Zikomo (Thank you)

If you know anything about Nyanja, zikomo, is probably one of the first words you learned. It is not too hard to pronounce or remember, and it is very useful. Have you said "thank you" to anyone today?

Zikomo is useful for thanking people in Zambia, from the people you work with, to the taxi driver, to a stranger who helps you find your way, but did you know that zikomo also means "excuse me"?

Get more mileage out of a word you already know! (Or get double-usage for a new word, if you're new to Nyanja.)

Need the person in front of you to move so you can get off the minibus?

A tap on the shoulder and a soft "zikomo" will do.

Need to squeeze past the person buying tomatoes so you can go and buy the last cupfull of kapenta?

"Zikomo" is your ticket.

Want to get back in front of the person who just squeezed in front of you in line at the post office?

Give "zikomo" a try.

In the USA, we're coming up on the Thanksgiving holiday, celebrated with family gatherings and LOTS of food. Its also a time of reflection to think about what we are thankful for and to GIVE THANKS for it. This year, I'm thankful for my family and friends, and my new job, and how wonderful it is to be a mom. I'm not sure what sort of feast is going to take shape in the Tembo household of DeKalb, Illinois, USA, but we can be happy to have food and to have each other.

When I was in Zambia, far away my motherland, I created a couple of Thanksgiving feasts with my new friends and family there. In 2005, in Meheba refugee settlement, when going around the table and asking what people were thankful for, it was truly mind-opening to hear from my friend Rachel, an orphan who had been through a lot and had plenty of reasons to be simply thankful for life.

Here are some pictures from the Lusaka Thanksgiving of 2007. Guests included my soon-to-be husband and his sister and her friend and some of my friends, refugees from Congo, Sudan, and Angola. These guys were in school at the time, and now they've all moved on to bigger and better things. Most, in fact, have returned to their homelands and are re-starting their lives, armed with eductation and more than their share of life experiences. Some of them are probably reading this blog, too. (What's up, guys? Keep up the good work!)

Zikomo, everybody! Thanks for being my friends, and thanks for reading this blog!

Zikomo = thank you, or excuse me

Kapenta = small type of fish, popular in Zambia

And here's one for Thanksgiving:

Zikomo pali vokudya vamene mwani pasa. = Thank you for the food. (Literally, Holly-approximate-translation, "Thank you for the food, the way that that gave it me.")

P.S. Zikomo to all of my African-Facebook-Nyanja-advisors for recent posts: Joe, Nicholas, Wajenda and Victor (and anyone else who I've forgotten!) And of course, my live-in Nyanja advisor, Mathew.