Learnt to say "I'm hungry & food" in 23 African languages

If you think I started writing this blog post because I'm hungry, You lie bad. I have had 3 huge meals today and I had to refuse another meal because I had had my fill. Africans like food and we have many different types of food from our many cultures. There must be many opportunities to say 'I'm hungry' in Africa. Or ar the very least, food. So here, with some help from my African friends, we have a list of 23 to work with. 
  1. Akan: ɛkɔm de me. Aduane. Pretty easy to say. You don't want to have to say a mouthful when saying such important thins. :-) Bonus in Fante - ɛkɔm dzem. Edziban. Yea, you've heard of Kwame Dzokoto's show? I love it!
  2. Ga: Hɔmɔ ye mi. Niyenii. Definitely heard the statement before, Havne't quite caught the name fot food until +Naa Oyoo Quartey told me. 
  3. Ewe:  ɛdɔ nyɛ wum. Nududu. +Seyram Freddy Ahiabor taught me this. I wonder if it's alsmost the same thing the Ewes say in Togo too. I ate a lot of food there. :-)
  4. Dagbani: Kum n malma. Bindirigu. a I will know how to break down these sentences and pick out 'I' and 'hungry'. Many thanks to +Jemila Abdulai for teaching yet another thing to say in Dagbani.
  5. Hausa: Ni fama da yunwa. Abinci. I think I learnt Abinci the first time from +Esi Cleland-Yankson when she started +Nududu Delight via +Fienipa. Learnt the other from +Ali Bukari Maiga.
  6. Swahili: Naskia njaa. Chakula. Can't believe I didn't know how to say the first one in Swahili. Chakula? Easy. One of my favorite Swahili songs is about food - Usiniseme.  
  7. Kinyarwanda: Ndashonje. Ibiryo. Learnt this from +Matilda Mutanguha. This just one thing that got me ..... Rwandese chocolatay ;-).
  8. Siswati: Ngilambile. Kudla. Yea, if you only know one person from Swaziland and that person is  +Phelele Fakudze, you're doing good. :-)
  9. Zulu: Ngilambile. Kudla. Phelele speaks like 10 languages. So yeah, I didn't have to go asking and waiting on anybody else. Especially, when it is the same in both languages.
  10. Xhosa: Ndi lambile. Uku tja. Learnt this from +Eyram Deede Ayayee's friend Nomcebo who I met in Johannesburg. I would love some pap.
  11. Setswana: Ke tshwerwe ke tlala. Dijo. That's a bit too much to say if you are looking for food but it makes up for it with a duo-syllabic word which can carry the same message. +Manteba S'rurubele, ke a leboga!
  12. Yoruba: Ebi n pami. Ounje. I want eba and egusi stew and then some moi moi on the side. Top it up with some semolina and a Champam to drown it all after. E se, Mimi. and then.
  13. Igbo: Agu na agun. Nri. I can't differentiate between Yoruba and Igbo food now. Thanks to +Emeka Okoye for teaching me this one and +Ekinadese Osayande too. 
  14. Sesotho: Ke lapele. Lijo. Learnt this from my Ghanaian brother, +Kojo Baffoe, who's based in South Africa.
  15. Nyanja : Nimvela njala. Vokudya. I chose this "How to say" after a conversation with +Mwana Ba Afrika about this. Now I can say, "Napapata, nimvela naja, give me vokudya. 
  16. Bemba: Naumfwe insala. Ifyakulya. Thanks to +Chisenga Muyoya, I learnt this one. I am looking forward to eating nshima in Lusaka. 
  17. Shona: Ndiri kunzwa nzara. Chikafu. I'm pretty sure I've seen Chikafu somewhere. It's a cool way to say food too. +Chisenga Muyoya taught me this too, though she's from Zambia and not Zimbabwe. She told me this via Whatsapp while at the border post, as she was going o visit her sis for a few days. :-)
  18. Amharic: Megeb. Ene erebognale. I learnt this recently from +beza tesfaye. It's been awhile since I had injera, need to find some in Accra.  
  19. Wolof: Dama khiff. Lekeu. I learnt this one from +Oumoul Khaïry Sow. I am not a big fan of yassa from the last time I ate it but when in Dakar, the first thing I'd like to eat is jollof. Like real jollof.  
  20. Djiula: Konkon be nela. Domounou. Note the similarities between this and what these are in Bambara. +CYRIAC GBOGOU has helped me prep me better for going to Abidjan.
  21. Bambara: Kongo be na. Dumouni. Fellow Global Shaper Aminata Niang from Mali taught me this one. I told her, "Aniche". 
  22. Lingala: Nzala. Bilia. My Google buddy +Mandi Nanga taught me this too. I'm trying to guess how to pronounce it :-)
  23. Luganda: Enjala enuma. Emele. I learnt this one from +Terry Karungi. Now I can ask for matooke in a better way ;-)
This follows the "Thank You", "Let's Go, "Money", "I Love You", "How are You and I'm Fine", "Please" & "Yes & No" posts in this series. Share how to say "I'm hungry & food" in other African languages via the comments. I could have said a few more in other languages, but we had to stop at 23. Please, I don't need to tell you why. 

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