Lipstick 8

At the house I’m currently staying there’s a four year old girl called Akiiki. Yesterday she asked me why I was wearing lipstick. I explained that it’s the normal colour for a mzungu’s lips.

8 thoughts on “Lipstick

  1. Reply Maret Jun 18,2003 15:35

    What is a msungu and what colour are his lips?And does your mother know about this?

  2. Reply James Ots Jun 19,2003 11:19

    A msungu is a white person.

  3. Reply Matt Ots Jun 19,2003 22:37

    What were you thinking a msungu was, Maret?!?

  4. Reply Maret Jun 20,2003 09:42

    I really dont like to say what I thought, Matt. No seriously maybe a stranger or something.

  5. Reply katie Jun 20,2003 13:04

    it’s spelled "mzungu"

    your friendly neighbourhood swahili geek

  6. Reply katie Jun 20,2003 13:06

    (oh and Maret may be onto something:

    search for "msenge" on

    http://www.yale.edu/swahili/

    and you’ll see what I mean – bad idea to get "mzungu" a little bit wrong)

  7. Reply James Ots Jun 20,2003 13:26

    Msenge is more than a little bit wrong – it’s 50% wrong.

    (P.S. Anyone else who in future criticises my Swahili (or English or Sheng for that matter) will have their posts edited so that they look like they don’t know what they’re talking about.)

    Hakooner Matatu.

  8. Reply Maret Jun 21,2003 08:14

    hope I did not start a war by making a simple enquiry.

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