Mzungu, Jambo!

Meaning of the word Jambo and Mzungu

Jambo Mzungu are the words you can bet to hear a million times during your travel in Kenya. To most people they are just words spoken by the locals to get their attention and no one pays any attention to them. However there is a rich history behind this words and the more you know the better.

Mzungu originated more than a hundred years back when explorers were the only one traveling to far shores to discover new places for the queen. Many of them had no idea where they were going and so traveled in circles from one point to the other wandering around looking for the big break. The locals could not understand what this foreigners were doing wandering aimlessly. The Swahili word for going round and round in circles is “kuzunguka zunguka”. The explorers earned the nickname “mzungu” as they went round in circles. Generations came and went and the name was passed over from one member to the next. Eventually it was accepted that any foreigner was a mzungu irrespective of the fact that they now knew what they came to do.

Jambo means hello but this again is only used for foreigners. This is because it is easier for them to pronounce as the whole word “hujambo” was a mouthful for them (or we can go with too lazy to speak). However no local will be caught saying jambo to each other.

Enjoy your trip in Kenya and don’t forget to say thanks to the explorers who opened the way for you.

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