Languagle #83: Herero
Omake ye kohasana
"The hands wash each other."
What it means
People who help each other both come out better. One hand cannot wash itself, but two hands wash each other clean. The same image as the Latin 'manus manum lavat', and close to the English 'you scratch my back, I'll scratch yours'.
How to say it
o-ma-keh yeh ko-ha-sa-na
Every vowel is said clearly, as in Spanish. Otjiherero is tonal, so keep the syllables even.
Where it was found
Otjiherero calls a proverb an omiano. This one is quoted in The Namibian's review of Jekura Uaurika Kavari's 2013 book of Otjiherero proverbs and idioms.
Similar sayings
- Latin: Manus manum lavat. One hand washes the other.
- English: You scratch my back and I'll scratch yours
How to recognise Herero
Otjiherero is a Bantu language of Namibia and Botswana. Its prefixes are a good clue: oma-, oku-, ova- and especially otji-, as in Otjiherero itself. Words end in vowels, and the alphabet has no accents.
About the Herero language
Herero, or Otjiherero, is a Bantu language spoken by around 250,000 people, mostly in central and northern Namibia, with smaller communities in Botswana and Angola. It is one of Namibia's recognised national languages, taught in schools and heard on national radio. The Himba people of Namibia's far north-west speak a closely related variety. Herero is written in the Latin alphabet.