Hi Tuesday friend! I know you love to read and read diverse. If you are about to pick up the wonderful novella Ripples by Emike Osumah, you’d encounter some words you are not familiar with as. So today I picked out 10 words from the novella and I am going to explain it to you. Let’s dig right in.
- “Baba”: It means father but in this book it is a word used in Nigeria to call a herbalist who helps people “solve” problems using diabolical means.
- Kobo: is a subdivision of the Nigerian currency equal to one hundredth of a Nigerian naira. So when a Nigerian tells you they don’t have even 1 Kobo they are trying to say they are really broke.
- “Emabinu”: It is a Yoruba word, the Yorubas are one of the major ethnic group in Nigeria. Emabinu means sorry, especially when a mistake has been made.
- “Bole”: Oh my! You really want to taste this. It is roasted plantain. It is best served with smoke fish stew or sauce. During the season for plantain in Nigeria, you’d see it been roasted in different places in so many different ways. The next time you are in southern Nigeria, ask for this delicacy.
- “Chei”: This is an Igbo word used to exclaim especially when some thing bad has happened or said. The Igbos are also one of the major ethnic group in Nigeria. This exclamation is used by a wide range of Nigerians. It is a common word.
- “Abeggy” or “Abegi”: Abeg is a vernacular word for ” I beg”. It is used in Nigeria to plead or make light of a serious situation. In the context of this book it is used to make light of a situation.
- “Janded”: A reverential word used to describe someone from overseas especially the western world and Europe.
- “Please free me”: It is a word used in Nigeria to get someone out of your hair.
- “Body no be firewood”: Correctly, it should be said “I am not made of firewood”. The person using it is trying to say they are flesh and blood and have feelings. Most times it is used when people are trying to make excuses for being promiscuous.
- National Youth Service Corps (NYSC): It is a scheme set up by the Nigerian government to involve Nigerian graduates in nation building and the development of the country. It is a compulsory one year program every Nigerian graduate has to partake it. After the civil war in Nigeria, the government was seeking for a way to heal and integrate the country and it’s citizens hence the NYSC. Nigerian graduates immediately after graduation from the University or Polytechnics are posted to a state in Nigeria where they have never been before to serve the country in community development and lots more. It is a very great opportunity to meet different people from diverse background and come together to raise up infrastructures to better serve the community they are in.
That is it! I hope you have enjoyed my crash course in Nigerian history LOL!
If you are reading a diverse book, share with us some unique terms and words common to that ethnicity.
Diversity Between the Pages 