A Toubab is the generic name for a white person in West and Central Africa .. it is not a derogatory term of address and is more especially used in The Gambia, Mali and Senegal.-Depending on which you wish to believe .. the name Toubab has many suggested derivations,amongst which are: A corruption of the Arab word Tabib meaning doctor .. a verb in the Wolof language meaning 'to convert' ( the early doctors and missionaries during colonial times, being whites coming from Europe ) or the generally preferred .. that it is derived from the two bob ( two shilling ) coin of pre-decimalisation UK currency when The Gambia was a British Colony,Words referring to ethnic groupsEthnic groups in Africa