mbuki-mvuki

Hello and welcome to Word of the Week! I’m your host, Liz. This podcast is dedicated to words and phrases that are untranslatable into English. Let’s discover the nuance of the world’s languages, shall we? 

This week’s word is mbuki-mvuki. A Bantu word meaning ‘to shuck off your clothes and dance madly’. Madly! The social ritual known as a ‘party’ is a universal concept. And a deep characteristic of human societies. We all seem to relish the opportunity to gather for the express purpose of not working, not caring much, and not acting as we normally do. 

Let’s be real. Intoxicants are usually involved. Because losing inhibition can lead to embarrassing results. Why not add in dancing? And when the intoxicated party-goers have been laughing and dancing and carrying on, a normally benign spectator might suddenly get seized by the urge to… perform. 

I’m imagining a joyful grandma, at her grandson’s wedding, quickly shrugging off her shawl and hat to get down on the dancefloor. Or maybe it’s the shy guy of the crowd, feeling comfortable with his friends for the first time, and busting a move at a house party. Either way, it’s a word for when you get that feeling inside you and it has to come out through dancing.

Also, mbuki-mvuki might sound like a very familiar blues term from the American South. Boogie Woogie. And since Boogie Woogie has been a term originated by African Americans since the Reconstruction era, I wouldn’t be surprised to find linguistic research showing a connection to the Bantu-speaking peoples of Africa. 

Here’s to this week… May you all endeavor to adopt this Word of the Week and see the world a little bit differently. I’ll be back next week with a new word. Thank you for listening!