mitumba

/ mɪˈtʊmbə /

noun

1. 1. used clothes imported for sale in African countries from more developed western countries
   2. ( as modifier )

      the mitumba economy

Word History and Origins

Origin of mitumba¹

C20: Swahili, literally: bale

Example Sentences

Officials also said the banning of imported clothing — known as mitumba, the Swahili word for “bundles” — could have an unexpected benefit.

From New York Times

Then I went to the beautiful Mitumba Valley in the north of the park, where all those years ago I first watched chimps in the big Msalula tree.

From Literature

This valley is in the range of the Mitumba community.

From Literature

This is all part of the burgeoning secondhand clothing business, known as “mitumba” or literally “bundles” in Swahili, that brings used products from wealthier countries to Africa.

From The Guardian

Behind “Mitumba Deity II,” there’s an alleyway-like area lined with washed out, pastel-colored clothing — work attire in a palette that suggests spring fashions, a nearby plaque points out — hanging on a graffiti’d wall, as if laundry drying outdoors.

From Los Angeles Times