African proverbs about leadership

An elder who sees a baby's head twisting to one side in the market is expected to act. The proverb makes elders responsible for stepping in wherever a misunderstanding could turn unpleasant, and for clearing it up.

A bridge exists so that people can cross. The proverb describes a leader in the same way: someone whose purpose is to carry the people across.

An elephant's trunk is huge, yet it's exactly sized for what that elephant can carry. What truly belongs to you comes with the strength to bear it, even when it feels heavy.

Two bulls shut in one kraal will fight to the death. The proverb is used to say you can't have it both ways: faced with two options, you have to choose one.

Someone with long legs may arrive sooner, but delivering a message takes more than carrying the words. The proverb says it is better to send a wise person, even a slower one.

Wearing a crown brings weight as well as status, and there's no going back to childhood. Authority comes with the expectation that you have truly grown into it.

An elephant in a thornbush can be protected by it or torn up by it, depending on how it moves. A king's power depends on the very people who could turn on him, so his authority is shared and fragile, not simply handed down from above.