Chama

Chama is a term with multiple meanings across languages and cultures. In Swahili, chama means group, association, or organization, and it is used to refer to clubs, cooperatives, and other organized bodies. The word appears in the names of many groups, such as chama cha ushirika (a cooperative society) and Chama Cha Mapinduzi, the ruling political party in Tanzania since independence.

In Portuguese, chama serves as a verb form and a noun. As a verb, it is the third-person singular present indicative of chamar, meaning to call or to name. As a noun, a chama means a flame or blaze, used in everyday language to describe fire or combustion. For example, a chama da vela is the flame of the candle, and ele/ela chama a atenção means he or she draws attention.

Geographically, Chama is the name of a town in northern New Mexico, United States. The settlement sits along the Rio Chama, near the Carson National Forest, and the surrounding region features the Chama River, which is a tributary of the Rio Grande.

As a personal name, Chama is used as a given name or surname in various cultures, and it may appear in different spellings. The term’s diverse uses reflect its presence in language, geography, and social organization.

See also: Chama (disambiguation) for additional uses in other languages and contexts.