Luganda, the main language in Uganda, is a difficult tonal
language and has many words that are very similar. Countless stories are told of
the humorous mistakes made by expatriate missionaries who are just learning the
language. “Musajja“, the word for “man” is very close to “musujja“, the word for
“fever” that is very often used for malaria, a common sickness in tropical
Africa. A Ugandan bishop visited a convent of religious sisters and asked to
speak to the Mother Superior. The young Italian Sister who was learning Luganda
answered, “I‘m sorry but you cannot see her because Mother Superior is in bed
with a man.” When the bishop expressed surprise, the Sister went on. “And Mother
has been in bed with a man for three full days and won’t even let us see her.”