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Wareva gotsi / wareva mambo

Shona Definition

Kana munhu achinge afuratira musha kana kuti achinge afamba rwendo haangazivi zvinosara zvichiitika pamusha pake.

English Translation

To speak ill of the back of someone's head as he walks away is to insult a chief. Once a person turns his back on the homestead or sets off on a journey, he has no way of knowing what goes on behind him.

Cultural Context

“Used as a warning against talking about people behind their backs, since the absent cannot know or answer what is said.”

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This is a variant of

Gotsi rutsito

The back of one's head is a fence — it shuts off what lies behind you.