Sawubona – I See You

My friend Nilofer shared the image above on Facebook and it reminded me of a story I heard about the Zulu greeting Sawubona.

Here’s the story as told by Sheila Ochuboju:

The Zulu greeting, “Sawubona” means “I see you” and the response “Ngikhona” means “I am here”.

I love the depth of meaning that African languages carry. Inherent in the Zulu greeting and in the grateful response, is the sense that until you saw me, I didn’t exist. By recognizing me, you brought me into existence. A Zulu folk saying clarifies this, “Umuntu ngumuntu nagabantu“, meaning “A person is a person because of other people”

We are liberated by our connections to our community and when they truly see us, they offer a mirror to our inner selves that allows us to freely connect.

In my language “Boki” from Cross Rivers State Nigeria, our greetings are always active, so if I see you sitting I will say “Aa Que?” meaning “You are sitting?” and you’re response would be “Me’en Que!“…”I’m sitting!”

Our language makes us a very definite people, we like to live in present time and define our state of being at each encounter.

As I travel around the world, I find myself drawn to all communities that strive for linguistic and spiritual clarity. I like honest, ardent, strident languages. Though I spent many years learning the Japanese language and loved the immersion in its layers of complexity, what I ultimately missed was the sheer force of clarity that strikes at the heart of really good and easy communication.

When you look into someone’s eyes and say “I see you” that connection brings another dimension into your conversations.

via Sawubona – I See You | Africa Knows – sheilaochugboju’s posterous.

Who do you know that needs to be ‘seen’ — especially today?!