Transit (15 page)
Authors: Abdourahman A. Waberi
1
. Raymond Poulidor was a great French cyclist.â
Translators' note
2
. Literally “People's Aid,” a charitable NGO in France with Communist connections.â
Translators' note
Glossary
| abikou | Yoruba word for the spirit of a child who diedin early childhood. |
| Allah arhamu | May his soul rest in peace. |
| beit al wali | Governor's palace, his present residence. |
| buna | Coffee. |
| Gaallos | Whites. |
| gabay | Somali poetic genre. |
| geeraar | Somali poetic genre. |
| guux | Somali poetic genre. |
| haga | The hottest season of the year (May-August). |
| mabraze | Room where people chew khat. |
| magalla | Native village in colonial times; by extension,the city. |
| naya | Girl, often pejorative. |
| shafeec | Somali word, like the Yoruba abikou , for thespirit of a child who died as an infant. |
| shifta | Highway robber. |
| taji | Hydromel. |
| warya | Guy, man. |
| Ya habibi | Oh, my darling. |
ABDOURAHMAN A. WABERI
, born in Djibouti, writes in French. He has published four novels, in addition to poetry, short stories, essays, and numerous articles in the French press. His work has been translated into ten languages and has won many prizes, honors, and distinctions in France and beyond.
Transit
is one of his most important novels.
Â
Together or separately,
DAVID BALL
and
NICOLE BALL
have published nine book-length translations, including two other novels by Abdourahman A. Waberi.
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