Karen Blixen - Isak Dinesen home

Question 53: Meaning of "Msabu"?

Q. I have been searching, and without much luck I might add, to discover the meaning of the word/address used in Out of Africa. In the film, the loyal servant to the Baroness addresses her as "Sabu". Would you happen to know, in that context, what "sabu" means?

A. The term "Msabu" is a Kikuyu rendering of "Memsahib"--an Indian and Swahili address form for "Mistress."

The term is found in the book Out of Africa and is quoted at this
site: http://www.rci.rutgers.edu/~mleyton/Paintings_Burning_04.htm
 

Copyright © 2002 by Linda Donelson. All rights reserved