To Fofo!

Fofo means "hello" in Zarma, the language I'm learning in Niger. I like to add To at the beginning, which means "ok" or something like that. So, to fofo! I've been in Niger for almost two full months. Not being able to write about any experiences up untill now on this blog makes it a little overwhelming to know what to say. I think I'll just write in chapters about random experiences that I have because that is pretty much what life is like here, a series of random (sometimes fun, sometimes embarrassing, sometimes intimidating) events. Well, I started this entry with a Zarma greeting, so I'll just talk a little about the language here.

There are several languages spoken in Niger. French, of course, is the national language which is spoken by city folk and many of the older men who went to school under the French colonial rule. Zarma and Hausa are the two other official languages, Hausa being the majority language. Zarma is a more simple language spoken in the Tillabery and Dosso regions, which are located in the far south of Niger. Tamacheq is also spoken by the Tauregs and Bellas. Fufule is the language of the Fulani people. I think I completely mispelled some of these names, but at the same time these are all oral languages and so did I really mispell anything? I think not.

In Zarma--and also in Hausa and the others from what I understand--most daily conversations consist of a string of greetings. People love spitting out a string of greetings as fast as they can without listening to the responses they get. That is understandable because they already know what the answers will be. Let's make an example dialogue:
Bobokar: Fofo Fatiya! Mate ni kani? Mate ni go? Mate gaham? Mate fu? Mate goyo? Mate habo hinka? Mate habu? Mate zankey? Mate dungay?
Fatiya: (simultaneously) Bani samay walla. Tali kulu si. Al hamdalilaye. Tali si. Samay samay. Al hamdalilaye. Bani samay. Al hamdalilaye. Tali si.

Then you just reverse the names (Bobokar and Fatiya, or Mamadou and Omarou, or Taibatu and Laala) and mix the order of greetings and repeat some of the same greeetings just for good measure. A translation may be:
B: Hi Fatiya! How did you sleep? How are you? How is your body? How is your family? How is work? How were the last few days? How was the market? How are your children? How is the heat?

Anyways I have to go now to the tailor's. I hope you enjoyed a small glimpse into Nigerien language. Love, Emily