Abatiwaha...huh?

[Convincing John]

Hey everyone,

I got a question for y'all.

I was watching the classic clip "Turn the World Around" the other day from the Harry Belafonte episode (one of my favorite songs from the whole series):

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PLqb64Pb9So

I wondered though, what does the word "abatiwaha" mean? It's sung several times near the end of the song. "Whoa ho, so is life abatiwaha, so is life."

The closest I got (with an online search) is a Swahili dictionary that couldn't find any matches.

Belafonte says that the song was inspired from a storyteller in Guinea, but (according to Wikipedia) other languages are spoken there. (Swahili's spoken way over in East Africa).

Anyone here have a clue how to translate this word? (Sigh...where is C-3PO when you need him?)

Convincing John

 

[GonzoLeaper]

abatiwaha- A Xulu word meaning, "The cows are dying".
lol
Not really. I don't have a clue. It may just be a made-up phrase by Harry Belafonte. But it's possible it could be an African language word though...Hmm

 

[HootsytheOwl]

Abatiwaha..hmm, interesting

Hi all...

I wonder if it means "so is life"....because sometimes that happens in a song....people will say a word/phrase in another language and then translate it or vice-versa. Example: The new version of "We Are The World" has a French Creole phrase that means "We are the world" in it.
Just a thought.

Your dear friend,
Kitt

 

[Convincing John]

Hi all...

I wonder if it means "so is life"....because sometimes that happens in a song....people will say a word/phrase in another language and then translate it or vice-versa. Example: The new version of "We Are The World" has a French Creole phrase that means "We are the world" in it.
Just a thought.

Your dear friend,
Kitt

I wondered that, too. Let's see, if it is "so is life" in another language, Guinea has a bunch of mother languages (according to Wikipedia, anyway). Which language would it be?

I thought briefly that it was just a nonsense word that Harry made up, kinda like a scat word. But everything in the song really means a lot to him. It's such a deep and meaningful piece. Something tells me that "abatiwah" is something much more complex than something like "Pachalafaka" or "Mahna Mahna" which have no meanings, but are great songs.

I wonder if I wrote to Harry, he'd respond. Some celebrities do, some don't.

Convincing John

 

[Super Scooter]

This might not be accurate, but according to Google translate, "So is life" becomes "hivyo ni uzima" in Swahili. But the Swedish Chef would say, "så är livet."

 

[abraxascarab]

I got a question for y'all.
...
I wondered though, what does the word "abatiwaha" mean?

I realize you asked this three years ago... however... since there was no answer, I thought I resurrect the thread with an answer.

I love the song as well... and I was able to dig this up:

"a bati wa ha" meaning in Swahili:
a = of (denoting possessive)
bahati = Fortunate (slurred pronunciation: bah-ati or "bati")
wa = Existence (to be, become)
ha = prefix denoting negative tense
(therefore probably just a punctuated sound in the song with no meaning)

Final translation: "Of fortunate existence. Ha!"
or loosely: "Our lucky life. Ha!"
or even more loosely: "so is life. Ha!"
I hope future people who search for the meaning of this phrase find this explanation helpful.

 

[Mo Frackle]

Whatever it means, it's still a cute little Afro-Norwegian number.

 

[Fozzie Bear]

I wondered though, what does the word "abatiwaha" mean? It's sung several times near the end of the song. "Whoa ho, so is life abatiwaha, so is life."

Online, I found "of fortunate existence."

What does abatiwaha mean?
I looked everywhere for the meaning of Abatiwaha, and this is the closest I came: "a bati wa ha" meaning in Swahili: a = of (denoting possessive) bahati = Fortunate (slurred pronunciation: bah-ati or "bati") wa = Existence (to be, become)
May 3, 2020

 

[Revjmiller]

This might not be accurate, but according to Google translate, "So is life" becomes "hivyo ni uzima" in Swahili. But the Swedish Chef would say, "så är livet."

The word is a Jamaican slang term -- I won't repeat the meaning here. Don't use it! Belafonte heard it as a child and thought it was an expression of joy. It is not.