What Does Ayakata mean in Fela Kuti's Beasts of No nation?

1 Answer


Joshua Belo-Osagie, Nigerian and Fela Kuti fan1.4k Views

It's a yoruba word which in nigerian pidgin english would translate to 'E don scatter' which basically means everything has gone pear-shaped or haywire. A mess, essentially.

Also to add to that in Beasts Of No Nation, what Fela said was 'o fe she lu, ayakata!', meaning 'he/she brushed him/her to the side, she/he fell, became scattered, or dazed/confused/defeated'. The meaning of many pidgin and Yoruba words are fairly ambiguous and mostly depend on context.

http://www.quora.com/What-Does-Ayaka...s-of-No-nation