Purple Hibiscus Glossary

Glossary of Terms

Aku

Winged termites

Allamanda

A flowering shrub

Atilogwu

A spirited dance traditional to the Igbo people

Étagère

A shelf that holds small decorative objects

Boubou

A flowing, wide-sleeved robe

Bournvita

A malted drink

Cassava

A root vegetable, also called yuca

Chaplaincy

The institute for missionary clergy

Chin chin

A fried snack similar to a donut

Cocoyam

A root vegetable, also called taro

Confirmation

A rite of initiation similar to a coming of age ceremony in Christianity. Teenage boys and girls choose the name of a saint to adopt as their own in addition to their given name.

Dogonyaro

A big, strong evergreen tree

Enugu

Capital city of Enugu state in Nigeria

Extreme unction

Also known as Anointing of the Sick, a blessing with oils performed for the gravely ill.

Fela

Fela Kuti, a prominent Nigerian musician and political activist who was jailed several times for the critical overtones of his music. The creator of Afrobeat, a musical genre blending jazz and funk with traditional African rhythms.

Frangipani

A flowering tree with fragrant blooms

Fufu

A paste made from boiled starchy root vegetables. Fufu is often molded piece by piece into a utensil for soup and then eaten.

Garri

A grain or porridge made from the grain that is produced from the fermented mash of a cassava

Gmelina

A flowering tree with yellow fruit

Harmattan

A dry and duty wind

Hausa

An ethnic group indigenous to northern Africa, or the language spoken by the Hausa people

Highlife

A musical genre popular in Western Africa characterized by jazzy horns and guitar

Igbo

An ethnic group indigenous to southeastern Nigeria, or the language spoken by the Igbo people

Igwe

A royal figure in the village

Ixora

a flowering shrub, similar to jasmine

Malleable

Capable of being shaped by outside forces, pliable

Missal

A book containing instructions and texts for the celebration of Mass throughout the year

Mmuo

Masquerading spirits represented by a parade of masked men. They offer tributes to their ancestral spirits.

Moi moi

Steamed bean pudding

Naira

Currency in Nigeria

NEPA

National Electric Power Authority, organization that regulates power usage

Ninth Mile

An intersection of three major roads near Enugu

Novena

A devotion consisting of a prayer repeated on nine successive days, asking to obtain special graces

Nzu

Clay

Oblate

A person who is specifically dedicated to God

Okpa

Steamed pea paste

Onyeka

Onyeka Onwenu, a Nigerian singer, actress and politician

Osadebe

Chief Stephen Osita Osadebe, a popular Igbo highlife musician

Panadol

Acetaminaphen, a painkiller

Rosary

A series of prayers in traditional Catholic devotion. A rosary also refers to a strand consisting of a bead for every prayer recited in this series.

Soutane

Cassock, an ankle-length robe worn by clergy

Umunna

The extended family of one’s ancestral village

Wrapper

An often colorful piece of cloth that is worn by women in West African countries