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mbay
Germany
1007 Posts |
 Posted - 23 Jan 2008 : 16:45:07
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By Santanfara:
this name doesn't seem to have a meaning in any of our local languages .i want to know what toubab means. our western friends don't get offended in the explanation process .from aunti anna,meme,fee sweet ,bev,jack,lurker and the many i don't know about.
some one out there knows the real meaning of toubab. what does it mean?
Alhassan Dont go too far, that was the same i was willing to tell Santa.
Remembers about me, from day to the next i turned to be a terrorist cos of my too hard Islamic background. and bit on it, the next one will be Neo RASIST while the questions was matter of the meaning and not what was happening to one personal, which we are living with it but not blaming all for it.
Any way thanks God, you ware giving the meaning of the White man (The Gentle) and not those...
We Gambians are not only knowing the White man just in colonisation but firmly family ties and friendships, Yes including me the egoist/ ant westerner have also even America friends in and out
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toubab1020
12309 Posts |
Posted - 23 Jan 2008 : 16:51:58
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Well That's it then everyone content |
"Simple is good" & I strongly dislike politics. You cannot defend the indefensible.
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Santanfara
3460 Posts |
Posted - 23 Jan 2008 : 16:58:57
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according to relaible sources ,the word meant differnt from all what is narrated here. some one here knows how the term came about but are not willing to write it.
young gambians also don't know the meaning .i am surprised that our elder Alhasan himslef didn't know the meaning . i will post it in a few minute.
it have to do with stingeness of the English resident of Banjul in the early days. stay tone. |
Surah- Ar-Rum 30-22
"And among His signs is the creation of heavens and the earth, and the difference of your languages and colours. verily, in that are indeed signs for men of sound knowledge." Qu'ran
www.suntoumana.blogspot.com |
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toubab1020
12309 Posts |
Posted - 23 Jan 2008 : 17:01:46
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Can't wait,English stingey,no just tight!
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"Simple is good" & I strongly dislike politics. You cannot defend the indefensible.
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Santanfara
3460 Posts |
Posted - 23 Jan 2008 : 18:59:25
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the senegal v tunisia match is at half-time now so i will post the version i believe is more accurate.
no offense again to the anglo-saxons .the term toubab is a native gambain reference to the white english who use to give little works to illitrate folks down in banjul. but since the english were looking after the pennes ,so that the pounds can look after themself .they pay the workers a little money. the other side to the word was to do the tricks played the brits. We use to have valuable ornaments. the whites then want easy bargain for the ornaments. if a native offer his valuabel for sale ,the british buyers will under price the good .then the local will say TOO BAD .too bad became toubab .when sellers see whites they will mimick the words. The british also make another bad trick ,if a gambian offer to sell them a things ,they will straight away tell them,no this is too bad .this is to make the seller believe that his product is worthless.
too bad is toubab |
Surah- Ar-Rum 30-22
"And among His signs is the creation of heavens and the earth, and the difference of your languages and colours. verily, in that are indeed signs for men of sound knowledge." Qu'ran
www.suntoumana.blogspot.com |
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toubab1020
12309 Posts |
Posted - 23 Jan 2008 : 19:43:49
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Could local Gambians at that time speak such good English as to say, "TOO BAD",?no that's stretching things TOO FAR,but hey........ it may be true you know that these Anglo Saxons are always looking after the pounds,maybe Alistair Darling (the Scottish Man in charge of the English Tresuary, a bit of Tribal rivalry there,) may ask Gambia for a loan of its Millions to help out Northern Rock ,then Gambia can say, TOO BAD TOUBAB on yr haggis Jimmy go and champ yr neeps.....(my attempt at the Scottish Language)
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"Simple is good" & I strongly dislike politics. You cannot defend the indefensible.
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Edited by - toubab1020 on 23 Jan 2008 19:45:26 |
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MADIBA
United Kingdom
1275 Posts |
Posted - 23 Jan 2008 : 21:29:37
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| I dnt think Toubab is exclusive to The Gambia. There is a Malian singer, who in one of his songs says TOUBABU KANG FOO NYEH, meaning speak whiteman's language to me. If am not mistaken this singer is no other person than the great Salif Keita. |
madiss |
Edited by - MADIBA on 23 Jan 2008 22:48:11 |
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MADIBA
United Kingdom
1275 Posts |
Posted - 23 Jan 2008 : 22:53:35
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In addition, The Gambia was not the only British colony in west African In Nigeria for example, there is tribe that calls a whiteman Ibbodoh (whiteman.
In Fula, whitemen are called WOH-NDEH-BEH(the white ones),Guinean Fula they called them PORRTO
In wolof, NEET NYU WHEEH, Europe they call it TOUGAL |
madiss |
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Alhassan
Sweden
813 Posts |
Posted - 24 Jan 2008 : 08:43:57
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MADIBA,
Yesterday I did som research among other West Africans I know. It seems as if the word is used in many countries apart from being former British colonies. You mentioned PORTBE in fullah can refar to a whiteman.I found out the same from two different Fullahs. One from Niger and the other from SeneGambia. From SeneGambia, Mali, both Guineas until Burkina Fasso and some parts of Niger many people say TOUBAB or TOUBABU for the whiteman. I shall do more research about this word. |
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MeMe
United Kingdom
541 Posts |
Posted - 24 Jan 2008 : 11:48:02
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Hahahahahahahahahaha ...... I'd like to see you attempt that conversation here in Scotland  |
It is better to die standing than to live on your knees - Ernesto Guevara de la Serna |
Edited by - MeMe on 24 Jan 2008 11:50:41 |
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sisay
48 Posts |
Posted - 24 Jan 2008 : 14:17:40
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Good point, Madiba! Toubab is used in Senegal, Guinea, Mali, Ivory Coast and Burkina Faso - all French-speaking countries. I have been told it means "foreigner" but is mainly applied to Europeans.
