The Kiswahili phrase “kitawaramba,” which came to encapsulate a feeling of economic dread in Kenya this year, has made a list of top words from around the world that reflected the public mood in 2023.
“Kitawaramba” was among “words of the year” collected by The Associated Press from more than a dozen countries. The news service said it reached out to bureaus globally for terms that captured or crystallized the zeitgeist.
The word was uttered as a threat by Kenyan pastor Paul Mackenzie, who faced accusations of leading a starvation doomsday cult.
When he was arrested, Mackenzie, who at the time was a hot national topic, caught the attention of Kenyans across the board when he uttered the word kitawaramba, a Swahili word that loosely translates to you will bear the consequences.
The cult leader used the word to dissuade Kenyans from speculating on what had prompted him to ask his congregants to starve themselves to death, claiming that what was going on was bigger than any Kenyan would expect.
Kenyans soon began using “kitawaramba” themselves to warn that something bad may happen because of someone’s actions.
With the rising cost of living, the word spoke to a growing sense of frustration. Some Kenyans said that electing President William Ruto “has come back to haunt them,” using the related phrase “kimeturamba.”
Other words of the year selected by the AP included “password child,” “spy balloon,” and “nones.” The diverse mix reflected current events and cultural shifts across different languages.
