Umunwe umo tausala inda

One finger cannot pick lice from the head.

What it means

Picking lice from hair takes more than one finger, however careful. Some work can't be finished by one person alone, and pretending otherwise just leaves it undone.

Bemba · Southern Africa

Source and context

From: Bemba, Southern Africa

Source: Bemba (Zambia) proverb (UMUNWE UMO TAUSALA NDA); translation ("One finger does not pick lice") and explanation from "Bemba Proverbs And Their Role In Society," The Zambian Observer (zambianobserver.com). Earlier recorded here as also in Laur Mwepu Luiza, "A Collection of 100 Bemba Proverbs" (afriprov.tangaza.ac.ke); that collection was not re-read.

The source explains it: This proverb encourages cooperation among people. The wording of the meaning is ours.

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