Foreign words

The definitions below are rather simplistic and should be considered a mere indication of how the words are used in Sacrificed. Words from African languages are mostly from Swahili or Lingala.

Almasi: Diamonds

Cité indigène: Residential quarters of the indigenous people (township).

Daktari: (Western) doctor

Dewhitenization: Extermination of white/Western population groups.

Donnu harp: Small harp made by the Mangbethu people.

Évolué: Literally “developed person.” A French word from the colonial era denoting an African or Asian person who has been Europeanized.

Fisi: Hyenas

Iboga: The bark and root of a shrub (Tabernanthe iboga), which have a hallucinatory effect when chewed. Sometimes used to communicate with the dead.

Kimisionari: Missionary

Liefenleed: Name of the farm. It means the sweet and bitter of life.

(Ba)Luba: The largest ethnic group in the DRC.

Macaques: Monkeys—derogatory term for indigenous people.

Mganguzi: Witch doctor

Motetela: Deity of the Mongo population group, which includes the Batetela. Motetela means “he at whom one may not laugh.”

Msichana: Girl/daughter

Mvet: Traditional musical instrument.

N’Gongo Leteta (Gongo): Congolese leader and tribal chief in the nineteenth century.

Nganga: Spiritual healer who also communicates with the dead.

Nkísi: Spirits or objects inhabited by spirits, often ancestral spirits.

Nkísi nkondi: Objects inhabited by spirits that have been activated—often by hammering nails into the objects.

Nkoko: Grandfather (form of address)

Noko: Maternal uncle (form of address)

ReAfrikanization: Return to African values and eradication of the effect of colonisation and Western influences.

Scarification: Decoration of the body by deliberately damaging the skin and using the scars to create patterns in the skin.

Shweshwe dress: A dress made of a printed dyed cotton fabric widely used for traditional Sotho (South Africa & Lesotho) clothing

Tai: Vultures

Tata: Father (form of address)

Tetela: Ethnic group in the DRC.

Tsotsi: A black urban criminal.

Yeshua: Hebrew spelling of Jesus/God, preferred by some religious groups.

Flemish/Dutch:

Blandijn: A building complex at Ghent University.

Boekentoren: The tower forming part of the Blandijn, housing about three million books.

Gentse neuzen: Purple raspberry-flavored sweets, traditionally made in Ghent, firm on the outside with a soft centre.

Geus/Geuzen: Protestant/Protestants

Koffie verkeerd: Coffee containing more milk than coffee.

Kriek/kriek beer: Beer made of sour cherries.

Verdikkeme/Verdorie/Potverdorie: More or less the equivalent of bloody hell/damn/shucks.

Waterzooi: A Belgian chicken or fish stew with a rich sauce of vegetables and cream.

Witloof: A leafy vegetable resembling chicory that is grown in the dark. A typically Belgian dish.

Afrikaans:

Alikreukel: Large sea snail belonging to the class Gastropoda.

Backvelder: An unsophisticated country person, living in a remote part of South Africa.

Braai: To grill or roast meat over open coals; barbecue.

Galjoen: Black bream or blackfish. A species of marine fish found only along the coast of southern Africa; the national fish of South Africa.

Skollies: hooligans, gangsters

Tik: a slang name for the drug methamphetamine in crystal form.

Tikkop: Tik user