Definitions

 

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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.
 

 

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