Bumawi English Novels & Stories

Chapter 8 I am in Kinshasa! It's so hot! My grandfather came to pick me up at Dili airport, this country smells so good! The smell of meat cooked in the open air, it's such a busy city, I really like the hospitality I think living here will really change my mind. Koko: so do you like it?! Me: yes, koko I like it a lot but I'm so tired I'm sleepy Koko means grandmother, grandfather in Lingala to be much more precise, we say koko y’a mobali to mean grandfather and koko y’a muasi to say grandmother.

' 'Ka ọ dị,' said Lastborn. 'Ka ọ dị,' replied the surprised woman as she and her partner made for the door. 'So you can speak Ibo now.' Eniiyi said, her voice tinged with a streak of envy. Lastborn looked very smug. 'It's Igbo, not Ibo. And, no, I can't, but I know a few words, like ka ọ dị means bye bye.' 'Stop feeling yourself.' Eniiyi glowered. 'You're a very annoying boy.'

I thought "As salamu Alaikum,good afternoon Ma" I said kneeling down,I hate it when people repeat things to me three times,I don't want her to get mad again "Wa Alaikum Salam....Kí lo dé? (what happened)? Mà só funmi wípé òti dà ójà mi nu (Don't tell me that you've poured all my goods away)?" "Rárà Ma (No Ma)" I said shaking my head

Sorry for bugging in like this, but kindly allow me to take a seat,’ the visitor said exhibiting an authoritarian tone. ‘It’s fine sir, my office is almost a public one, anyone is free to come at any time.’ ‘Have you ever heard of Ubomba mwibala theory?’ the man asked making himself comfortable. ‘That sounds Bemba, is it?’ Ima asked. ‘Yes and you are Chewa not so with a Bemba mother.’ The last was a statement not a question. ‘What does it mean Sir if I may ask,’ the young girl asked exposing her white teeth.

"Is barawo." "And how do you say 'you are'?" I asked "Kai ne." "Kai ne barawo," I tell him. "Ina Ni mace. Ina Ni…Tiger Kambori." He smiles widely this time. "You shall be speakin' fluently in no time. Most people say 'dat Hausa is a difficult language for correct pronunciation, but you seem like a natural."

" I spoke with pride seeping out with every word. If you are from where I'm from its compulsory to know Bemba or else you'll have communication breakdown. Almost everyone in Chingola knows Bemba. It's like the main mode of communication. Lots of elderly people never attended school around here, making English a little difficult for them. Don't get me wrong though, some speak fluently but the rest either aren't that bad or just don't know. It makes me happy when I find old people who want to learn to speak the white man's tongue. The smiles each of them has when they manage to say a word is just so satisfying. Despite all the good things about English, Bemba feels more natural and heavier. Yo

As a corpers posted to the far north, far away from my Ekiti state, it was not easy at all. I could not speak Hausa, the few words I learned in the camp, I use to buy things in the market. Words like: Ina kwana- Good morning. Na wan? - How much? It was quite difficult living in a new environment. The people though friendly find it difficult to communicate with me. They will say: Ba a Hausa meaning Cannot speak Hausa. Sometimes they will ask you: Akwai Hausa? meaning Can you speak Hausa? I will always reply Ba bu meaning No or Kadan Kadan meaning A little.

Tokpe said as soon as Chisom finished talking, which caused us to burst into an outrageous laughter "Tokpe you sef your wahala too much"I said in pidgin "Abi o" Chisom concurred "So, what do you say my lady, shall we catwalk it out" Bimbo said in her crazy British accent "Yea we shall" I answered as we all catwalked out of the dorm , including the guys .

"You should smile more often; you look more handsome smiling than keeping a strict face." Liam says, "Hmph," and nods. "Thank you," he says briefly again. "So, what is your native name?" Temisa asks him again. "You can call me Tobi," he replied. "Wow, Oluwatobi, I suppose? This means that our God is bigger." Temisa giggles. "Yes, we're Yoruba by Nigerian ethnic group, but we basically bear English Western names," Liam said. "That is nice. I don't have any native names," Temisa says.

Martha rudely replied with a dramatic pupil head-to-toe scan as she struggled to pound some fufu in the smoke-filled fireside kitchen. "Oh goodness, my eyes," she commented as she wiped her smoke condemned teary eyes. * = Mum, there's no water in this house and I'm starving. * = Means 'trouble' in the Bayangi (a tribe in the southwest region) mother tongue.