Daudi Kabaka - "Harambee Harambee" (information, video, & lyrics about this patriotic Kenyan, East African song)

Danjori, Jul 19, 2021

 "Harambee Harambee" is a Kenyan patriotic song written by Daudi Kabaka about the nation's longing for independence. It uses the tune for the US' "Battle Hymn of the Republic".
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This video replaces one that was originally embedded but is no longer available.

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Edited by Azizi Powell

Latest Revision - April 16, 2024

This pancocojams post presents information about the KiSwahili word "harambee" (pronounciation hah-RAHM-bay) and showcases a video of Kenyan singer Daudi Kabaka singing "Harambee Harambee". The KiSwahili lyrics for that song and English translation are also included in this post along with selected comments from the discussion thread of another YouTube video of this song.

The content of this post is presented for cultural, sociological, historical, and aesthetic purposes.

All copyrights remain with their owners.

Thanks to the composer of this song. Thanks also Daudi Kabakato for recording this song and thanks to the publishers of this song on YouTube, and the transcribers of this song. Thanks also to all those who are quoted in this post.

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE WORD "HARAMBEE"
From https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Communal_work#Harambee
"Harambee (Swahili: [haˈrambe]) is a Kenyan tradition of community self-help events, e.g. fundraising or development activities. Harambee literally means "all pull together" in Swahili, and is also the official motto of Kenya and appears on its coat of arms.

Harambee events may range from informal affairs lasting a few hours, in which invitations are spread by word of mouth, to formal, multi-day events advertised in newspapers. These events have long been important in parts of East Africa, as ways to build and maintain communities.

Following Kenya's independence in 1963, the first Prime Minister, and later first President of Kenya, Jomo Kenyatta adopted "Harambee" as a concept of pulling the country together to build a new nation. He encouraged communities to work together to raise funds for all sorts of local projects, pledging that the government would provide their startup costs. Under this system, wealthy individuals wishing to get into politics could donate large amounts of money to local harambee drives, thereby gaining legitimacy; however, such practices were never institutionalised during Kenyatta's presidency."...
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Another example of the word "harambee" being used in Kenya is that the Kenyan national soccer team is colloquially known as the "Harambee Stars".

I recall "Harambee!" being used in 1967 and 1968 as a rallying call for members of CFUN, the Committee For Unified Newark  in Newark, New Jersey the afrocentric organization that I belonged to. My recollection is that when we chanted "Harambee!" we would pantomime the gesture of pulling hard on a rope (as done in the tug of war game).

Since at least the late 1970s, it has become relatively commong for the KiSwahili word "harambee" to be used as a name for African American community organizations and art festivals. The word "harambee" is also used in the names of a number of primary or secondary schools that have predominately Black American students.

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LYRICS VIDEO FOR FOR "HARAMBEE HARAMBEE"

Daudi Kabaka -Harambee Harambee - (Lyrics video)

Quantumb music, May 31, 2023  #swahilimusic #musiclyrics #lyricvideo

this is a swahili song sang to bring Kenyans together

Harambee , Harambee Tuimbe pamoja Harambee , Harambee Tuimbe pamoja Harambee , Harambee Tuimbe pamoja Tujenge Serikali Wengi walisema Kenya itakuwa matataa Wengi walisema Kenya itakuwa matataa Wengi walisema Kenya itakuwa matataa Watu wote wastaarabu Wananchi Harambee tuvute pamoja Wananchi Harambee tuvute pamoja Wananchi Harambee tuvute pamoja Muongoze na usalama Watu Kenya hatuna ubaguzi Watu Kenya hatuna ubaguzi Watu Kenya hatuna ubaguzi kila rangi tunaipenda

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Here's the Google translate for those lyrics (from KiSwahili to English)
[retrieved on April 16, 2024:

Synergy, Synergy

Let's sing together

Synergy, Synergy

Let's sing together

Synergy, Synergy

Let's sing together

Let's build a government

Many said

Kenya will be troubled

Many said

Kenya will be troubled

Many said

Kenya will be troubled

All civilized people

Harambee Citizens

let's pull together

Harambee Citizens

let's pull together

Harambee Citizens

let's pull together

Guide him to safety

We don't have people in Kenya

discrimination

We don't have people in Kenya

discrimination

We don't have people in Kenya

discrimination

we love every color

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"Unity" or "work for unity" may be the best English translations for the Swahili word "harambee". However, in my limited experience in the United States with Kiswahili, "harambee" was always translated as "all pull together". 

