This proverb means that some individuals or things are not appreciated until they are gone or it is too late. Ikalamomba was not loved by her husband during her lifetime, but after her death, she was given the more respectful and affectionate title of Ramalala. It suggests that people sometimes only recognize the true value of someone or their full affection for them after they have lost them. An equivalent English proverb could be ‘A prophet is not without honor except in his own country.’