I was a bit shocked when my PCV friend Bill translated this for me. Apparently, it is a common Sereer expression, directed towards kids who are acting up.
I had gone to visit Bill in his village of Sambande. I wanted to understand the Sereer, an ethnic group that exists only in Senegal, and is not the majority anywhere except in tiny villages. Like Sambande. But to understand the Sereer, a member of the Pulaar language family, one has to understand the lens through which I observed them.
Bill Dyer is known by some as an eccentric musician from South Carolina, by others as a fiercely independent wanderer. He is the type of person to sit in his hut for hours, staring at the corner deep in thought, i.e. the perfect volunteer. It's no wonder Peace Corps placed Bill with the Sereers, a group independent in their own right.
When Islam swept through West Africa, they had a fairly easy time converting the various ethnic groups. The Muslims were less successful, however, with the Sereers. Some converted, some didn't. When the French colonized many hundreds of years later, they had a special place in their hearts for the Sereers. Without the religious and cultural ties to Islam, the Sereers were more susceptible to French influence. The first two presidents of independent Senegal were Sereer (and Senegal has only had four presidents, total).
Other famous Sereers, Bill was eager to point out: Youssouf N'Dour (Senegal's most well-known musician) and Yekini (the wrestler).
That night, over our dinner of millet couscous and milk, the kids crowded around. They had become accustomed to Bill and his strange mannerisms, but two toubabs were a real oddity for them.
Bill was quick to put them in their place.
"Eat butthole!"
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