Monthly Archives: January 2008

Guest Post: ‘Toubab Cuts It All Off’ by Katie Krueger

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Toubab Cuts It All Off

by Katie Krueger

One day, the Senegalese heat made me desperate to find ways to cool
down. Impulsively, I walked into the nearest Salon de Coiffure and
asked for a haircut and shampoo. As I was getting my hair washed, I
remembered what Richard, my stylist back home, used to say: “Katie,
we’re not just cutting off your hair; we are cutting style and
elegance into your hair.”

The Senegalese stylist sat me down in front of the mirror and we went
through the familiar dialogue.

“How much do you want cut off?”

“About two inches, I really want it layered…”

“Here?” she asked, tapping with the scissors on the bunch of hair
fisted in her grip.

Since she had not combed it out, parted it down the middle or
sectioned if off, I was sure this was just our planning session.

“Yes. I like it best when it sort of comes behind…”

CHOMP. I watched stunned as clumps of my hair, ragged-edged and
uneven, fell to the floor.

The looks of bewilderment that she threw towards my head made it clear
to me that my new coiffeuse had never cut a white woman’s hair before.
It was to late to change the situation, so I just sat back and watched
in amusement, as each chop seemed to both confuse and fascinate her.
When she got to the back of my head, she looked at me through the
mirror and her eyes waved the white flag of surrender. I glanced over
my head of uneven tufts and patches of hair and decided to cut my
losses.

I thanked and paid her and ran to my friend’s house, where we spent
the afternoon trying to cut back in the style and elegance that had
been swept away at the Salon de Coiffure.

__________

Please visit the author’s website at www.katiekrueger.com/blog.

Religious Terms

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Words & phrases with religious significance starting with the letter A. 

Many of these terms may actually be Arabic or Wolofized Arabic. Many Wolof speakers practice Islam which uses the Arabic language.

ajaratu – title given to a woman who has made the pilgrimage to Mecca
aji Makka – to go to Mecca
aj gi – the pilgrimage
Aji – title given to a woman who has made the pilgrimage
ajjana, aljana, arjana – heaven, paradise
allaaji, alxaaji – title of a man who has made the pilgrimage to Mecca
allaaxira – the next world
alla-akubaar, allahu-akbar – God is great
alxamdulillaa – praise be to God
alxuraan – the Koran
amiin – amen
astafurlaa – may God forgive, God help us. (an exclamation of astonishment)
atte Yalla la – it is the judgement of God, it is fate

Travel Vocabulary III

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See Travel Vocabulary II

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Here are a few things that you may come across if traveling to Senegal or the Gambia.

auberge – hostel or small hotel

balafon – wooden xylophone typically played by griots

calèche – horse-drawn cart used to carry goods and people, particularly in the rural regions of Senegal

dibiterie – grilled-meat stall

fête – festival (Senegal)

gargotte – basic eating house or stall (Senegal)

IMF – International Monetary Fund

kora – 21-string harp-lute

maison de passage – very basic place to sleep, often near bus stations; with a bed or mat on the floor and little else, and nearly always doubling as a brothel; also called chambres de passage

Ndiaga Ndiaye – white Mercedes bus, used as public transport; also called alham (Senegal)

pagne – length of cloth worn around the waist as a skirt (Senegal)

quartier – area

sabar – tall, thin, hourglass drum

taxi-brousse – bush taxi (Senegal)

village artisanal – craft market (Senegal)

zouk – style of music, originally from Guadeloupe, that mixes African and Latin-American rhythms

Thanks to Lonely Planet’s The Gambia & Senegal; 3rd Edition.

Weights & Measures

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Gambian dialect…

foot – foot

gallon – gallon

gram – gram

kilogram – kilo

kilometer – kilo

liter – leebahre

meter – meter

mile – mile

ounce – ounce

pound – pound

yard – yard

hmmm…not much different than standard English, eh?

Culture Notes – Greetings

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Extended greetings are an important part of social interaction and many doors will open for you if you are capable of exchanging simple greeting phrases in the local language. Even a few words make a big difference.

Most areas are Islamic, and upon entering someone’s home, announce your arrival with a confident ‘Salaam aleikum’ (peace be with you), and your presence will be acknowledged with ‘Aleikum salaam’ (and peace be with you).

This is followed by inquiries about your health, the health of your family, the state of your affairs and those of your children. You’re never expected to give an honest answer at this point. In Gambia things are always fine; in Senegal the response is always ‘Ça va’. Never mind the real troubles that might be plaguing you – these can be mentioned later in the conversation.

Although it’s not necessary for foreigners to go through the whole routine, it’s important to use greetings whenever possible. Even if you’re just changing money, negotiating a taxi fee or asking directions, precede your request with a simple. ‘Hello, how are you? Can you help me please?’, rather than plunging right in.

