Someone brutal, vulgar or rustic can be mentioned as a kaffir.
In order to know the meaning of the term Kaffir that concerns us now, it is necessary, first of all, to discover its etymological origin. In this case we can determine that it is a word that derives from Arabic. Exactly it derives from the word kafir , which can be translated as “pagan.”
The first meaning mentioned in the dictionary of the Royal Spanish Academy ( RAE ) refers to an inhabitant of the former colony known as British Cafrería , in the current territory of South Africa .
The Kaffirs, therefore, were those who lived in the British Cafreria . This colony was established in 1835 as Queen Adelaide Province and existed until 1866 . Its capital was King William's Town .
Cafre as a synonym for rustic, brutal or vulgar
Over time , cafre became an adjective to describe cruel, savage, brutal or rustic people , or that which is in bad taste or vulgar . For example: “This town is full of Kaffirs,” “A Kaffir at the wheel ran over and killed two people on the central highway,” “What a Kaffir celebration, they are all drunk.”
Depending on the country in which we are located, other uses of the term Kaffir that we are now studying are established:
-In Mexico , for example, that word is used to refer to a person who is driving a vehicle and who does not hesitate to break the traffic rules in some way.
-In the case of Puerto Rico , we can determine that this adjective is used to define someone who likes to make scandals or who behaves in that way as a way to attract attention.
-If we think about Cuba , we come across the fact that there cafre is used as an adjective to refer to a person who may be a criminal or who is characterized by being bad. However, in this country that term can also be used to make it clear that someone has a low intellectual level.
Los Cafres is an Argentine reggae band.
The term in cinema, music and literature
“El cafre” , on the other hand, is the title of a film directed by Gilberto Gazcón and starring Joaquín Cordero that was released in 1984 . The film is based on a book of the same name written by Manuel Cubillas Bravo .
Los Cafres , finally, is a reggae group created in 1987 in Argentina . Their leader is Guillermo Bonetto , who was also part of Los Pericos . Los Cafres have released more than a dozen albums and made several international tours.
“If love falls”, “Show me what you are like”, “Sinsemilla”, "Son", “Your eyes”, “I almost got lost”, “The recipe” y “From my mind” son algunas de las songs más conocidas de The Cafres.
In the field of literature it has also been used to shape the titles of different works. This would be the case, for example, of the book “Dad, don't be a kafre” . This was published in 1991, written by Jaume Ribera. It is aimed at a children's and youth audience and revolves around conflicts between parents and children.