It's interesting that Google translate gives the word "synergy" as a definition for that word. Here's a definition for from http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/synergy:
"the interaction of elements that when combined produce a total effect that is greater than the sum of the individual elements, contributions, etc.; synergism."
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Betty Achieng, a commenter in 2013 on the discussion thread for the YouTube video of "Harambee Harambee" that was no longer available  in 2013 (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_n8ZvhiGMm8) wrote this about that song:
"In Unity, let us sing together, so that we build our government (country). Many said Kenya would experience turmoil, but Kenyans, let's be wise. Let's pull together in unity so that we are led in a secure environment. Kenyans, we have no favorites, we love all races."

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SELECTED COMMENTS FROM A DISCUSSION THREAD OF ANOTHER EXAMPLE OF THIS VIDEO
These selected comments are from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_n8ZvhiGMm8 *

Harambee, Harambee - Daudi Kabaka
bwanakeino Uploaded on Jan 17, 2008

*This video is no longer available.

These comments are given in relative order based on their posting date with the oldest comments given first, except for replies. However, these comments may not be in consecutive order.

kiboko52, 2010
"It seems that you cannot go back but the songs of yesterday echo painfully and bring back many memories. The red soil, the Ngong Hills, the Rift Valley, the light in Mombasa, and the rhythm of the wananchi. These are sacred memories that remind and bind us Kenyans wherever we live.
Oh for the simpler days of yesteryear."

**
daveshiwani, 2010
"Fellow kenyans we have to embrace this song by all means if we have to stay in harmony not only inkenya but also with our neighbours"

**
Mayoka Zemuba, 2012
"These were the golden days of Kenya. Harambeee."

**
hotello2009, 2012
"I heard it first 35 years ago, the song was from Fadhili ....quelli erano tempi..."
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That comment suggest that Fadhili William was the composer of the song "Harambee Harambee". Here's information about "Fadhili" from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fadhili_William
"Fadhili William Mdawida (most often referred to simply as Fadhili William) (November 11, 1938 – February 11, 2001), was a Kenyan musician/composer who is most famous for his song "Malaika" which he recorded with his band 'The Jambo Boys' around 1963.[1]"...

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Jecinta Gregory, 2013
"The days I was woken up in the morning by this song meant it was a public holiday in the Moi era. Now Kenya is full of politicians who are preaching tribalism instead of working in togetherness. Kenya imekuwa matata sasa! Ubaguzi umezidi!"
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Google translate for KiSwahili to English: Kenya has trouble now! Discrimination intensified!

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Children's Defense Fund Freedom Schools Version Of "Something Inside So Strong" (information, videos, & lyrics)

Edited by Azizi Powell

This post provides information about the Children's Defense Fund Freedom Schools and showcases five videos of their version of Labi Siffre's 1984 song "Something Inside So Strong". Lyrics to the Children's Defense Fund Freedom Schools' version of "Something Inside So Strong" are also included in this post.

Click http://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2015/09/labi-siffre-something-inside-so-strong.html for a pancocojams post about Labi Siffre's song "Something Inside So Strong".

The content of this post is presented for cultural, motivational, and aesthetic purposes.

All copyrights remain with their owners.

Thanks to Labi Siffre for composing "Something Inside So Strong" and thanks to the Children's Defense Fund and all those involved in their Freedom Schools. his cultural legacy. Thanks also to all those who are featured in these videos, the publishers of these videos on YouTube, and the transcribers of the standard lyrics for this song.

