Teaching My Mother How to Give Birth by Warsan Shire Page B

used as the word for grandmother in Sudan.
    Ayeeyo — Somali word for Grandmother.
    Macaanto — Somali term of endearment, meaning sweetness.
    Inna lillahi Wa inna ilaihi Rajioon — Arabic; To Allah we belong and truly, to Him we shall return.
    Baati — Long cotton Somali nightdress.
    Ounsi — The somali tradition to burn frankincense and myrrh over hot coal, releasing aroma through smoke.
    Istaqfurulah — Arabic, Allah forgive my sins.
    Yaqay — Somali word used to emphasise emotion/urgency in speech.
    Haram — Legally forbidden by Islamic law.
    Kufi — A brimless short rounded cap worn mainly by African men.
    Baraka — Blessings
    Alhamdulilah — Praise be to Allah.