Radio
Radio
Translations to selected
songs from the compact disc - "Balla et ses Balladins. The Syliphone years" .
Available through Sterns at
http://www.sternsmusic.com/disk_info/STCD3035-36
All translations from Maninka to English by Nienke Muurling and Boubakar Diabaté
© Copyright 2008
Fadakudu
Also known as "Farakuru".
|
Kamaren t’a fo Iye RDNu, Iye RDNu, an ye baara |
The young man does not say |
(1)
In fact the
smiths-wife (numumuso) is responsible for the pottery. They extract the clay and
they make jars etc
(2) "Wari" can be translated as silver or money. The first option was chosen
here.
(3) "Yelema" can be translated as "to transform"
Bandian
Bandian was a kelemansa, a
king, in the time of the French Sudan. He is very well known in Guinea as well
as in Mali.
|
Sunkalomakonola Bandian sara |
Bandian died
in the month before Ramadan |
(1) A "mamaya" is a kind of social event which involved the
youth.
(2) Formed
in Bamako in 1946, the Rassemblement Démocratique Africain (RDA) was one of West
Africa’s first political parties.
Bedianamo
The title should read "Bedianemo", which
is a Maninka term for a talented person.
|
I…fama |
You…rich /
well-known |
Bélébélé
|
Ah
Bélébélé
sira fanfan, |
Ah wherever the important / big
person passes the night, |
(1) "I na le bolo", (na = ba = mother) refers to the
Maninka saying "bee b’i ba boo" - "everything is in the hands of your
mother". If a mother suffers a lot, her children will be successful in
life, it is thought. A mother has to behave right, according to the
norms for being a good spouse and a good mother, and if she succeeds,
this will protect her children against dangers, even when they should
pass the night in the bush, nothing will harm them.
(2) In earlier days the worlds of men and women were separate worlds. It
was not normal for a woman to sit next to her husband and have
conversations with him.
(3) "Banabana" means someone who wanders around (as the street vendors
with their merchandise on their head) but does not earn anything.
(4) "Lutigi ceba" is the chef de la famille and of course in earlier
times women had no right to criticize him. In other words wives had to
obey the words of their husband, they did not have any right to
contradict him.
Ka noutea
The song title should have been written
as "Kanoutea",
which means loving each other (used as a verb) or loved one / beloved
(used as a subject).
(1) In the sense that it can make you blind or if your love is not answered it can make you very sad and hopeless.
Kogno koura
(1)
Borrowed from the French word "robe".
(2) Borrowed from the French word "montre".
(3) "Deni" means literally child, but here it is
understood in the sense of "my love".
(4) Borrowed from the French word "chaîne"
in the sense of collier
Sakhodougou
Sakhodougou (or Sackodugu) is the native village of the well known king
Nasira Madi in Mali. The rhythm to the song and the song itself is also
called Nasira Madi.
|
Kuma te
kunan ceba min kono Ah
jeliya la, ah jeliya la |
A
great man should keep the words inside |
(1)
The first few lines should be read as a general advice to people - a
person who is not able to keep a secret should not hear important words.
(2) "Barado kuma" - in the past the elders of the village met each other
occasionally outside the village ("barado") to speak about village
matters.
(3) Formed in Bamako in
1946, the Rassemblement Démocratique Africain (RDA) was one of West
Africa’s first political parties.
(4) Jata or jara means lion, and may refer to Sunjata Keita.
(5) Many people from Mali and Guinea migrated in the direction of Sierra
Leone, which attracted people because of its diamonds and gold.
(6) Untranslatable exclamation often used by griots.
Soumbouyaya
Soumbouyaya was a mythical figure who could eat huge quantities of food
(for example, two cows, 200 kilos of rice, etc) in
front of his public. It is said that "jina tun b'a fe" - there were
devils with him - who made it possible for him to eat as much as he did.
|
Eh na
mogolu RDA(1) jamana diyara |
Eh my
people the country flourished under RD |
(1) Formed in Bamako in 1946, the Rassemblement Démocratique Africain (RDA) was one of West Africa’s first political parties.
Other Radio Africa resources
→ Discographies
→
African classics
Go to the Radio Africa homepage