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INFORMATION ABOUT CHILDREN'S DEFENSE FUND FREEDOM SCHOOLS
From http://www.childrensdefense.org/programs/freedomschools/
"The CDF Freedom Schools® program seeks to build strong, literate, and empowered children prepared to make a difference in themselves, their families, communities, nation and world today. By providing summer and after-school reading enrichment for children who might otherwise not have access to books, the CDF Freedom Schools program plays a much needed role in helping to curb summer learning loss and close achievement gaps – and is a key part of CDF’s work to ensure a level playing field for all children. In partnership with local congregations, schools, colleges and universities, community organizations, and secure juvenile justice facilities the CDF Freedom Schools program boosts student motivation to read, generates more positive attitudes toward learning, increases self-esteem and connects the needs of children and families to the resources of their communities. Since 1995, more than 135,000 preK-12 children have had a CDF Freedom Schools experience and more than 18,000 college students and recent graduates have been trained by CDF to deliver this empowering model. The CDF Freedom Schools model incorporates the totality of the Children's Defense Fund's mission by fostering environments that support children and young adults to excel and believe in their ability to make a difference"....
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Click http://www.childrensdefense.org/programs/freedomschools/ for information about the history of CDF freedom schools.

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From http://gracecdffreedomschools.webs.com/rootsoffreedomschools.htm Grace CDF Freedom Schools®
I CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCE!
"Roots of Freedom Schools

The Children’s Defense Fund Freedom Schools® program is proudly rooted in the American Civil Rights Movement and the courageous efforts of college-age youth to make a difference. Reborn in 1993 by Mrs. Marian Wright Edelman and the Children's Defense Fund Black Community Crusade for Children (BCCC) initiative, today’s CDF Freedom Schools model draws on the vision, philosophy and experience of those who conducted Freedom Schools as part of the 1964 “Mississippi Freedom Summer Project.” Our emphasis on “servant leadership” as a model for a new generation of leaders for children is inspired by Ella Baker. In the spirit of Sankofa, we affirm our history as we move forward in sustaining, enhancing and expanding the CDF Freedom Schools program."

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SONG LYRICS NOTES
Note: The Children's Defense Fund (CDF) Freedom School version of "Something Inside So Strong" features accompanying motions (pantomime) and words added to the standard lyrics. There are slight differences in the motions/added words in the examples given below.

The standard words to this song are given below with the added CDF Freedom School motions & lyrics given in brackets. Most of these gestures and added words adhere to those that are performed in the video given as Example #1 below. Additions and corrections to my descriptions of the CDF Freedom School version are very welcome.

I've also included my ammendments to two of these motions/words as indicated by the asterisks (with the reasons for doing so indicated after the asterisks).

LYRICS: SOMETHING INSIDE SO STRONG
(written by Labi Siffre with motions & additional lyrics by Children's Defense Fund Freedom School trainers)

[Singers begin song squatting down]

The higher you build your barriers [move hands up and downs as if you are laying bricks on top of each other; add words: barriers]

The taller I become [singers slowly stand and raise their arms above your head; sing "come, come, come, come with the last iteration of "come" elongated]

The farther you take my rights away
[add words: away away away away]

The faster I will run [make a running fast motion in place]

You can deny me [cross both arms back and forth below your waist]

You can decide [touch both sides of your face (your mind)]

to turn your face away [stand in place and turn the top of your body from side to side while taking one hand and turn their face to the left and then to the right]

No matter, cos there's....


