Nyanja Word of the Week: Umfwiti (Witchcraft)

They don't celebrate Halloween in Zambia.

A couple of years ago, my husband agreed to carve pumpkins with me, but it took some serious convincing that I wasn't making him participate in a Satanic ritual. This is a completely valid concern, as the origins of Halloween aren't necessarily innocent, and because "umfwiti," or witchcraft, is real in Zambia.

In rural villages, when someone becomes ill or dies suddenly, it may not just be of natural causes, it may be that someone else has put a curse on the person. But these beliefs aren't confined to villages. Many urban, educated Zambians also know that umfwiti is real, though rarely spoken about in day-to-day conversations. I have heard many 2nd and 3rd hand stories, and at least one first-hand account about experiences with umfwiti. Even on television and in the papers, news reporters don't clarify that witchcraft "isn't real." I remember seeing a story about a man who had a "satanic cell phone," a possessed cross wrapped in yarn, that allowed him to talk to his satanic colleagues without needing to buy airtime. The reporter left it up to the viewer whether or not to believe that this man's story was true.

Now please don't confuse a "mfwiti," or witch, with an "ng'anga" or traditional healer, though the lines may be blurry at times. An ng'anga uses herbs, roots, and other local medicines and techniques handed down over generations to treat a variety of ailments. Now the reason I say the lines become blurry, is because some ng'anga don't just offer medicine for physical ailments, but also claim to be able to recover lost property or lost lovers, or to help you win a sporting event or get a job. Just check the classified section of any Zambian newspaper. (Some big libraries in the US have the Times or the Post.)

Ng'anga do have respect in Zambia, and internationally, and are actually important players in health issues, including the fight against HIV and AIDS: http://allafrica.com/stories/201008290005.html

There are other interesting traditional beliefs in the supernatual in Zambia. My husband is working on a term paper about how music is used to communicate with ancestors. He has also written about a healing ceremony called "mashabe," where a dancer becomes possesed by a spirit who tells them how to heal a sick person.

Here in the USA, where witchcraft pretty much just serves to lend imagery to a day of dressing up and eating candy, our little family has avoided most things spooky or other-worldy for Halloween this year. We did decorate pumpkins. (We didn't carve them, because we're planning to eat them!) And we took our daughter, Nzinzi, to watch a spectacular Pumpkin Festival Parade in Sycamore, IL, dressed as a ladybug ("ladybird" for you speakers of the Queen's English). She got her groove on each time a marching band passed and loved the dogs and horses, and the Shriners in their little cars and funny hats. Here she is, smiling with a little chibanda (ghost) in her hand.

Please write to me with your superstitious stories from Zambia!

Nyanja vocabulary of the week:


umfwiti - witchcraft
mfwiti - witch
ng'anga - traditional healer
mashabe - healing ceremony from Eastern Province of Zambia
chibanda - ghost

Last but not least, here's a song by one of my all time favorite Zambian bands, The Witch. Too bad they're not around anymore.

Nyanja Word of the Week 3: Pamodzi

Happy Independence Day!

Zambia is now 47 years old.

Kaunda in 1967.

Today in 1964, Kenneth Kaunda, the first president of Zambia, was shaking hands, signing papers, getting his picture taken, and moving into state house. At least, that's what I'm assuming a new president of a new country would do when the transfer of power has been peaceful.

Zambians have a lot to be proud of today. In 47 years, right there in the middle of Africa, they have never been involved in a notable war or conflict of any kind. And look at some of Zambia's neighbors!

Tanzania - war with Uganda: 1978-1979

Angola - Civil War: 1975 - 2002

Mozambique - Civil War: 1977 - 1992

Zimbabwe - history of instability and human rights violations

D.R. Congo - on and off wars and conflicts since its inception

That said, we must acknowledge the successes of Zambia's other 3 neighboring countries, Malawi, Botswana, and Namibia, who have also had peaceful histories.

But today is Zambia's day. And I want to ask this:

Question: Why has Zambia been so peaceful over the past 47 years?

The answer an average Zambian might tell you is that Zambians are simply peaceful people. Scholars may tell you about Kaunda's policies that led to national unity. But I have not heard anyone talk about the answer I'm about to give you...

Answer: Zambia has been successfully peaceful since its foundation because its first president was a (A) peace-loving, (B) guitar-playing, (C) vegetarian, (D) groovy-guy.

Exhibit A:

Exhibit B:

Exhibit C:

International Vegetarian Union - Famous Vegetarians - Dr. Kenneth Kaunda

Exhibit D, just see his outfit and the look on his face:

The evidence speaks for itself!

The Nyanja Word of the Week this week is "Pamodzi." Pamodzi means "together," or literally "as one."

This week I want to highlight a song of national unity for Zambia, not the national anthem, but a song sung during and after the freedom fight and recorded by Kenneth Kaunda, "Tiyende Pamodzi," or "Let's Go Together." This was not only popular in Zambia, but in Malawi, where the national language is very similar to Nyanja, and other countries as well. It is cited in literature among important political songs.

