Cushi

[citation needed] The word is a derivation of Cush (כּוּשׁ‎ Kūš), referring to the ancient Kingdom of Kush which was centered on the Upper Nile and Nubia (modern-day Sudan).

In biblical and historical usage, the term "Cushites" (Hamites) refers to individuals of East African origin (Horn of Africa and Sudan).

[1] In early Modern Hebrew usage, the term Cushi was used as an unmarked referent to a dark-skinned or red-haired person, without derogatory implications.

[3][4][5] When William Shakespeare's Othello was first translated to Hebrew in 1874 by Isaac Salkinsohn, the hero of the play was named Ithiel the Cushite (איתיאל הכושי‎).

In 2016, Hasidic singer Mordechai Ben David attracted controversy after a video taken at his December 28 concert in Jerusalem, wherein he referred to US President Barack Obama as a kushi, was circulated online.