Something inside [sway back and forth to the beat, pointing to yourself with both hands] (point to your chest)]

so strong [continue swaying back and forth, hold your arms up with fist clenched in a body building pose]

I know [[touch both sides of your face (your mind)]

that I can make it [add words "I know I can make it! while making the black power salute (raising your right arm up above your head with your fist clenched)]

Tho' you're doing me wrong, so wrong [wave the palm of your hand in front of your face while shaking your head no(shaking your head side to side)]

You thought that my pride was gone [swing arms in front of your waist in the “you’re out movement” used in baseball” or put hands over your brow to mimic an "I'm ashamed" gesture]

Oh no [add the words “Oh no, oh oh oh"]


Something inside [sway back and forth to the beat, pointing to yourself with both hands] (point to your chest)]

so strong [continue swaying back and forth, hold your arms up with fist clenched in a body building pose]

Oh oh oh oh oh Something inside [sway back and forth to the beat, pointing to yourself with both hands] (point to your chest)]

so strong [continue swaying back and forth, hold your arms up with fist clenched in a body building pose]
[add a clapping sequence “clap clap clapclapclap” pause “clap clap clapclapclap”]

[continue swaying back and forth for the remainder of the song]

The more you refuse to hear my voice [cover your ears with your hands and then put hands to both sides of your mouth in a shouting motion and add the words “oh-way, oh-way oh- way, oh-way"]

The louder I will sing [move both arms like an orchestra or choir conductor cn orrth aake conductor ending with both arms held above your head; and add the words: I’ll sing, I’ll sing, I’ll sing, I’ll si –ing”; for another alternative read ** below]

You hide behind walls of Jericho [act like your are building a wall with each your hands,with the palm of your hands facing forward; put hands to both sides of your mouth in a shouting motion and add “oh-way, oh-way oh- way, oh-way]

Your lies will come tumbling down [slowly bend your body down and hit the floor two times while saying "down down down to the ground" or do a crouching dancing motion as though you are digging or pounding something down, add the words “down, down, down, down”]

Deny my place in time [stand up, look at wrist, as if looking at a watch]

You squander wealth that's mine [hold your hands slightly above your eyes and act like you're counting dollar bills]

My light will shine so brightly [spread your arms out in imitation of the sun shinning brightly]

It will blind you [cover your eyes, and loudly say “I can’t see!”]*

Cos there's......

Something inside [sway back and forth to the beat, pointing to yourself with both hands] (point to your chest)]

so strong [continue swaying back and forth, hold your arms up with fist clenched in a body building pose]

I know [[touch both sides of your face (your mind)]

that I can make it [act like you are pitching a ball far in front of you; shout “I know that I can make it!]

Tho' you're doing me wrong, so wrong [wave the palm of your hand in front of your face while shaking your head no(shaking your head side to side)}

You thought that my pride was gone [swing arms in front of your waist in the “you’re out movement” used in baseball”]

Oh no [add words “Oh no, oh oh oh]

Something inside [sway back and forth to the beat, pointing to yourself with both hands] (point to your chest)]

so strong [continue swaying back and forth, hold your arms up with fist clenched in a body building pose]


Brothers and sisters [point to people around you, jump and cross your legs (do this criss cross movement two times)

When they insist we're just not good enough [loudly sing the added words “Oh no!”, “Oh no!”, “Oh no!”]

Well we know better [add words “We know better!”]

Just look 'em in the eyes [hold two fingers in front of your eyes] and say [add words "Say what?", "Say what?"]

I'm gonna do it anyway [x4] [wave your right arm in the air with your fist clenched (in the Black power salute)]

Because...[sing the rest of the chorus and do accompanying motions as & add lyrics indicated above]

[Sing “ Brothers and sisters” verse and do motions and add words as given above]

Because...[sing the rest of the chorus and do accompanying motions as & add lyrics indicated above]

Source: [Standard Lyrics] http://www.azlyrics.com/lyrics/labisiffre/somethinginsidesostrong.html

Added words/accompanying motions "transcribed" from videos" by Azizi Powell; additions and corrections welcome

*My suggestion (given as a friendly ammendment) is to not say the words "I can't see" since saying that may be interpreted as being insensitive to and making fun of people who are blind (vision impaired).

**My suggestion (given as a friendly alternative) is to use ASL (American Sign Language) for the word "sing": hold your left arm near your waist with the palm of your hand facing your waist, move your right hand back and forth over your left arm in a waving motion.

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FEATURED VIDEOS
These examples are relatively randomly selected examples of YouTube videos of CDF Freedom Schools renditions of "Something Inside So Strong". Other examples can be found on YouTube.

