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[1] Date: Sat, 25 Mar 2000 14:49:09 From: John Edward Philips, Hirosaki University <philips@cc.hirosaki-u.ac.jp> Journalist Keith Richburg, in his book _Out of America_, gave some examples of Somali nicknames for reporters. Unfortunately he failed to realize that a gap between one's front teeth is considered handsome, and assumed that a nickname referring to such a gap was insulting. [2] Date: Sat, 25 Mar 2000 10:40:55 From: Edward Steinhart <goeis@TTACS.TTU.EDU> Two thoroughly anecdotal stories about African nicknames that were related to me by my teachers many years agao and may have suffered both in translation and from memory loss. Among the Balega whom he studied in the 1950's, Dr. Danbiel Biebuyck was known as "Bwana Choo" or the Kilega equivalent of Mr. Toilet (as he himself translated the name). He wore the name with pride as he understood it as an expression of the lengths to which he would go to get even the most intimate information on his ethnographic subjects. Which reminded me of a story related to me by Dr. John Rowe regarding the retirement dinner of the important early colonial officer in Uganda, Mr. George Wilson. Wilson was toasted at his dinner in Kampala by an official who spoke in praise of Wilson's energy and availability in a crisis by saying his nickname among his African subordinates was "Bwana Tayari" or Mr. Ready. Those in the know at the dinner and among Wilson's African admirers knew in fact the name was earned because on returning to camp or home after a day's work Wilson's first words were invariably: "wiski and soda tayari?" It makes one wonder what the Balega really thought about Dr. Biebuyck?
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