Makwerekwere?

I remember my cousin who was born in 1939 told me that when he used to work on Jobs In America with Africans born in Africa, when he would get into it with them they would call him Kaffir, but when African Americans talked about this name calling by the Africans born in Africa, they would pronounce it Coffa. In fact I recall calling Babyoisisi a Coffa when she called me an Akata. I was mad at her at that time, I don't really think she is s a Coffa. My cousin told me that the word simply means Nigga. He also told me the word came into use when the Dutch took over South Africa. That gives me the impression that any black person using that word against another black person is using that word because he is ignorant to the true meaning of the word or he feels he is superior over other black people.

@Chinani

Kaffir is the correct pronunciation but African Americans who would be called Kaffir by Continent born Africans, when AA people went back and talked about being called this word, they did not pronounce it correctly and it came out Coffa instead of Kaffir. If they wanted to, they could have pronounced it properly but they didn't. All they knew was the word had to be another word for Nigga.

Do you see what I mean now?

Well ,you don't have to believe it but I told you my self, I called it to Babyosisi my self in another topic. I only pronounced it Coffa instead of Kaffir. You probably would never hear it accept maybe once in a while because it is a 40's and 50's name calling fad from Continent born Africans in America to AA people. African American people were to lazy to pronounce it properly so it came out in a southern dialect, Coffa.  I only used it to show Babiosisi when she called me an Akata that I could come up with a name for her as well, other than than that - I would probably have never used that word. I was born in the 70's and only know of the word because of my cousin who was around during the 40's and 50's era, he told me of that word and how C/A would call it to AA people. Because my cousin told me of the word and how it was percieved by AA people here in America, I am sharing that knowledge with you like a passing down of information, you can choose to believe it or not but really, I have no reason to lie abut this.



Not sure what Sas is but you yourself or someone else in this topic even said that some Africans used the word  towards each other to say that another African was something like an infidel. An infidel in comparison to another African who is not an infidel. Correct me if I am wrong.



For African Americans to call  each other Nigga and not "Nigger" the (white peoples version) it is positive depending on why it is being called. It was you yourself or someone else in this topic who even said at times some Africans say kaffir as a positive meaning to each other.  correct me if I am wrong.


For an African American who is being called Kaffir back in the 40's and 50's by an African from the continent who the AA thinks he is being called Kaffir because the C/A thinks he is better than the AA, the AA is going to to view that name calling as equal to being called Nigger by whitey. In essence to the AA, the word is simply Nigger. 


Modified: After posting this response, I went back and read  where you are the one who said the word is Arabic for infidel.

Keep in mind, Arabs enslaved Africans and some Africans converted to Islam some of them can speak Arabic or are very familiar with some Arabic words. It could have very well been those ignorant African Muslims who called the name Kaffir to AA people, even if you yourself never heard of it. Keep in mind, you weren't around America in the 40's and 50's and neither was I but I was born here and so was most of my family. My family members, the ones born in America who where in the 40's and 50's era, they would know of the issues between AA people and C/A during that time.

Okay, maybe Kaffir was getting a little off of the topic but I had seen someone bring up that word and It just stuck with me so I rolled with it sense this topic was or is about makwerekwere, name calling per say and it's meanings. I think all of the racist name calling boil down to one thing, degrading. Some how I had gotten the impression that makwerekwere was not to different from Kaffir.

Also, please excuse me for misquoting you. I know some one in this topic said those things, I was really just to lazy to go back and re read, my bad. Please forgive me, it won't happen again. Was a little tired that night, I am getting worn out by Nairaland.

Ok Mzanzigal, we're not much different on the origins of makwerekwere, I'll be the first to concede that we have xenophobia in this country but not to such an extent where black African walks down the street he has to fear for his life- okay, maybe only in Cape Town. In Joburg it's totally different because it's a dog eat dog world.

@ Topic.

The white people intoduced Aparteheid in South Africa and unfortunately, they managed to turn the black people against their own African brothers. Its not only used on NIgerians.

Unfortunately, the term "Makwerekwere" is still used to belittle foreign African individuals down south. It is actually VERY dissapointing because having been victims of aparteid ourselves, we continue to make our fellow brothers unwelcomed in the country. Mzanzigirl did try to explain how this name came to being but I don't really buy it.  When a french man speaks, we don't UNDERSTAND a word that they say and we NEVER call them makwerekwere. It is SOLELY to belittle the BLACK AFRICAN foreigners!

Would I want to be called a Kwerekwere?? NOPE!  I would not because I would NEVER use such a name towards any black person.

The name of the song is called 'Makwerekwere' and the singer's name is Arthur Mafokate.  He did not come up with the name though.  The name has been used for centuries but, he just made it popular.