And Sometimes We’re Mzungus

Mzungu (m- zoon- goo) noun. Definition: white person.

Yep. As we walk down the street, right and left we hear “Mzungu! Mzungu! Mzungu! Mambo!” And honestly? We find it quite hilarious. J In fact, we loved it… until we started feeling like true Africans (sometimes forgetting the glow-in-the-dark translucence which is our skin). And until tourist season hit and the REAL mzungus came out. Now we are embarrassed to be seen in what we call “mzungu areas” or even two places we have dubbed “mzungu paradise” where the prices are higher, and the white people congregate like herds of wild animals.

African 3D Glasses

But we have a secret… sometimes…. Sometimes we like to be mzungus. J

We have an addiction to movies. There is a movie theatre in a place called Njiro that is about 45 minutes from our house. (Which is nothing in Africa. It literally takes us 15 minutes just to walk to the dala dala stops closest to our house). So far, we have not missed out on any big hit movies that have come out. We flew through Man of Steel in 3D, laughed through Monster’s University (in 3D), and laughed even harder through Despicable Me 2 (again, in 3D. I know, we are spoiled.) Not to mention, we have some movies at home. So far we have made it through Lincoln, Despicable Me, The Lord of the Rings 1 and 2 (extended versions), The Emperor’s New Groove, Kung Foo Panda, and of course THE LION KING!

So, even though we like to pretend we are true Africans, sometimes our mzungu side shows. And man, oh man, do we love our shows.

(Random Fact: Did you know that most of the names in The Lion King are real Swahili words? Here is a link to a super fun page that tells you all about the meaning of the names Simba, Nala, Rafiki, and many others. P.S. Simba literally means lion in Swahili.)

Lion King Meanings