# Swahili translation: 'A giant to remember:' Ji-Tu Cumbuka

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/swahili-translation-a-giant-to-remember-ji-tu-cumbuka/829413>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [February 12, 2019, 6:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/swahili-translation-a-giant-to-remember-ji-tu-cumbuka/829413 "2019-02-12T18:25:06Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 6\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/earl_snake-hips_tucker/32/3269_2.png) [@Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Earl_Snake-Hips_Tucker)\
**Post date:** [February 12, 2019, 6:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/swahili-translation-a-giant-to-remember-ji-tu-cumbuka/829413/1 "2019-02-12T18:25:06Z")

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Not an entertainment question. The GQ: Is there anything to support those words being a close approximation to that translation?

More info:

Late actor Ji-Tu Cumbuka (d. 2017) played a number of roles in the 1970s and 1980s where you needed a hulking, scary, Black dude. One of his most memorable roles was as ‘Wrestler’ in the 1977 ‘Roots’ miniseries.

Information on his personal life before acting is. . . thin. Apparently his original name was Jesse Holifield, according to one newspaper clipping. He claimed that his professional name was given by his grandmother, and means ‘a giant’ (Ji-Tu) ‘to remember’ (Cumbuka), but having heard my share of family stories that turned out not bearing credibility under scrutiny, I am a little skeptical.

That translation (if it is so), is also the title of his memoir, published in 2012. "A Giant to Remember: The Black Actor in Hollywood’

Anyone???

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**Author:** ![MrDibble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mrdibble/32/114_2.png) [@MrDibble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrDibble)\
**Post date:** [February 13, 2019, 7:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/swahili-translation-a-giant-to-remember-ji-tu-cumbuka/829413/2 "2019-02-13T07:19:55Z")

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Google translate has the Swahili of “A giant to remember” as _Kubwa kukumbuka_, FWIW. So I think it just applies to the surname. Although “great to remember” is a better sense - the word doesn’t really mean “Giant” in the mythological creature sense.

_Kumbuka_ is to remember.  
Kubwa means great, large, big.

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**Author:** ![DPRK](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/4491bb/32.png) [@DPRK](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DPRK)\
**Post date:** [February 13, 2019, 8:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/swahili-translation-a-giant-to-remember-ji-tu-cumbuka/829413/3 "2019-02-13T08:43:24Z")

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But Wiktionary lists jitu as a legitimate augmentative of mtu in Swahili, while kubwa is an adjective, not a noun.

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**Author:** ![MrDibble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mrdibble/32/114_2.png) [@MrDibble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrDibble)\
**Post date:** [February 13, 2019, 11:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/swahili-translation-a-giant-to-remember-ji-tu-cumbuka/829413/4 "2019-02-13T11:00:43Z")

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> [@DPRK](#):
>
> But Wiktionary lists jitu as a legitimate augmentative of mtu in Swahili, while kubwa is an adjective, not a noun.

Right you are - wish Google translate was editable like Wiki is, rather than their “Improve this” thing. They don’t have that sense at all. Or they didn’t before - they seem to now. Was that you?

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**Author:** ![DPRK](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/4491bb/32.png) [@DPRK](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DPRK)\
**Post date:** [February 13, 2019, 12:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/swahili-translation-a-giant-to-remember-ji-tu-cumbuka/829413/5 "2019-02-13T12:43:29Z")

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I didn’t use Google Translate at all for this, so it wasn’t me.

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**Author:** ![Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/earl_snake-hips_tucker/32/3269_2.png) [@Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Earl_Snake-Hips_Tucker)\
**Post date:** [February 13, 2019, 2:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/swahili-translation-a-giant-to-remember-ji-tu-cumbuka/829413/6 "2019-02-13T14:40:14Z")

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Thanks. So apparently it is somewhat reasonable.