Listen to Kaunda singing in the YouTube clip below, then practice singing along. Here's the first line, which repeats throughout the song:

"Tiyende pamodzi ndi mtima umo[dzi]," which means "Let's go together in harmony," or literally, "Let's go as one, with one heart."

This is what Zambians were singing in 1964:

Here are some other highlights from Dr. Kaunda's career:

- Primary School Teacher
- Scout Leader

- Popularized the "Kaunda suit"
- Honorary Doctorates in Law from at least 7 Universities

Vocabulary for the week:

"modzi" - "one"

"pamodzi" - "as one" or "together"

"mtima" - "heart"

"mtima umodzi" - one heart

"Taj Pamodzi" - a 5-star hotel in Lusaka

"chimodzimodzi" - "the same as" ("same same" - just threw that in for fun)


Thanks for reading Nyanja Word of the Week! We'll see you next week with a new word!

Musale bwino,

Holly

p.s. This is what Americans, Brits, and whoever else were singing in 1964:

Nyanja Word of the Week 2: Bwino

Muli bwanji?
Bwino!

"Bwino" is one of the few Nyanja words that my 2-year-old daughter, Nzinzi, actually knows. When we first found out we were expecting a baby, my husband and I were adamant that we would teach her both English and Nyanja. (Really, we wanted to teach her English and "Nsenga," a language very similar to Nyanja, and spoken in the area that my husband's family comes from. Nyanja, she would learn from her playmates in Lusaka, obviously.)

Well, she's 2 now, and speaking English like crazy - why, just this morning she said, "Mr. Bear wants to sit on the couch" - but her Nyanja is limited to only a few words. It's not too late, though, and that's part of the purpose of this blog - to help keep Nzinzi and myself in the habit of thinking about, practicing, and expanding our Nyanja skills.

Today, we're focusing on one of the basics.

In Nyanja, "bwino" means "well" or "good." Bwino is pronounced "bwee-no," but because Nyanja is a tonal language, there is a right and wrong way to say it, as far as your intonation goes. Any of my readers who already know a bit of Nyanja would already know the meaning of bwino. If you are one of them, try chatting with a Zambian to perfect your pronunciation and intonation. (In my early days in Zambia, I had a long discussion with Mathew Tembo*, where I heard him keep saying, "No, it's not 'bwino', it's 'bwino.'")

If you're just starting out, don't worry about perfecting your accent yet, just go with it! Bwino can be your go-to answer for all kinds of "How?" questions, or questions which end in "bwanji?"

EXAMPLES:

Question: "Muli bwanji?" ("How are you?")
Response: "Bwino!"

Question:"Mwauka bwanji?" ("How did you sleep?"/Literally "How did you wake up?")
Response:"Bwino!"

Question: "Kunyumba kuli bwanji?" ("How's everything at home?"/Literally "How's home?")
Response: "Bwino!"

Question: "ATembo ati bwanji?" ("How is Tembo?")
Response: "Bwino!"

Here's another little secret, in Lusaka, sometimes "bwanji?" gets shortened to just "bwa'?"

EXAMPLE:

Question: "Muli bwa'?" ("How are you?" slang verson)
Response: "Bwino!"

And that's not all... you can even use "bwino" in other Zambian languages!

In Bemba:
Question: "Muli shani?"
Response: "Bwino!"

In Nsenga:
Question: "Muli tyani?"
Response: "Bwino!"

There must be more languages that use this word. Zambians, leave a comment/email me/Facebook me if you know of other languages that use bwino.

To those of you non-fluent Nyanja speakers, if you're like me, and you'd like to pretend that you know more Nyanja (or other Zambian languages) than you really do, practice this:

If someone asks you a question ending in "bwanji," or "bwa'" (or "shani" or "tyani," if you can remember), even if you don't understand the question, answer "bwino." Nine times out of ten you'll be safe. (But be careful! I will have stories to share about the pitfalls of pretending to know more Nyanja than you really do.)

Other useful bwino phrases:

"Mwende bwino" - "Go well." Say this as part of your goodbyes to someone who is going somewhere, whether its home from work, or to another country.

"Musale bwino" - "Stay well." The person who is going somewhere would say this back to the person who is staying.

"Mugone bwino" - "Seep well."

"Mulungu ali bwino" - "God is good."

"MC Wabwino" - MC "who's good," a famous Zambian pop artist, who I have always enjoyed for his large stature, large voice, and large jewelry**!

Here's MC Wabwino's song "J.O.B." Its about sexual harrassment during the interview/hiring process. (MC Wabwino and I are both against that!) But I like singing it these days, because I'm looking for a job.

Bonus phrase:

"Nifuna nchito!" - "I need a job!" (Listen for it in the song.)

* Thank you for tolerating the shameless promotion of the artist who I manage/promote, aka my husband.
** Please stay tuned to Nyanja Word of the Week for more Zambian musical recommendations. I can't wait to share some whose music I think is really bwino!