Teranga: the word that stayed with me
I joined an online event about Kigali and African traditions. I showed up out of curiosity — and with the hope of bringing more living culture into the books I’m writing.
What I didn’t expect was to walk away with a word that hasn’t left me since.
Teranga.
It’s a Senegalese word that’s hard to translate. It’s not just about hospitality. It’s about how you welcome someone — with intention, presence, and care. It’s about helping someone feel at home, even when they’re far from theirs.
Coming from Brazil, it felt familiar. Like a cultural cousin you recognize by the way they treat people, by the table that stretches to include more, by the warmth in how they receive you.
Maybe that’s why the word stuck.
Because that’s what I want my writing to do too. I want readers to feel welcomed. That there’s space for them in my stories. That even if they’re far from home — emotionally, culturally, or physically — they’ll find a kind of comfort here.
A place that holds them.
