Boko Haram: men of words

Linguistic geniuses? ( Wikimedia photo)

I have been super impressed with Boko Haram over in Nigeria recently. Not so much because of all the murdering and kidnapping. It’s their ability to squeeze complex meaning into such small phrases. Think about it: “Boko Haram” means, roughly, in the local Hausa language, “Western education is forbidden.” That’s four Hausa syllables for ten English syllables! These guys are good.

I decided to consult my Hausa-English dictionary for a few more examples. Here’s what I found.

Maligubi sow: Two eggs sunny side up, please, with a side of bacon.

Dolodolo pong: All video games, except first-person shooters, are the work of the devil.

Abacha bye: I might be running late tonight for we must kidnap several hundred innocent schoolgirls.

Dolodolo fabio: Romance novels, with the exception of “Eat, Pray, Love,” are the work of the devil.

Korolubi bang: A childhood without the pleasure of being a child soldier is a wasted childhood.

Yapuhala diesel: For torching villages, diesel liberally applied is always a good choice.

 Nakanaka goodluck: The Nigerian government couldn’t find empty calories in a soda machine.