unbwogable

adj. unshakeable, unbeatable, unstoppable. Subjects: English, Kenya

Etymological Note: English un– ‘not’ + Dholuo bwogo ‘to scare’ + English —able ‘capable.’ The word was popularized by the song “Who Can Bwogo Me?” also known as “Unbwogable,” from the Kenyan musical group Gidi Gid Maji Maji.

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Citations: 2002 Bob Wekesa @ Nairobi, Kenya East African Standard (Oct. 14) “Uhuru Park Will Be a Reflection of the Past”: In essence therefore their being at hand to cheer on Agwambo, according to the latest musical fad, the unbwogable, will be testimony that Luo-Nyanza has for the umpteenth turned its back on Moi. 2003 Gunnar Rønning Usenet: soc.culture.african (Jan. 31) “Unbwogable—A report from Kenya”: If you were in Kenya during the elections you would certainly have discovered that Kenyan Swahili got a new word into the vocabulary: “unbwogable.” The rap song “Can you bwogo me?” by the Luo rappers Gidigidi-MajiMaji was widely used in the NARC campaigns to get the message out. “Bwogo” is a Dohluo word that means “to scare,” and hence “unbwogable” translates to unscarable or unshakeable. 2005 [Capt. Wogan] Molars (Jan. 28) “Skeletons + Outtakes”: Standing in front of me is Frans, grinning from ear to ear, decked out in brand-new, full-out safari gear from head to toe, down to a khaki peacock hat.…All I could muster was, “Frans, have you lost your mind?"…He shrugged, “what can I say, I am unbwogable.” “Unbwogable” is the slang word popularized as of late by an oft-played radio song here. So translated, he said, “what can I say. I let the dogs out. woof, woof woof.” This was a bad omen.

Posted 4 Feb 05 | Permalink | Tell a Friend