Throughout the book Mpenzi Wangu – Two Weeks in Kenya, there are many references to Edwin as a Mzungu.
So, what is a Mzungu and what is the origin of the word?
Mzungu is a term used in southern, central, and most widely in eastern Africa to describe someone with white skin but can also be used to describe foreigners in a general sense. It can also refer to a person who speaks English. The word’s origin dates all the way back to the 18th century from the East African Coast with the Swahili (Kiswahili) speaking tribes using the word Zunguka referring to the first European explorers. The early explorers were taxed with mapping travel and trade routes, identifying tribes and forging alliances that were then later used by conquering colonialists and missionaries.
In Swahili, Zunguka literary means a wandering person, because the European traders would wander around lost trying to find their way out of the jungles. It caught on and as large numbers of Europeans were coming to East Africa, and the word Mzungu was adopted and is still used today.
The word Mzungu has taken on other meanings and varies country by country. It can be meant in an endearing manner used by children greeting a passerby or in a teasing manner, saying that someone is behaving rich. It can also refer to people who have adopted a western lifestyle. It is a description and not meant to be racist.
In fact, you can find “Mzungu” printed on t-shirts.
In our story, when Ethel refers to Edwin as Mzungu she is calling him a lost white boy.