It's possible you might be misremembering the word, or it might be a word from a specific African language that isn't widely known.
To help me understand what you're looking for, could you please provide:
* The language you heard the word in: For example, Swahili, Yoruba, Zulu, etc.
* The context in which you heard the word: What was being discussed or what was the situation?
* Any other clues: Do you remember any other words or phrases from the same conversation?
With more information, I can hopefully give you a better answer.