This phrase became popular in our country after the release of the Disney cartoon "The Lion King". Two minor characters Timon and Pumbaa perform a song, the verse of which begins with the words "akuna matata", and the text explains what it means "to live without worries."
The phrase "hakuna matata" is understood by all Swahili speakers in Africa. Considering that the language is widespread in many countries of the black continent, these words can be heard almost everywhere - from Uganda in the East to Congo in the West.
However, there are several ways of pronouncing this phrase, for example, in Tanzania it is more often said "amna shida" (hamna shida), and in southern Africa, you can often hear "amna tabu" (hamna tabu). In general, the phrase "hakuna matata" can be compared to the American attitude "no problem", the Australian version of "don't worry" or the Russian call "do not worry". Due to the incredible popularity of the cartoon "The Lion King" all over the world, every self-respecting employee of the travel business in Africa inserts this phrase into every sentence.
However, the true meaning of the words "akuna matata" is hidden much deeper than the one about which is sung in the song of Elton John. The indigenous population of the African continent really has very difficult living conditions, and it is impossible to “live without worries”. It is rather a philosophy that reflects the attitude of people to everything that happens: predators attacked the child - nothing can be fixed, the rivers are dry - what can you do, such is life.
Therefore, tourists visiting the countries of the African continent south of Egypt and Tunisia for the first time should be prepared for the phrase “hakuna matata” to sound in situations where they would like to hear something more intelligible and specific. For example, after the plane, you cannot find an employee of a travel company who will meet you, someone will definitely say - "akuna matata, he is on his way, there was a misunderstanding." They will tell you the same at the hotel, checking into a room overlooking the construction site, in a cafe, serving drinks in dirty dishes.
And the point here is not at all in the innate optimism of the local population, they just really got used to not worrying about such trifles.
