Q 01/05

Which character in Disney's The Lion King has a name that is simply the Swahili word for 'lion'?

A) Mufasa

B) Nala

C) Simba

D) Scar

Answer · why

C) Simba

Simba is the everyday Swahili word for the big cat, not a name Disney invented. The filmmakers collected Swahili words and phrases on a research trip ...

Q 02/05

Hakuna matata, which Elton John and Tim Rice turned into a song for The Lion King, is a Swahili phrase meaning what?

A) No worries

B) Good luck

C) Stay strong

D) Live freely

Answer · why

A) No worries

No worries is the usual translation, word for word: hakuna means 'there are no'. Lyricist Tim Rice has said he found the phrase in a Swahili phraseboo...

Q 03/05

Which popular game did designer Leslie Scott, raised in East Africa, name after a Swahili verb meaning 'to build'?

A) Mancala

B) Rummikub

C) Boggle

D) Jenga

Answer · why

D) Jenga

Jenga comes from kujenga, a verb Leslie Scott knew from a childhood spent speaking Swahili in Tanganyika. The game grew out of one played at home with...

Q 04/05

Which holiday, created by activist Maulana Karenga, takes its name from a Swahili phrase meaning 'first fruits'?

A) Juneteenth

B) Kwanzaa

C) Junkanoo

D) Odunde

Answer · why

B) Kwanzaa

Kwanzaa borrows from matunda ya kwanza, Swahili for 'first fruits', a nod to African harvest festivals. An extra 'a' was added so the name would have ...

Q 05/05

Uhura of Star Trek was named after uhuru, the Swahili title of a novel Nichelle Nichols was carrying, meaning what?

A) Freedom

B) Unity

C) Victory

D) Peace

Answer · why

A) Freedom

Freedom is what uhuru means, and a 1962 novel of that name was in Nichelle Nichols's hands when she read for the part. Gene Roddenberry changed the la...