Languages in old films about Africa

This file gives a sampling of African terms in older films, especially Swahili terms, and where to find to find them. For ease of reference, each film here was divided into sections, named by their section title on the DVD.

Obviously I have not much effort into this project. A good job would require huge amounts of time and research, but at least this is a good starting point for anyone who wants to pursue this study further.

(? = uncertain; ?? = definitely not Swahili spelling, or definitely not the right English word)

The Tarzan Collection

Tarzan the Ape Man (1932, MGM)

Some terms used in this film:

section "Jane Comes to Stay"
- sasi babi
- ?kudya/?kudja = ?move
- ??nyo
- ??juju
section "Tribespeople Come to Trade"
- ??aiva hanyen avai
section "Night Visitors"
- yo yo ??manito yo
  (yo = which/yours)
- bwana
- ??chita/??chitah/??cheeta/??cheetah
- ??tokonako/??toko nako ??chiko
  (nako = and here)
- ??chiko ??o ??malaka
- ?chika ??chiko
  (chika = dock/sorrel)
- kwenda = ?go
  (kwenda = going to)
- cho
  ("cho" is a certain pronoun)
- ??echo/??e ?cho = ?let's ??go
section "Taking the Fall"
- ??pweyo = ?move
section "Tough Customers"
- bwana
section "River Menace"
- bwana
- ??masaki ??gon ??boro
section "He's Taken Her!"
- bwana
- kudaba = ?come down
- ?unanaba ?paraba = ?come down
section "Jane...Tarzan"
- ?uba/?uma = ?come
- ?igow/?igaro? = ?leave/?go/ ?get away
- una = ?hungry/?eat
section "Captured By Pygmies"
- bwana = master
section "Cheeta's Close Calls"
- ?temba/?timba/?tembo
- ??hedji/?heji
- iagow? iga?
section "Pachyderm Support"
- agua? = get up?
- igaro? = go?
section "Valley of the Dead"
- umgawa?
- amuna? = change mounts?
- igau? = get up?
- agua? = go?
section "We'll Be There"
- umgawa?
- ??heit = ??stop/??halt

Tarzan Escapes (1936, MGM)

section "Stuck Behind Bars"
section "Double Strength"
- timba
- ?kaba/?kamba ana
- kauna
- kabancha
- kaba una
- kabancho
section "Forbidden Swamps"
- bamba ??polita ?Tarzan
  (bamba = advice/affair/cardboard/discussion/matter)
- bambalita
- ungatawa = ?cave/?escape
- juju = forbidden
  ("juju" in Hausa means fetish; "juju" in English means charm/magic)
- laga una
- umgawa
- ?kudja/?kuja
- hudja umtia banba
- bwana
section "Fay's Sinking Feeling"
- umgawa = ?go
section "Jane's Home"
- safari = journey

King Solomon's Mines (1950)

This is a great film. It was on Turner Classic Movies, I'm told. There is a heavy emphasis on nature and wildlife, and obviously real animals were used extensively, from snakes to crocodile eggs to entire stampedes of animals. Very impressive, and great scenery.

Some words used in this film:

