Toubab (in Wolof tubaap, tubaab, also toubabe, toubabou, tuab, tubab) is a word used in West Africa, mainly in Senegal, Mauritania, Gambia and Mali, but also in Ivory Coast, for designate any person with white skin, excluding the Berber Arabo, whatever their nationality. It therefore generally refers to Europeans.
It would be a deformation of the Arabic word tabib ' (meaning doctor) cited above. There is also a Wolof verb meaning to convert because the first missionaries in colonial times were white people from Europe. A distortion of English two bob meaning two shillings, a currency used in the United Kingdom.
Do you like the website ?
Access all our Premium content. More than 2000 articles and ebooks