| | Selected
definitions of interesting words from the site...
ba·tik
(bə-tēkʹ,
bătʹĭk) noun
1. a. A method of
dyeing a fabric by which the parts of the fabric not intended to be dyed
are covered with removable wax. b. A design that is created by this
method.
2. Fabric dyed by this
method.
[Malay batek, of Javanese
origin, from Proto-Austronesian *beCík, tattoo (from the fact that
the original process of piercing the waxed cloth prior to soaking was
similar to tattooing).] |
Excerpted from The American Heritage
Dictionary of the English Language, Third Edition Copyright © 1992 by Houghton
Mifflin Company. Electronic version licensed from Lernout & Hauspie Speech Products
N.V. All rights reserved. Microsoft® Bookshelf® 1987 - 1998
Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved. |
bar·rage
(bə-räzhʹ)
noun
An artificial obstruction, such as a dam
or an irrigation channel, built in a watercourse to increase its depth or
to divert its flow.
French, from barrer, to bar, from barre, bar, from Old
French. |
Excerpted from The American Heritage
Dictionary of the English Language, Third Edition Copyright © 1992 by Houghton
Mifflin Company. Electronic version licensed from Lernout & Hauspie Speech Products
N.V. All rights reserved. Microsoft® Bookshelf® 1987 - 1998
Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved. |
Note from
Cathy: In Burkina Faso, the word barrage usually refers to a reservoir
created to hold water from the rains for a village or town during the long dry season.
Thanks to government efforts, supported by development projects from
around the world, many villages now have access to a barrage (Ouahigouya
has three). In a good
year, a barrage will contain water until almost the end of the season.
In a drought, it will be dry well before the rains come. Periodic drought
and famine in certain parts of the country are frequent occurrences. |
ca·na·ri
(kanari)
nom masculin, noun (major stress is on the third syllable with
secondary stress on the first syllable)
Canari appears to be a local word for a large pottery vessel designed to
keep water cool. (It appears to rely on principles of condensation.)
Canaris are widely used in Burkina Faso and other parts of West Africa,
since most people do not have refrigerators, and since the water can be
very hot, both for drinking and bathing. (See the photograph.)
|
Informal definition by
Cathy Seeley |
chef (de classe)
(chef / SEf /)
nom masculin ou féminin, noun
Leader;
|
Adapted by Cathy Seeley from
Le Dictionnaire Hachette-Oxford, Version 1.1, Copyright Oxford
University Press-Hachette Livre, 1994-1996; also Copyright AND Technology,
Ltd, 1994-1996 |
har·mat·tan
(här´m?-tan', här-mat'n)
noun
A dry, dusty wind that blows along the northwest coast of Africa.
[Akan (Twi) haramata,
possibly from Arabic ?aram, evil thing.] |
Excerpted from The American Heritage
Dictionary of the English Language, Third Edition Copyright © 1992 by Houghton
Mifflin Company. Electronic version licensed from Lernout & Hauspie Speech Products
N.V. All rights reserved. Microsoft® Bookshelf® 1987 - 1998
Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved. |
mo·by·lette
®
(mObilEt) nom féminin, noun
A moped (a very small motorcycle, or
more accurately, a bicycle propelled by a small motor). The word mobylette
is French. |
Excerpted
from Le Dictionnaire Hachette-Oxford, Version 1.1, Copyright Oxford
University Press-Hachette Livre, 1994-1996; also Copyright AND Technology,
Ltd, 1994-1996
and
Webster's New World Dictionary & Thesaurus, Accent Software
International, Macmillan Publishers, Version 2.0, 1998 |
Ram·a·dan
(răm´ə-dänʹ,
rămʹə-dän´) noun
1.
The ninth month of the year in the Muslim calendar.
2.
A fast, held from sunrise to sunset, that is carried out during this
period.
[Arabic Raman, from rama,
dryness.] |
Excerpted from The American Heritage
Dictionary of the English Language, Third Edition Copyright © 1992 by Houghton
Mifflin Company. Electronic version licensed from Lernout & Hauspie Speech Products
N.V. All rights reserved. Microsoft® Bookshelf® 1987 - 1998
Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved. |
Notes from
Cathy: In Burkina Faso, the end of Ramadan is celebrated with a day of
prayer (see the photographs). In some parts of
the world, this day is also called Eid Al-Fitr. In Burkina Faso, fasting is
called "Karem," whether practiced by Muslims or Christians. |
Sa·hel
(sə-hālʹ,
-hēlʹ) noun
A semiarid region of north-central
Africa south of the Sahara Desert. Since the 1960's it has been afflicted
by prolonged periods of extensive drought. |
Excerpted from The American Heritage
Dictionary of the English Language, Third Edition Copyright © 1992 by Houghton
Mifflin Company. Electronic version licensed from Lernout & Hauspie Speech Products
N.V. All rights reserved. Microsoft® Bookshelf® 1987 - 1998
Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved. |
Note from
Cathy: The part of the Sahel near where I lived is often called grassland.
But it actually consists of mostly red dirt, small scrubby trees, and lots
of baobabs (an unusual tree unique to this part of the world). In this
part of the Sahel, it is dry for about seven months (about November until
May or June), followed by three months of fairly regular rain and a couple
of months of occasional rain at the end of the rainy season. But each year
can be different, and some years, there is very little rain all year. |
Ta·ba·ski
(ta'-ba-ski'')
noun
An
official government (Burkina Faso) holiday, this two-day celebration is
the most festive and important holiday of the year for many Muslims. On
this day, celebrants slaughter a sheep to commemorate the biblical story
of Abraham, who was on the verge of sacrificing his son to obey God's
command when God interceded by substituting a ram in the child's place.
Today, the sacrificed animal is divided into thirds and given equally to
family, friends, and the poor. After several hours at a mosque, celebrants
usually gather for large meals and visit with friends. Tabaski is known in
other Muslim regions by different names, including Eid al-Adha
(Celebration of
Sacrifice) and Eid al-Kabir (The Great Celebration). |
Description of Tabaski
modified from the Ouaga Kibe, the newsletter of the American Embassy
in Ouagadougou. |
|