Mzungu is how we refer to white people on the African continent, at least in countries where people speak Kiswahili. I would like to stress that it is not a derogatory term.
In Kiswahili, Mzungu means a person who wanders aimlessly. Wazungu or Bazungu means people who wander aimlessly. In Kiswahili we refer to European languages as Kizungu. It is also important to note that Kizunguzungu is a word that means dizziness. History has proven that we were wrong. European on the African continent were not wandering aimlessly. They were there with a wicked and specific plan. We thought the way they dressed was strange and amusing, their languages were lifeless, & their manners were ungraceful. Nevertheless, they were at our doors so we welcomed them with food and drinks as our various cultures dictate. Now, many centuries later, we wish we had poisoned their drinks. Dizziness is described as a sensation of spinning around and losing one’s balance. It’s only now that we are slowly recovering from the spinning around of this experience. In all honesty, our meeting with the Europeans made us lose balance, to the point we lost even lost ourselves in the process... luckily, some of us still remember the way home.