Igbo proverb: Egbe bere ugo bere

Igbo proverb urging coexistence: let everyone perch; whoever denies others deserves a broken wing.

Country:Nigeria

Language:Igbo; English

Published:2025-09-21

Audience:Language learners, cultural studies

Igbo: "Egbe bere, ugo bere; nke si ibe ya ebene, nku kwaa ya." English literal: "Let the kite perch and let the eagle perch; whichever one tells the other not to perch, may its wing break." Meaning: All should have the right to live and prosper; anyone who tries to deny others that right deserves to lose their own. A classic Igbo proverb about coexistence and fairness.

Keywords

Igbo proverb

coexistence

fairness

tolerance

Source & licence

Source: Wikiquote

URL: https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Igbo_proverbs

Licence: CC BY-SA 3.0

Proverb is part of oral tradition documented in Wikiquote and in academic literature on Igbo. Wikiquote attribution required under CC BY-SA 3.0.

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