Aba! an exclamation of shock and surprise
Achumo biscuits; often sold as street food
Adire indigo dyed cloth produced by Yoruba women of south western Nigeria. The texitile is decorated using the stitch-resist and tie-dye method
Adjei! an expression of severe pain, occasionally used when laughing hysterically
Agbada a matching gown, trousers and hat or head wrap; originally from Nigeria
Aggrey bead a type of decorated glass bead from Ghana used in necklaces and bracelets
Ago Is anyone in?
Akofena a symbol of a sword of war in Ghanaian Adinkra, in which symbols represent concepts and aphorisms
Akpeteshie the national spirit of Ghana, made by distilling palm wine or sugar cane; also known as kill-me-quick
Akuffo a small, bottled beer; short, like Ghana’s president, Akuffo-Addo
Akwaaba Welcome
Amie Come in
Ampe a game usually played by two or more school girls, which requires no equipment. The leader and another player jump up at the same time, clap, and thrust one foot forward when they jump
Araba young woman
Asemane! What a situation!
Basaa basaa untidy
Batakari woven cloth from Northern Ghana which can be sewn into dresses for women and smocks for men
Boflot fried, sugared flour-dough buns
Bou-bou a long, colourful, loose-fitting garment worn by both sexes in West Africa
Broni-wawu second-hand clothes; literally dead, white man’s clothes
Eto a celebratory dish of yam mashed with palm oil
Fufu an essential food in West Africa made from boiled yam, cassava or plantain pounded into a dough
Fulani the usual Ghanaian name for Fula people, cattle pastoralists found throughout West Africa
Gidi-gidi giddy, restless; a busybody
Gonja woven fabric from Northern Ghana
Haba! a variant of Aba! An expression of surprise or amazement
Harmattan a season in West Africa between the end of November and the middle of March; characterised by the dry, dusty north-easterly trade wind of the same name, which blows from the Sahara Desert over West Africa into the Gulf of Guinea
Ju ju magic
Kaba a skirt and blouse made in matching material
Kai! an expression of extreme disgust
Kanga a colourful, light fabric worn in East Africa
Kenkey fermented corn dough; a staple food in Ghana
Kente cloth richly woven colourful cloth from the Asante or Ewe regions of Ghana, traditionally worn on special occasions
Kobi the name of fish used to flavour stews. Only a tiny portion is used so the term can imply that someone is mean
Konkonsa slander, rumour; back-biting, idle gossip
Krachi young man
Kyenkyema useless
Lawato! Liar!
Mallam wise man, usually Muslim; a teacher of the Qur’an
Naija a nickname for Nigeria
Neem a tree with delicate, sweet-smelling flowers
Obronie light-skinned; outsider; European
Onigi a Nigerian, threaded hairstyle which literally means ‘sticks’
Pesewa a coin
Pickney pidgin for child
Prekese a type of tree with a delicious perfume
Ragga boy a ragamuffin; street-wise boy
Sakora a term often used as an insult to describe someone with a close-shaven, practically bald head
Sasabonsam a blood-sucking monster
Sheda shiny cotton material from Nigeria often used for sewing agbada and bou-bou
Sika gold, money
Sobolo a drink made from hibiscus petals and ginger
Tatale plantain, ginger and chilli pancakes
Toma love-beads, waist-beads
Waakye a meal of rice and beans
Wahala chaos, commotion
Wawa an African hardwood tree
Yama-yama pidgin for disgusting, repulsive