Community Meetings & Village Life

Community meetings are where decisions are made in Nigerien village life. A volunteer who can participate effectively in meetings — introducing topics, asking questions, and understanding the discussion — is far more effective than one who relies on translators. This unit covers village leadership vocabulary, open-ended question starters, meeting expressions, time vocabulary, and a sample meeting dialogue.

People in the Village

Zarma	English
mai-gari	chief of the village
amirou	chief of the canton
samari	head of young men
president	head of women
secourist	first aid worker
hayandiko	midwife (traditional)
jasare	town crier
jama	public/people
dotijey/arkusey	important people

Open-Ended Question Starters

These question words are essential for leading discussions and gathering information at meetings.

Zarma	English
may?	Who?
ifo?	What?
waati fo?	When?
man?	Where?
ifo se?	Why?
wo fo?	Which?
mate?	How?
marje?	How much?
za waati fo?	Since when?

Useful Meeting Expressions

Zarma	English
Wa hangan!	Listen up!
Wa dangay!	Be quiet!
Iri ma sintin, wala?	Let’s start, okay?
Aran gonda hayyan?	Are there questions?
Aran gonda yamaryan no?	Any suggestions?
Wa ka iri ma fakare.	Let’s discuss it.
Ay man ma ni Zarma cinno.	I didn’t understand your Zarma.
Ni ga hin ka yi tamo?	Can you say it again?
Barka, ay faham sohon.	Thanks, I understand now.
Iri kulu ga soo, wala?	We all agree, okay?
Iri ma ban noodin.	Let’s stop there.
Kala suba.	Until tomorrow.

Sample Meeting Dialogue — Tree Watering Meeting

Bob, a volunteer, visits the MaiGari to organize a community meeting about watering newly planted trees.

Speaker	Zarma	English
Bob	Fofo, MaiGari! Mate ni go?	Hello, Chief! How are you?
MaiGari	Baani samay, Bob. Kaa goro.	Fine, Bob. Come sit.
Bob	Barka. Ay gonda salaŋ fo ni se.	Thank you. I have something to discuss with you.
MaiGari	Yi ay se.	Tell me.
Bob	Iri na tili turi nyaney kayna jiri kan cindi. Amma turi nyaney ga ba hari. Nda hari man ka, i ga bu.	We planted many seedlings last year. But the seedlings need water. If rain doesn’t come, they’ll die.
MaiGari	Haalli. Damsi ga haw.	True. The dry season is here.
Bob	Ay ga ba iri ma te jama alkawli — boro kulu ma kande hari turi nyaney se.	I’d like us to hold a public meeting — everyone should bring water to the seedlings.
MaiGari	Boori dabari no. Amma boro kulu ga ba?	Good idea. But will everyone agree?
Bob	Wodin se iri ga ba jama alkawli. Iri ma fahamandi borey ifo se turi nyaney ga hima.	That’s why we need the meeting. We’ll explain to people why the seedlings are important.
MaiGari	Boori. Ay ga yi jasare se a ma ce borey.	Good. I’ll tell the town crier to call the people.
Bob	Barka kayna! Waati fo ga boori?	Thank you! When would be good?
MaiGari	Aljuma banda — boro kulu ga goro.	After Friday prayers — everyone is around.
Bob	Boori. Aljuma banda. Ay ga haw.	Good. After Friday. I’ll come.

At the Meeting

Speaker	Zarma	English
MaiGari	Wa hangan! Wa dangay! Jama kulu ga faham — Bob gonda salaŋ fo iri se.	Listen up! Be quiet! Everyone understand — Bob has something to discuss with us.
Bob	Barka, MaiGari. Fofo, jama kulu! Iri ma sintin, wala?	Thank you, Chief. Hello, everyone! Let’s start, okay?
Bob	Jiri kan cindi iri na tili turi nyaney kayna iri kwara maanu. Iri kulu ga di i. Amma damsi sohon, hari si ka. Turi nyaney ga ba hari. Nda iri man gayan i, i ga bu.	Last year we planted many seedlings near our village. We all see them. But it’s the dry season now and there’s no rain. The seedlings need water. If we don’t help them, they’ll die.
Man 1	Boro kulu ga ba ka kande hari? A ya goy bera no.	Everyone should bring water? That’s a lot of work.
Bob	Haalli. Amma nda boro kulu na gayan, goy si beri. Nda boro kulu na kande tasa fo hari hinne, a ga wasa.	True. But if everyone helps, the work isn’t much. If everyone brings just one bowl of water, it’s enough.
Woman 1	Waati fo?	When?
Bob	Subahana — sanni wayna ma kaa. Zaaro kulu hal hari ma ka.	Early morning — before the sun gets hot. Every day until the rain comes.
Man 2	Ifo se turi nyaney ga hima?	Why are the seedlings important?
Bob	Turi nyaney ga halassi iri laabu. I ga halassi how ga. I ga te taaka. I ga te hinayan turi mo suba se.	Seedlings protect our land. They protect from wind. They make fertilizer. They make firewood for the future too.
MaiGari	Aran gonda hayyan?	Are there questions?
Woman 2	May ga haggoy nda goy wo?	Who will oversee this work?
Bob	Samari ga hin ka haggoy. A ga yi boro kulu se man nda waatifo.	The youth leader can oversee it. He’ll tell everyone where and when.
MaiGari	Aran gonda yamaryan no?	Any suggestions?
Man 1	Iri ma dumbu jama boro taaci. Jama fo ma kande hari alaada, jama fo atalaata, yaadin yaadin.	Let’s divide the people into four groups. One group brings water Monday, one Tuesday, and so on.
Bob	Boori dabari no! Wa ka iri ma fakare. Iri kulu ga soo, wala?	Good idea! Let’s discuss it. We all agree, okay?
MaiGari	Oho, iri kulu ga soo. Samari, ni na maa?	Yes, we all agree. Youth leader, did you hear?
Samari	Oho, ay na maa. Ay ga te goy wo.	Yes, I heard. I’ll handle this work.
MaiGari	Boori. Iri ma ban noodin. Barka, Bob.	Good. Let’s stop there. Thank you, Bob.
Bob	Barka, MaiGari. Barka, jama kulu! Kala suba.	Thank you, Chief. Thank you, everyone! Until tomorrow.

Times of Day

Zarma	English
subahana	early morning (before sunrise)
suba weete	dawn
suba	morning
zaari game	midday
wiciri	afternoon/evening
cire	dusk
cini	night

Time Expressions

Zarma	English
suba	tomorrow
bi	yesterday
hunkuna	today
jiri kan cindi	last year
jiri kan ga kaa	next year
simaine kan cindi	last week
simaine kan ga kaa	next week
suba weete	early morning
hantum	later
sohon	now
wati kulu	always
abada	never

Holiday and Seasonal Greetings

Greetings for holidays and seasons are an important part of village social life. Using them shows cultural awareness and respect.

Zarma	English	Occasion
Barka da Julde!	Happy holiday!	Tabaski, Ramadan end
Barka da azumi!	Blessings on the fast!	During Ramadan
Barka da suba!	Blessings on the morning!	New Year, any fresh start
Barka da hari!	Blessings on the rain!	First rain of the season
Barka da hatsi!	Blessings on the millet!	Harvest time
Barka da damsi!	Blessings on the dry season!	Start of the cold/dry season
Barka ni da ize!	Congratulations on your child!	After a birth
Barka da hiijey!	Blessings on the wedding!	Wedding celebration
Irikoy ma na aran jirbi boori.	May God give you a good night.	Evening farewell
Irikoy ma na iri hari kayna.	May God give us much rain.	Prayer for the rainy season