section "Elephant hunt tragedy"
- bwana
- una damu ??hato/??hatu = it has blood trail?
  (una = it has; damu = blood)
- a na ??fuendio ??atesio
section "A woman on safari?"
- ??bete ??temla = ??drink/??beverage/??tea
- ??muri/??mari, kwale a la kur kama ale kur mitu misuri sa iendio ?iaki/?yaki
- ??alefende ??i, ??sabe/??sabi = ??sorry
- ??kwarienta/??kwariento/??kwariendo
  (kwa = by/with/to/from; kwa heri = goodbye)
section "On safari... sans corset"
- ??prende
- ??pwendo ??vits ?gondami/?gondali/?kondami
- ?kalegare
- kimbia
  (kimbia = escape/run)
section "Song about the lady"
- bubudiga = ?put down
- ?memsad/??memsai ?nuede ?nukundu = the lady with the flaming hair
  (lady = memsahib; nywele = hairs; red = wekundu)
- bwana
section "The only certainty"
- ?wende?/??pwendep/??wendep/??vendep = move out?/retreat??/return??
  (retreat = chemba; return = duta)
- ??sendu ??kapini = ??beware ??snake (snake = nyoka)
- ??kimbea
- mamba = mamba
- iretsava??/iyetsava??/ietsava?? (a type of game)
- Haya! = Get a move on!
- ??prende/??fwende/??frende/??bwende/??krende
  (bwende = type of garment)
section "The Masai"
- ??ninkwenda/ni kwenda = I am going to
  (ni = am; kwenda = going to)
- ?hundina ?biewa = salt?? (salt = chumvi)
- nitu? prenda? ??etaro
- ni? ??etaro korenadio? = seven ??boats go over water?
section "Between you two"
- kadegare?/kadegade?/kalgadi??
- ??prendak/prenda??
section "The Leopard: the stampede"
- safari = journey
section "The haircut"
- kalikapisa??kalekapisa?? = unpleasant?? (kali = mean)
- para? = very??/extremely??/most?? (very = sana; para = superficial wound)
- bwana = mister
- konahi?? = scar??/wound?? (scar = athari)
- sante?? = thank you? (asante = thank you)
- wahare?? = bye? (haya = bye)
section "Mystery man"
- die??/diem?? karibu = come here? (karibu = come in)
- takenini??
- parahu??
- safari = journey
- kwasa?? = why? (kwahe = why; kwa sababu gani = why)
- nava?nave?? kapini?? = go ahead? (nawe = and you)
- prende? = move? continue?? onward??
- kare??gare?/kale??gare? = move? get back to work? go ahead?
- kimbea??/kimbe?? = move? (kimbio = quickly)
- bwana = master
section "Abandoned"
- bwana = master
section "Van Bruin on Curtis"
- yakuni??
- yako ni kalowana?? = (yako = your; ni = you/by/is)
- hunko??
section "Khiva's tragedy"
- bwana = master
section "Watussi royalty"
- kuechani? = distance?
- chani gawi? = what's going on?
section "Gemlike clues"
- ranu?/rana? = greetings?
- radano?
- uende? = you?
section "King Solomon's Mines"
- angata??/ongata?? = forward? onward? enter?
section "Watusi dance"
- yamu? = greetings?
- ume? uwe?

Liane, Jungle Goddess (1959)

This is another African jungle movie full of words from Swahili. Liane is essentially the female version of Tarzan, since she was orphaned as a child, raised in the jungle, and swings on vines. This is a great movie for the guys, with plenty of topless scenes of beautiful young Marion Michaels (who also starred in the similar film Nature Girl and the Slaver). "Liane" is pronounced /li:'Ani/.

Some Swahili terms in this movie:

bwana = master
simba = lion
unga = meal

Hatari! (1962)

"Hatari" is Swahili for "danger." This word should be known to a lot of Americans because of this John Wayne film.

Some Swahili terms in this movie:

section "Momella Game, LTD"
- saidi?/saide?? abwana??/a? bwana (saidi = master)
section "The Indian's Luck"
- safari = journey
section "Anna Maria D'Allesandro"
- bwana
section "Wild Giraffes And A Greenhorn"
- tambo? = greetings?
  (tambo = distance; jambo = greetings)
- ??sure sana = we're leaving?
  (sana = very)
- bwine?/bwini?/bwende?
- bwana
- tungamensa? = take care of her?
- wachamensa? = don't take care of her?
- akinemangi = she can take care of herself?
- sa, master, bwana
- naka?/nakad? = go?
- waikea owani? = done for the day?
section "The Frenchman's Worth"
- watu o elia pesi? = we're leaving?/we'll be back?
- ingishe shuba? = swing them?
- rudin yuma? = get back?/more shooting?/still shooting?
- lete ote, mi puca i mati? = we'll be back?/watch the car?
- komo, sisi panahate hamji = greetings?
- asente? a sente?
- bwana
- seguba?/segura? = lift?
  (sega = to lift)
section "Timbo The Orphan"
- bwana
- letegare? (letu = our; gari = car)
- pwende?/fwende?
section "Dallas Starts Something"
- bwana
section "Beasts Of East Africa"
- matakamba?? = open??
- letebalesh?? = finished?/get in?
- mgale?? = loose?/catch? (to catch hold of = ng'ang'ama)
- mbuni = ostrich
- legundare?? abo??
- magusa??/mgusa?? (nasa = catch)
- ambesa??
- kamanda??
- bwana
section "The Tribe's Appreciation"
- bango?/bengo?? = wait??/come in?/one moment?? (bango = fender)
- mama tembo = mother elephant
- rafiki = friend
- mbali = different
section "Brandy's True Love"
- puteus aidea? = help??
- pasa? = push? (pasua = to push one's way)
section "Rube Goldberg Monkey Trap"
- apokahalasa??
- hatari = danger
- rudihaba??/rudi haba = come back a little bit? (rudi = come back; haba = little bit)
- ningingini?? kate?? = move?
- rudikeisho?
- asente?? = park??/stop?? (asante = thank you)
- bwatachini?? = lay it down?
- pole, pole = gently, gently
- sure? = fine? (zuri = fine; sare = tie)
- andukaya? presi? kuli? = get out of the way?
- presi?? pesi?? = quickly? (kasi = quickly; upesi = quickly)
section "Baby Elephant Walk"
- tumbo? = good morning?? (tumbo = belly)
section "Breaking the Rhino Jinx"
- kowsakumba??/kawsakumba??/kasakoba?? = pull?
- bwana
- huta??
- kamata kumba? = tie?? (kamata = to hold; kumba = attack/push/shove/butt)
section "Where's Mama?"
- tembo = elephant
- bwana
- subzali??
- safari = journey

