The Meaning and Use of Sudanese Proverbs
12.5 Casteism, class polarization and social injustice:
ﻩﺭﻮﺤﺴﻣ ﺍﻮﻟﻮﻘﻳ ﺖﻨﺟ ﻥﺎﻛ ﻩﺭﻮﺘﺴﻣ ﺰﻌﻟﺍ ﺓﺎﺒﺤﻗ
Gah'bat al-a'iz mastoara kan jannat yagoolu mash'oara
An adulteress from a wealthy family is sheltered and if she goes mad, they say she is bewitched (714)
As rich families are respected in their community, no one dares to talk negatively about them. People might hash up their mistakes and address it as misfortune. This proverb reflects in an ironic way rich people's mistakes. It says that if a woman from a rich family happened to commit adultery, people would try to cover the mistake unlike a woman from a poor family, who would be punished and all her family would have to be named and shamed for her mistake. Moreover, madness in a wealthy family would be concealed as bewitchment. This proverb is used to criticize favouritism toward the rich and to condemn injustice towards the poor.
ء4VVVVVVVW 5+ا عا,VVVVVVVI+ا ZVVVVVVVJD 4VVVVVVVU;[+ا عا,VVVVVVVI+ا
Al-kura' al-ghabsha tajeab al-kura' al-malsa A dusty leg brings a clean soft one (715)
This proverb means that when a poor person visits a rich one, the latter will come to visit him as well. It is used to remind people not to limit their social relationships within their own social status.
= X ,WN2 كL@ِX 45+ا
Al-ma-a'indak ya'sar a'leak
What you do not have oppresses you (717)
This proverb means that anything whatever its value becomes a problem for you if you do not have the means to possess it. People use this proverb to apologize for their inability to do something because of poverty.
Sudan.
It is ironic that it has been claimed that Islam’s values are practised in Sudanese society.
Islam rejects any type of class polarization and social injustice, as they are essential causes of violence, wars, and hatred. The Quran states clearly that there is no difference between Arabs and non-Arabs except in taqwa (God-fearingness) (Sura 49, No.13).
Prophet Mohammed said that people are the same like the teeth of a comb. Although Islam calls for social equality and humanitarian treatment between social groups, Sudanese divide themselves according to social classes and tribal status. For example, they have very strict rules forbidding intermarriage and concerning family formation. The word a’bed (slave) has very high frequency of usage in Sudan. In this section, I will present a few Sudanese proverbs that reflect this claim.
0VVVVVVVVVA3,D hو LVVVVVVVVV;N+ا ءا,VVVVVVVVVK Shira al-a'bd wala tarbiytu
Buying a slave is better than bringing him up (718)
This proverb advises that it is better for you to buy a slave than to waste your time and money feeding and fostering him. Slavery existed in some parts of Africa until early in the twentieth century and Sudan was active in the slave trade during the Turkiyah, (Turkish regime 1821-1885).
ي4ٌW9 L;N+ا, LVVVVVVV;N+ا يو4VVVVVVVnD h
La takhawi al-a'bd, al-a'bd nassai
Do not associate as a brother with a slave, as the slave is forgetful (719)
This proverb asserts that a slave has no manners and he always forgets your kindness and good treatment.
ﰊﺮﻌﻟﺍ ﹼﳊ ﻪﻟ ﻦﻴﺑ ﻱﻭﺎﺑﻮﻨﻟﺍﻭ ﻪﻟ ﻦ
Al-a'rabi lahhin lu wa al-nubawi bain lu
For an Arab use a gesture and for a non-Arab explain in detail (720)
People who use this proverb mean that it is difficult to communicate with non-Arabs as they do not speak Arabic. In fact sometimes they use it as an insult claiming that non-Arabs are not as intelligent as non-Arabs, or even stupid.
L;X EA+t@' ,ٌ[+ا
Al-ghayear manziltu a’bed
He who changes his host is a slave (731)
Some Sudanese prefer to stay with relatives or friends when they travel from one place to another inside the country; they must stay in one place as it is unacceptable that one moves from one host to another. People who use this proverb mean that one who does not understand the tradition of staying with one host is not a noble person.
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Al- kad’adeeb talata: A’bdan ma a’indu seed, wa zolan jai min ba’eed, wa shaiban ma a’indu nadead
Liars are three: A slave without an owner, a man coming from a far land and an old man without a peer (732)
This proverb suggests that those who have no coevals and the ones who are not known by their origins can easily tell lies as they do not have any witnesses to challenge them.
People who use this proverb explicitly refer to slavery by using the word owner.
GVVVVVIH LVVVVV;N+ا تEVVVVV7 \VVVVV 5*+ا Al-hamala sawat al-a’bid faki
Inadvertence has made the slave a jurist (733)
People who use this proverb mean that firmness is required in all situations and suggest that carelessness might give slaves a chance to become ambitious.
