality Check on Relationships

Let’s forget about romance for a moment.

Photo by Eric Ward on Unsplash

I have been collecting African proverbs for a few years now. I love the mix of rich metaphors, wisdom, wit and refreshing bluntness that they offer. Whilst they are specific to African culture, everyone can gain some interesting life insights from them.

To all the romantics out there (including myself), here are five proverbs that give a reality check on relationships.

A fish and a bird may fall in love but the two cannot build a home together.

So, I suppose it’s nice to have a spark, tingly warm feeling and goosebumps when you are with your partner (however long that lasts), but I don’t know what use that is if you are constantly arguing about everyday choices and core values.

There are examples of relationships where one person can have kids, wants kids and considers this vital, but the other is totally uninterested. Given that this is such an important decision, the couple would really have to ponder about their future together.

Let me explain the love story between the fish and bird and how it all came to a bitter end. The fish spent most of its days swimming in a quiet river whilst the bird preferred to spread its wings across…