Jambo, Dada!

Jambo, Dada is Swahili for Hello, Sister. 

I heard this greeting one evening at one of my favorite lodges in Tanzania as I walked up to the main tent for dinner. I didn’t recognize the woman who said it. And I don’t know that I have ever met her. I was so surprised I don’t think I responded in as friendly a manner as I should have. But this two-word greeting nonetheless made a big impression on me.

I don’t know what prompted her to refer to me as ‘sister.’ I hadn’t interacted with her previously. We have little in common. I was a guest in her country, while she was a citizen. She was black, and I am white. I know only a few words of Swahili, and I would guess she knows a little English.

But somehow she reached out and connected with me with a simple, two word sentence. Now refer to a friend with whom I have made two trips to Tanzania as dada. 

Asante, Dada. Thank you, Sister.