To answer this question requires asking a Jali and even checking history books so I did some research. Although it's a Mandinka word, it's also Wolof and many people say it comes from Wolof. Dakar/Goree were two of the oldest slave ports in Africa so this makes sense.
On the surface this seems to contradict the theory of the word toubab coming from the Arabic 'altabib'. However, Senegal was the first place in West Africa that Islam spread to. I have never heard of Arabs being refered to as 'toubab' though - always Arab or Arabe. But maybe the use of this word has changed over time.
Still I prefer to think of the word toubab as coming from the Mandinka tubi (to convert), or its Wolof equivalent, toub. I was told that from this word the word toubab was coined in reference to the French colonials trying to convert the Senegalese.
One thing is sure today - the word 'toubab' means someone with money. For you Westerners who don't fully understand, most Gambians living in the Motherland could never hope to save enough money to go on a holiday. If they manage to save and borrow to go overseas, it's not going to be a holiday, it's a relocation to work and save money to send to family, and to obtain an easier life. Therefore even if a white tourist is poor, by West African standards they have a lot of money. So this association of the word 'toubab' with money has led to the 'two-bob' myth. |
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Alhassan
Sweden
813 Posts |
Posted - 24 Jan 2008 : 15:06:48
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sisay,
Gambia uses the same word and we are an English colony, Senegal was English too under the coplony of SeneGambia.It does not come from Dakar /Isl de Görée. I think the word is West African. This word is used by others who do not speak Wollof or Mandinka. The word is not wollof as we cannot atribut it to a wollof word. TALIBE(DJORDJOR) or TALUBE(SALOUM SALOUM)is different from the word TOUBAB. The Balantas and Mandiak who do not speak wollof but use the same word for the same person. TUBI is quite different because we never converted the Europeans when they came to West Africa.
We still need a better explaination thn we have had. I have consulted both Senegalese and Gambians and other West Africans. |
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toubab1020
12309 Posts |
Posted - 24 Jan 2008 : 15:35:20
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Thanks for your research,one thing that I would not disagree with is that the word Toubab has something to do with money,I can however no agree that Toubab has become a word made or corrupted from any African Language.Toubab has become a word that is recognised through out Gambia and is a recognised term to discribe a white man (or woman)therefore it is not a word that is gender specific.Travelling to far places in the Gambia it is not unusual for parents to point out to their children ,a Toubab,no confusion at all "look a white man" It has also been suggested that Toubab is a recognised word in other parts of West Africa. Please continue with your research and bring out points that you discover.As I have mentioned before this discussion has to revolve around Oral history which is a great deal to do with myths and stories told to the young,which sometimes get confused if it is told to many people over a period of time.
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"Simple is good" & I strongly dislike politics. You cannot defend the indefensible.
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Edited by - toubab1020 on 24 Jan 2008 15:37:37 |
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njucks
Gambia
1131 Posts |
Posted - 25 Jan 2008 : 11:22:14
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quote:
Originally posted by sisay
Good point, Madiba! Toubab is used in Senegal, Guinea, Mali, Ivory Coast and Burkina Faso - all French-speaking countries. I have been told it means "foreigner" but is mainly applied to Europeans
..................... So this association of the word 'toubab' with money has led to the 'two-bob' myth.
the two-bob thing as Santanfara has been explaining in different versions is nothing but a myth. the british were not the first europeans in The Gambia. The Portugese, Dutch, French, Courtlanders were all trading in the Senegambia since the 15th Cent. the Africans must have had a word for these ''Strangers'' with a different skin.
Even in Mungo Park's book, he describes how native people used to look at him and even some ''Moors'' already in Senegal/Mali then had never seen a whiteman. Some thought he was ''jewish''.
regarding the point that Toubab is used all over west africa we should be careful, because ''Senegalese Adiministrators'' and Infantrymen Soldiers'' were an integral part of the French Colonial Administration since Dakar/ St Louis were early centre of western education and as such their culture, language etc spread all over the French Sudan (West Africa). e.g Jollof Rice is very popular in many west african countries too.
Sisay the word in wollof for Arab is Naar. and its qualified by where they come from. e.g Naar Ghanaar means Arab of Mauritania ( from the old empire). Europe is also often refered to as Toubabudou (land of toubabs) just like Fulladou.
personally i think its just a word, and trying to link it to any other vocab can be misleading. Sulla/Naar means Arab. e.g Catholic in Wollof can be called ''Grumeh'' again just a word. |
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toubab1020
12309 Posts |
Posted - 25 Jan 2008 : 11:59:04
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This is a really good discussion and is being taken seriously by quite a few people,who are expert in African languages I look forward to it continuing although I doubt if the root of Toubab will ever be discovered,I tend to lean towards NJCUKS' view on this "its just a word".Although for the Gambian it has come to mean white man or woman.
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"Simple is good" & I strongly dislike politics. You cannot defend the indefensible.
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Edited by - toubab1020 on 25 Jan 2008 12:00:29 |
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