In the sections "Spring Comes To The Bush" and "Anna Maria D'Allesandro" there is a chart on the wall of animals they capture:

GIRAFFE	X	X	X	+	.	.	.	.	.	.
ELAND	X	X	+	.	.	.	.	.	.	.
ZEBRA	X	X	X	X	.	.	.	.	.	.
ELEPHANT	.	.	.	.	.	.	.	.	.	.
BUFFALO	.	.	.	.	.	.	.	.	.	.
WILDEBEEST	X	.	.	.	+	.	.	.	.	.
IMPALA	X	X	+	.	.	.	.	.	.	.
OSTRICH	X	X	.	.	+	.	.	.	.	.
CHEETAH	X	X	+	.	.	.	.	.	.	.
VERVET	.	.	.	.	.	.	.	.	.	.
ORYX	X	.	.	+	.	.	.	.	.	.
WARTHOG	.	.	+	.	.	.	.	.	.	.
RHINO	.	+	.	.	.	.	.	.	.	.
THOMSONS	X	X	.	.	+	.	.	.	.	.
GRANT'S GAZ	X	X	.	.	.	.	.	.	.	.
SECRETARY BIRD	X	X	+	.	.	.	.	.	.	.
.	.	.	.	.	.	.	.	.	.	.

This chart serves as a nice list of typical African animals and a good starting point for learning some indiginous Swahili words, which I've added below in an enhanced version of their list. Many of these same animals appear in the published Ape dictionary (+ = included; S = semi-included).

more complete name	scientific name	Swahili name	in Ape dictionary?
giraffe	Giraffa camelopardalis	twiga	+
Cape eland	Taurotragus oryx	pofu	.
Burchell's zebra Grevy's zebra	Equus burchellii Equus grevyi	punda milia	+
African elephant	Loxodonta africana	tembo = ndovu	+
African buffalo = Cape buffalo	Syncerus caffer	nyati	+
wildebeest = gnu	Connochaetes taurinus	nyumbu ya montu	.
impala	Aepyceros melampus	swala pala	.
Masai ostrich Somali ostrich	Struthio camelus Struthio molybdophanes	mbuni masai mbuni somali	.
cheetah	Acinonyx jubatus	duma	.
vervet monkey	Cercopithecus aethiops	tumbili	S
oryx	Oryx gazella	choroa	.
warthog	Phacochoerus aethiopicus	ngiri	.
black rhinoceros = hooked-lipped rhinoceros white rhinoceros = square-lipped rhinoceros	Diceros bicornis Ceratotherium simum	faru	+
Thomson's gazelle	Gazella thomsonii	swala tomi	.
Grant's gazelle	Gazella granti	swala granti	.
secretary bird	Sagittarius serpentarius	karani tamba	S

References

http://www.awf.org/wildlives/

http://research.yale.edu/cgi-bin/swahili/main.cgi

Daktari (1966-1969)

Daktari was a 1960s TV show derived from the 1965 film Clarence the Cross-Eyed Lion. "Daktari" means "doctor" in Swahili. I do not have any photos or recordings of this show, only my memories of what it was like. Many of the episodes dealt with poachers, and Judy the chimp was the counterpart of Tarzan's chimp Cheeta, which provided comic relief. Almost every episode had a scene of Judy getting into mischief and the the black male star would always admonish her by resignedly saying "Judy, stop dat."

The above picture is from:
http://www.mortystv.com/showcards/daktari.shtml (2-15-05)

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