watumwa

How to say it

Meaning

People owned and forced to work by another.

Good to know

plural of mtumwa (m-/wa- class); used both historically for enslaved people and metaphorically, as in watumwa wa dhambi (slaves of sin).

Examples

• Watumwa walifanya kazi mashambani kwa siku nzima.The slaves worked in the fields all day.
• Watumwa hawakuwa na uhuru wa kusafiri.The slaves had no freedom to travel.
• Je, watumwa hao waliachwa huru lini?When were those slaves set free?
• Historia itawakumbuka watumwa waliopigania uhuru wao.History will remember the slaves who fought for their freedom.

The same word in