Meaning
'When plantain waan dead, it shoot' — when the plantain plant is about to die, it sends up a shoot, a young sucker at its base. Even at the end of one thing, life and renewal continue, the proverb observes: the old gives way to the new, and as one generation or one venture passes, something young springs up to carry on. It is a hopeful, philosophical reflection on death and succession, drawn from the plain way the dying plantain plant leaves behind a shoot to take its place.
Examples
-
Di ole man pass but him grandpickney carry on di work; when plantain waan dead, it shoot.
The old man passed but his grandchildren carry on the work; the old gives way to the new.
-
One business close, a nex one open; when plantain waan dead, it shoot.
One business closes, another opens; renewal follows an ending.
-
Nuh mourn too long — when plantain waan dead, it shoot.
Don't mourn too long — new life springs up as the old passes.
Origin
A botanical image: a plantain plant fruits once and dies, but before it goes it throws up a sucker from its root to replace itself — a figure for renewal and continuity across generations.
How it’s used
Used to speak of renewal and continuity — the new rising as the old declines.