Wari Tɛ Bi

Intro

The clip you’re about to watch comes from Djoko, a long-running Malian soap opera that airs on YouTube. The first episode premiered on November 2, 2021, and as of writing this, the show has reached an incredible 796 episodes. Don’t worry—each episode is usually just 15 minutes long. The series follows a rotating cast of neighbors and friends navigating everyday life in Bamako, blending drama, comedy, and local social commentary.

Here, we’re jumping into Episode 424—not Episode 1. Why skip the beginning? Mainly because the audio quality in the earliest episodes is pretty rough, making it hard to transcribe or translate accurately. More importantly, Djoko isn’t the kind of show where you need to start at the beginning to follow what’s going on.

In this scene, a man named Denba returns home and runs into Basita. They seem to be extended family members who live together or spend a lot of time in the same household. Their conversation begins with greetings and a reflection on a visit Denba made to a sick neighbor, then turns toward a sensitive (and familiar) topic: money.

The clip offers a humorous example of the ways that financial requests and social obligations are negotiated in everyday conversation—especially in West Africa, where the dynamics around lending money differ markedly from those in many Western societies.

Linguistically, the clip is valuable too. You’ll hear expressive interjections (equivalent to “oh!” “gosh!” “hmm” in English), extended back-and-forth greetings and benedictions.

The transcription and translation are based on my own listening and interpretation. As always, I’ve tried to be as literal as possible while smoothing out anything that might be confusing for learners.

Watch

Watch the video without the subtitles. If they are on, click on the little "CC" symbol and turn them off.

Watch and Read

Now turn on the subtitles in Bambara/Jula (click on the little "CC" button) and read along.

If you are lost, you can also switch it into English and then re-watch in Bambara/Jula.

And remember, you can also slow down the video to make it easier to follow along. I recommend 75%. Click on the little gear symbol.

List of Selected Grammar Points

Coming later

Grammar Points Explained

Coming later