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Mzungu
Sign in to savethumb|Russian traveller in Africa. ' (), also known as muzungu, mlungu, musungu or musongo''''', is a Bantu word that means "wanderer" originally pertaining to the first European explorers to the East African region whom the local ethnic groups thought were traveling aimlessly with no goals to settle, conquer or trade, like restless spirits – the initial explorers who unbeknownst to the local tribes, were tasked with mapping the area, travel and trade routes, key landmarks like the source of the river Nile as well as documenting dominant kingdoms and forging some alliances that were then later
Article
4 sectionsContents
- Etymology
- Everyday use
- References
- External links
thumb|Russian traveller in Africa. ' (), also known as muzungu, mlungu, musungu or musongo''''', is a Bantu word that means "wanderer" originally pertaining to the first European explorers to the East African region whom the local ethnic groups thought were traveling aimlessly with no goals to settle, conquer or trade, like restless spirits – the initial explorers who unbeknownst to the local tribes, were tasked with mapping the area, travel and trade routes, key landmarks like the source of the river Nile as well as documenting dominant kingdoms and forging some alliances that were then later used by missionaries and colonialists in their conquest.
The term is currently used in predominantly Swahili speaking nations to refer to foreign people dating back to 18th century. The noun or its variants are used in Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, Malawi, Rwanda, Burundi, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, the Comoros, South Africa, Zimbabwe, Mayotte, Zambia and in the north of Madagascar (the word changed to in Malagasy, but locals will still understand the word ) dating back to the 18th century.