ﺩﺒﺠ ﺭﻴﺨﻝﺍ ﻪﻨﻤ ﺩﺒﻋ ﺱﻨِﺠ
Jins a’bid mino al-khear jabad
Goodness is far from the nature of slaves (734)
This proverb says that goodness should not be expected from slaves as good values do not exist in their race.
ﻲﻨﺎﻁﺭ ﺎﻬﺤﻴﺼﻓﻭ ﻲﻤﺠﻋ ﺎﻬﻠﻴﻝﺩﻝﺍ ﻪﻠِﺤﻝﺍ ﻡﺠﺴ
Sajam al-h’ila al-daleela a’ajami wa fas’eyh’a ratani
What a disaster in a district if its leader is non-Arab and its eloquence is jargonized (735)
People who use this proverb warn that leadership should not be given to those who are non-Arab and speak colloquial Arabic.
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A’bdan takafitu bala ghabeena
A slave whom you slap without prejudice (You can slap a slave without any reason) (736)
This proverb implies that a slave as an ugly person that you can slap not because he did something wrong or annoyed you, but just for his ugliness.
مد4VVVVVn+ا GVVVVVH 4VVVVVهوEI3 م,VVVVV5+ا ة,VVVVV3د
Dabarat amearam bikoha fi al-khadim
The wound of the princess is cauterized on the maid (725)
This proverb means that if a princess needs a treatment which causes pain, she should not have to endure that pain, so her servant must take it on her behalf. People use the proverb when a person of high status deserves to be punished, but cannot be punished due to their status; others in a lower status take the blame instead.
EVVVVآا ر4VVVV5R اEVVVV;" E+4VVVVM ن4VVVVQ`+ا GVVVVM ة,VVVV3د Dabarat al-h’us’an bikoha fi al-h’umar
A horse has a wound, but they ordered a donkey to be cauterized in its place (726) This proverb means same as the above one. One of my informants visited me one
evening; she was very angry when she quoted this proverb. I asked the reason for her anger and why she was quoting that proverb, so she said to me:
There was assassination attempt on the Egyptian leader Hussni Mubarak in Ethiopia and the criminals were from the Egyptian opposition party, but America imposed sanctions against Sudan because of this incident.
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Ghabeenat al-a’rabeah befishoha fi al-sireah
The anger with the wife from a noble origin is let out on the maid (727)
This proverb similarly comments that if a man has two wives, the one of lower status will be blamed for the mistakes of the one of higher status.
موLM مَأ مد4n + موLA3 4' \2ر4Xِ
A’areeya ma bedoom lil-khadim um gadoom
A borrowed cloth will not last for the servant with a big mouth (728)
This proverb says that because a maid is poor she does not have good clothes, so she might borrow some, but soon she will return them and keep her ragged clothes.
G7ار ' ,NK ىEW3 4'
Ma biswa sha’rah min rasi
Not worth a strand of my hair (730)
People who use this proverbial phrase mean that some people are so worthless in terms of their origins that they are inferior even to a strand of their hair.
0VVVVRا,' 4VVVV5آ اtVVVVNA3 4VVVV' G3,VVVVN+ا
Al-a’arbi ma bita’aza kama murah’u
A nomad would not be respected were it not for his herd (722)
Nomads are referred to as Arabs; they are considered as uncivilised by urbanites or those who live in cities and towns. People who use this proverb suggest that they respect a nomad only because of the large number of animals that he owns.
نE34VVVVq ب,VVVVN+ا LVVVV@X 0VVVV آ Kulu a’ind al-a’rab s’aboon
Everything in the eyes of Arabs is only soap (729)
This proverb comments that nomads do not value anything and see all things as equal.
وLVVVVVVVVVVW3 يLVVVVVV7و يLVVVVVVW3 4VVVVVV9أ Ana be seadi wa seadi baseadu
I have a master, but my master has one too (724)
This proverb might reflect a class system in showing that everyone has someone who oversees his actions.
ﻕﺮﻌﻟﺍ ﺱﺎﺳﺩ
Al-a’ireq dasas
The root is hidden (723)
Blood and upbringing are believed to influence character. This proverb suggests that no matter how good you are you should be judged by your origins, which might come to the surface even if you try to hide it. People also use it to refer to a bad reputation that ancestors might have.
The above proverbs bear witness to various kinds of social inequality in the Sudan.
Chapter Six
The role of Sudanese proverbs as they are applied in daily life
The focus of the analysis of data in this section is on the role and use of Sudanese proverbs and how they are applied in daily life. A comparison based on the analytical findings will then be made with English proverbs in Chapter 7. The methodologies used consist of experts’ recorded comments on proverb role and usage, followed by ten examples.