The interesting point here is not just the pertinence of the proverb when applied to evaluation concerns, but equally the fact that its relevance and poignancy were so immediately understood and appreciated by people of a neighboring ethnic group. The expression became a sort of motto for the evaluation. Accountabilty and Efficiency Accountability may appear to be another imported notion. Blacksmithing is still carried on in many areas of West Africa over charcoal fires. But if that valuable resource is consumed and nothing is produced, there is real cause for concern.
Effectiveness is likewise a frequent focus.
Efficiency itself is scarcely a foreign notion. One of the most colorful comes from the Wolof language of Senegal. Participatory evaluation makes this goal a leitmotif. And West African culture is extremely rich in wisdom and insight regarding both the necessity of cooperation in decision-making and the ways to obtain it. At the same time, proverbs frequently make it clear that differing points of view are an essential component of decision-making and that nothing is subject to one single interpretation.