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.

Read more on New York Times

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.

Read more on 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.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

This market is the biggest wholesale centre of the mitumba, or used-clothing, trade in east Africa.

Read more on Economist

Mitumba trading is a big employer for Kenyans, most of whom work in the informal labour market.

Read more on Economist