Dear NWW readers,

It has been many weeks since our last Nyanja discussion. These past few months have been very busy for my family, and I had a little bit of writer’s block. This caused the Nyanja Words of the Week to fall into a little slump. And in one of my daughter’s favorite quotes from Dr. Seuss, “unslumping yourself is not easily done.” (Native Nyanja-speakers, can any of you translate that? Or perhaps there is an equivalent African proverb that uses an animal metaphor?)

Today I’ve found myself semi-inspired, with a few minutes to myself, in front of a computer, so I shall take this opportunity to try to crank one out. Here it goes:

Sogolo (front/future) and Kumbuyo (back/behind/past)

One of the rites of passage of a muzungu (foreigner) in Zambia is riding a minibus. As a beginner minibus rider, it can feel quite adventurous: squeezing in a small space with a bunch of strangers; getting a new perspective of the city while trying to make sure you get off at the right stop, trying to keep your balance as the driver swerves through traffic, or perhaps speeds down side roads, zigging and zagging to perhaps avoid the police. Even for seasoned minibus riders, the experience can be enjoyable. For others, it may just seem tedious, or perhaps it has just become a way of life.

No matter what your level of mini bus experience, if you don’t speak Bemba or Nyanja and  are not accompanied by a local friend, your voyage will be a little easier if you know a few key words and phrases. Today we will just deal with  2 of these words: sogolo (front) and kumbuyo (back).

One reason why I’ve chosen to talk about these words is because of their many meanings and uses, but let’s start with the minibus meanings.

“Sogolo” means “front,” as in the front seat of the bus, next to the driver. If you find yourself sitting in the front of the bus, the “conductor” is most likely sitting right behind you. If you hear him say “sogolo,” it means he’s asking you, (and the other front-seat passenger, if there is one) for your fare, so, you should give him the money.

“Kumbuyo” means “back,” as in the back seat of the bus. Scenario: you are getting onto one of the larger minibuses, and there are already 4 people sitting in the back and all of the other seats are taken, except for the flip-down aisle seats. You start to flip down the aisle seat to sit in the second-to-last row, then you hear the conductor saying something to you in Nyanja. He is likely saying “five kumbuyo,” or some variation of that, meaning “Please would you kindly squeeze in with those other 4 people in the back row so that we can fit more people on our bus. We’re just trying to make a meager living here.” Again, once the bus is rolling, if the conductor says “kumbuyo,” it means he’s asking for the money from your row, often lumped together and passed up to the front by the people in the middle rows.

 Beyond the minibus-practical-uses of sogolo and kumbuyo, the words also mean “future” and “past.” I once had a minibus conductor tell me, “Sit in future.” (Wouldn’t that be cool!)

Here are some other ways to use those words (Thanks to Uncle Jossy Phiri, Joe Chilima, and Violet Phiri for the CREATIVE examples via Facebook):

Kusogolo: “In the future”

Sitiziba vili kusogolo: “We don't know what the future holds.”

Kaya, kusogolo: “Perhaps in the future.”

Joe ali pasogolo: “Joe is in the lead.” (as in a race)

Holly ali kumbuyo ya nyumba koma Amai ali kusogolo: “Holly is behind the house, but Mom is in front.”

Akumbuyo: “In the past” or “Long ago”

Masiku akumbuyo  anthu anali kupha ana obadwa ndi mano mukamwa: “Long ago people slew babies born with teeth.”

Pambuyo pake, anamukwatila: “After that, he married her.”


(Most minibus rides don't look like this.)