An African Languages Lesson for World Hello Day

Jambo! World Hello Day is observed on November 21. On this day, we are encouraged to express the importance of personal communication in preserving world peace. World Hello Day was first created in 1973 to show people, especially the people of the Middle East that conflicts can and should be resolved through communication and not violence. The idea is that clear, honest communication breeds peace.

Molo - photo by Thornybush

Africa is home to the highest linguistic diversity in the world with over 1,500 different languages. Even though the continent has a wide range of languages, the principal languages found across all 54 countries include Arabic, French and English. The top 10 languages spoken on the continent, besides English and Arabic are Swahili, Amharic, Yoruba, Oromo, Hausa, Igbo, isiZulu, Shona, Portuguese and French.

Sawubona - photo by Matetsi

Part of the delight of international travel is experiencing another country's culture, and the best way to do that is to interact with the local people. A few words or phrases go a long way, and the best place to start is at the beginning, with "hello."

Dumela - photo by Belmond Botswana

Here is how to say hello in several African languages (some of which may be repeated from one country to the next).
Botswana – Setswana: Dumela mma (hello to a woman), Dumela rra (hello to a man)
Kenya – Swahili: Jambo
Lesotho – Sesotho: Lumela
Mozambique – Portuguese: Olá
Rwanda
French: Bonjour (along with many other countries in Africa)
Kinyarwanda: Muraho
South Africa
Zulu: Sawubona
Xhosa: Molo
Afrikaans: Hallo
English: Hello
Tanzania – Swahili: Jambo
Zimbabwe
Shona: Mhoro
Ndebele: Sawubona

Jambo - photo by Rekeko Camp

However, you say hello, may you do it with a smile!

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