"Ya Ma, Bui!" and the Infamous 'Yo Mama' joke

Believe it or not, "Ya Ma, Bui!" was a course assignment that I had to complete for one of my Master's degree programs at NYU. The subject matter and explicit language can be seen as inappropriate for a classroom setting, but my professor received it well, so hopefully you all do, too.

This project's inspiration comes from a Langston Hughes poem that I presented on earlier this semester; a poem entitled Ask Your Mama: 12 Moods For Jazz. The poem speaks about the various trials of Black people during the Civil Rights era, and speaks to how Black people chose to cope with microaggressions and overt racism back in the day. One way that Black people used to do so was through the use of humor in the 'Yo mama' joke. In short, whenever someone asked Hughes an offensive question, he would simply reply with "yo mama." The term is humorous and lighthearted when used in the appropriate settings and among other Black people, but it can also be a very explosive term that can cause arguments, and in the case of the morally grey main character of my story, Dante, even fights. However, the joke is not properly received by outsiders, like the white tourist who approaches Dante near the end of the story. This is meant to demonstrate that Black people get the best and worst of the joke, and it is a joke that is made by Black people, for Black people. The story also proves that the joke is universal, considering the fact that so many other predominantly Black countries have their own version of this phrase (Bahamians have 'ya ma', Jamaicans have 'suck ya mudda', Trinidadians have "ya muddacunt" etc.). The joke transcends boarders, but still has the power to remain an exclusively Black joke.

I struggle to label Dante as a protagonist because he is so... unlikable lol. He is the antagonist of his own story, but anywho. That's just my opinion. I'll leave that for you guys to decide. For my blog viewers who are not Bahamian, allow me to give you a few translations so you can follow the story properly:

Ya ma = yo mama

Bui = dude, bro

Ine = I am not 

Cunny = c*nt, p*ssy

Yah = (depends on the context) okay; hi or hello

Whatchu = (depends on the context) what are you, what you are

Beat the breaks off = (depends on the context) having sex; beat somebody up

Jhred = bro, dude

Ise = I am

Das = that is

Nigga = anyone (Anyone in The Bahamas can be a nigga: https://youtu.be/KDF4RYdf1L4?si=bmzMzyiiuCB8s79_)

To the viewers who come across this story, thanks for reading and please give this commentary and the story a like and a comment if you enjoyed the reading! Feel free to give me constructive criticism as well! To my Adventist brethren... I'm sorry.