Jifunze Kiswahili

Usilolijua ni sawa na usiku wa giza

What does the proverb mean?

To understand the proverb, let’s break it into two parts.

Usilolijua: Something you do not know or understand.

Ni sawa na usiku wa giza: It is like a dark night.

Imagine walking along an unfamiliar road at night without a torch. You cannot clearly see where you are going. You might take the wrong direction, stumble over an obstacle, or fail to recognise something in front of you.

Now imagine facing a situation you know nothing about.

You might misunderstand it, make the wrong judgment, or fail to recognise an opportunity.

That is the wisdom behind the proverb.

The deeper meaning

The proverb teaches that when we lack knowledge or understanding of something, we may fail to recognise its true nature, meaning, or importance.

It also reminds us not to judge situations too quickly when we do not have enough information.

For example, you might see someone doing a job and assume that the job pays very little. However, when you learn more about the work, you discover that the person earns a good income.b

You could then say:

“Usilolijua ni sawa na usiku wa giza! Nilidhani kazi hii haina kipato kizuri, kumbe inalipa.”

In English:

“What you don’t know is like a dark night! I thought this job paid poorly, but it turns out to be profitable.”

This illustrates how learning something new can change our understanding.