Borrowed from; The Gambia & Senegal, Lonely Planet, 3rd Edition, 2006

Wolof mots de vocabulaire

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Wolof vocabulary words

bennen, benen – another
bennen u xarit am – another of his friends

doonte – if it were
doonte man … – if it were me …

garab g (garap) – tree; medicine
ci kow garab gi – up the tree

jappa – to seize, catch ; to suit
jappa biir – to become pregnant

lu – whatever
lu dul – unless

munga, munge, mungi – he is …
munga fa – he is over there (remote)

ñeppa – all
ñun ñeppa xam nañu – we all know them

raxas – to wash (clothes, utensils, etc.)
mu raxas leket bi be mu set – she washed the calabash until it was clean

suma – my
suma xaalis ak sa xaalis – my money and your money

tollo - to measure height
tollo ak … – to be the same size as …

waññi – to lower a price, reduce
waññi ko waay – please lower it

yobbu – to carry, to take away
soo demee, yobbaale ma – when you go, take me with you

Suggested Reference Materials

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Lonely Planet Phrasebooks: Africa

Along with 12 other languages used in Africa, including French & Arabic, this little phrasebook has a great little Wolof section. Lonely Planet is probably one of the best publishers of guidebooks and phrasebooks for travelers. Other Lonely Planet materials I would suggest are; French Phrasebook and/or Fast Talk Audio French, Healthy Travel Africa and the latest edition of The Gambia & Senegal Travel Guide. (They also publish separate travel guides for Africa, West Africa & just about every other region & country of Africa.)

Wolof Dictionary & Phrasebook

This Wolof-English / English-Wolof dictionary & phrasebook by Nyima Kantorek and published by Hippocrene Books is the only somewhat comprehensive Wolof dictionary in mass publication that I have been able to find anywhere. The one flaw of this book is that they chose to create a new orthography instead of using the established CLAD orthography which makes many of the words appear foreign even to native speakers but once you get used to it this book becomes a valuable (or is that invaluable?) resource for many new words and phrases. Hippocrene also publishes an excellent Pulaar dictionary.

Travel Vocabulary II

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See Travel Vocabulary I

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Here are a few things that you may come across if traveling to Senegal or the Gambia.

alham – white Mercedes bus, also called N’Diaga N’Diaye in Dakar

beignet – simple deep-fried donut (Senegal)

calesh – horse-drawn taxi usually seating about three people behind the driver

demi-pension – half board (dinner, bed and breakfast) (Senegal)

essence – petrol (gas) for car (Senegal)

fanals – large lanterns; also the processions during which the lanterns are carried through the streets

gare routière – bus and bush-taxi station, (also called autogare and gare voiture) (Senegal)

hôtel de ville – town hall (Senegal)

in sha’ Allah – God willing, ie, hopefully (Arabic, but used by Muslims in Africa)

lumo - weekly market, usually in border areas

mairie – town hall; mayor’s office (Senegal)

paletuviers – mangroves (Senegal)

quatre-quatre – four-wheel-drive car (4WD or 4×4)

riz yollof – vegetables and/or meat cooked in a sauce of oil and tomatoes

Senegambia – the region of Senegal and Gambia

tampon hygiénique – tampon (also tampon periodique and serviette hygiénique) (Senegal)

yassa poulet – grilled chicken marinated in an onion-and-lemon sauce (Senegal)

Thanks to Lonely Planet’s The Gambia & Senegal; 2nd Edition.

Basic French Numbers

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BASIC FRENCH NUMBERS
Nombres francais de base

un

un

1

deux

der

2

trois

trwa

3

quatre

ka-trer

4

cinq

sungk

5

six

sees

6

sept

set

7

huit

weet

8

neuf

nerf

9

dix

dees

10

I have noticed when listening to Wolof speaking people they tend to use French numbers (or sometimes even English) rather than Wolof numbers.

JUNNI! JUNNI! JUNNI!

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We have surpassed the 1000 mark for hits from unique visitors (in other words, 1000+ different people – or at least from different computers – have visited this site, not total overall visits).

I just want to thank everyone – JEREJEF! that have visited this blog…it’s nice to know that I’m not the only one reading it! haha.

This blog has only been up since November 19th of last year which I think is pretty good for a blog such as this with such a specific niche.

Let’s just hope that this spreads…it is not my wish to be the only or the best source for Wolof on the web but to inspire others to start, or add to their existing Wolof websites since I have found there are a number of sites out there but they all mostly just cover the basic same phrases. Although greetings are very important there is much more to the language and the culture!

May this new year bring you much happiness and joy…

PEACE…JAMM AK JAMM,

- J.