Kirundi
bulamatari
bu-la-ma-TA-ri
How to say it
Kirundibulamataribu-la-ma-TA-risoon
Englishgovernment officialsoon
Frenchfonctionnaire du gouvernementsoon
Meaning
a colonial-era term for a government official or the colonial administration, literally 'breaker of rocks'.
Good to know
historical usage from the colonial period, still sometimes heard as a nickname for the state.
Examples
- Bulamatari yashitse mu mudugudu wacu.The government official arrived in our village.
- Abaturage batinya bulamatari.The villagers fear the government official.
- Bulamatari niwe yategetse gushinga iryo shure.It was the government official who ordered the school be built.
- Kera abantu bakoresha ijambo bulamatari mu kuvuga leta.In the old days people used the word bulamatari to mean the state.
Not yet checked by a native speaker.