Proverbs for the modern Ghanaian. It's new, fresh, and possibly hilarious.

I'm working on a blog post on the most memorable Ghanaian adverts of all time. That should be a fun one. But it's taking a while to write so be patient.

Whilst we wait for that one, I had a silly thought. And I thought, why the hell not? Sometimes Ghanaians are too serious for our own good. So i decided to go crazy with my thought and see what comes out of it. Here goes.

So there is a Ghanaian proverb that goes...Anoma entu a, obua da. Which can be translated to mean, if a bird does not fly, it goes to sleep hungry. The proverb cautions against laziness. In the first part, the flying represents the busyness that comes with enterprise and the second part, assures the hardworking of food. Wish I'd thought of that :)

Now our ex-prez Rawlings is quoted to have said that Anoma entu a, ogyina hɔ. Which means if a bird does not fly, it remains standing. haha.

I remember this caused him much public ridicule. People even went as far as to suggest that this is what happens when we make a scottish man president, referring to the fact that our ex presido is half-caste.

I agree that a president should intimately know the culture of the people he's leading. And on that front, Rawlings may have scored low points. But his gaffe inspired this blog post.

How, you ask?

Well, I think our quotes, proverbs, stories and culture lack freshness. And that they're too serious. They may have been right for the time that our ancestors created them. But as we the people have evolved, we have not added to them.

We complain about antiquated customs and cultures yet do nothing to create new ways of being, new cultures, new spirits that suit these times. In that sense, I think our parents generation failed us, and my generation may do the same if we do not add to the cooking pot.

So I was thinking...what if we all did something a little nuts? What if we turned the proverb on its head? What if we dissected it, and played with it, and did some thinking? What if we created a whole new set of proverbs related to this one proverb....anoma entu a, obua da? So basically taking the first part "Anoma entu a" and finding a fitting ending for it.

Almost like a little Challenge. The wo se ekyir challenge to find a new revamped ending for "anoma entu a"...

I start...okay, this is just silly but how about anoma entu a, osa mesop! Mesop being that old school dance that was so popular back in the day.

Of course you should try to be more creative, smarter, more relevant. Something along the lines of...anoma entu a, ɔbaa bi a ne ti nni hɔ behwie nsuo hyeɛ egu ne so. (tr: if a bird does not fly, some crazy woman will pour hot water on it) hehe.

Enjoy! Add a little fun and freshness to old school Ghanaian sayings. Did you ever think you'd see the day when fresh, fun, and hilarious are used in the same sentence as Ghanaian sayings? Well, that day is here.

It's up to us. Can't wait to see what we collectively come up with.