From: Wolof, West Africa
Source: Wolof (Senegal) oral-tradition proverb, widely attested in secondary proverb collections. Earlier recorded here as documented in Wolof proverb collections (e.g. African Manners); africanmanners.wordpress.com's actual "Wolof Proverbs" page, fetched directly (all ~149 entries checked), does not contain it.
The meaning given here is our own reading. Other interpretations exist.