These examples are given in chronological order according to their publishing dates on YouTube with the oldest dated example given first.

Example #1: Something Inside So Strong



TribeOne865's channel, Uploaded on Jul 13, 2010

Tribe One CDF Freedom Schools program participants singing the motivational song during Harambee!

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Example #2: Motivational Song (Something Inside So Strong) & Cheer and Chants



Garrett Edgerson, Uploaded on Aug 6, 2010

Class Color Day

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Example #3: Freedom School Harambee Time at The Grove



thegrovecharlotte's channel Published on May 3, 2012

Harambee--is the Swahili word for 'let's pull together' and the name of the morning gathering which is part worship service and part pep-rally. All the children join together with their leaders for cheers and chants, singing of the Hallelujah Chorus and the motivational song, a story and a prayer/moment of silence. Harambee creates community and gets the children ready for the important work of Freedom School.

Freedom School 2011 at The Grove
Charlotte, North Carolina
http://freedomschoolpartners.org/

http://freedomschoolpartners.org/
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Here's additional information about the Harambee portion of the Children's Defense Fund Freedom Schools:
"Harambee brings scholars, staff, parents and community members together to celebrate themselves and each other through the Motivational Song, Cheers and Chants, a Guest Reader, Recognitions, and a Moment of Silence. Harambee empowers our scholars and gets them ready for a fun, productive day of learning!"
https://www.razoo.com/story/Something-Inside-So-Strong-A-Celebration-Of-Children

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Example #4: 2013 Children's Defense Fund Ella Baker Training Institute - Harambee Motivational Song



CourtScrub, Published on Jun 4, 2013

Ella Baker Child Policy Training Institute 2013 presents: Harambee, the Freedom School Way! A short clip from today's motivational song, "Something Inside So Strong." Check it out!!

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Example #5: Omega Freedom School- Something Inside is so Strong

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Principal Geddis, Published on Jul 10, 2014

Week 2 of Harambee Time

Inspirational Theme Song

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Labi Siffre - "Something Inside So Strong" (information, video, lyrics)

Edited by Azizi Powell

This post showcases Labi Siffre's 1984 hit song "Something Inside So Strong". Information about Labi Siffre is also included in this post.

The content of this post is presented for cultural, inspirational, and aesthetic purposes.

All copyrights remain with their owners.

Thanks to Labi Siffre for his cultural legacy. Thanks also to the publisher of this song on YouTube, and the transcriber of this song.

Click http://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2015/09/childrens-defense-fund-freedom-schools.html for a related pancocojams post about a version of "Something Inside So Strong" that is used as a motivational song for Children's Defense Fund Freedom Schools.

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INFORMATION ABOUT LABI SIFFRE
From https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Labi_Siffre
"Labi Siffre (born Claudius Afolabi Siffre; 25 June 1945) is a British singer, songwriter, musician and poet. Siffre released six albums between 1970 and 1975, and four between 1988 and 1998….

Born the fourth of five children at Queen Charlotte's Hospital in Hammersmith, London to a British mother of Barbadian–Belgian descent and a Nigerian father, Siffre was brought up in Bayswater and Hampstead and educated at a Catholic independent day school, St Benedict's School, in Ealing, west London"...

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INFORMATION ABOUT "SOMETHING INSIDE SO STRONG"
From https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/(Something_Inside)_So_Strong
"Something Inside) So Strong is a 1987 single written and recorded by British singer-songwriter Labi Siffre. The song was one of the biggest successes of Siffre's career, and peaked at number four in the United Kingdom.[1]

The song was written in 1984...[Labi Siffre] told the BBC's Soul Music programme in 2014 that the song was also influenced by his experience as a homosexual child, adolescent, and adult.[2] Siffre originally intended to give the song to another artist to sing, but could find no one suitable and was convinced to release it himself.[3]

The song has remained enduringly popular and is an example of the political and sociological thread running through much of Siffre’s lyrics and poetry"...

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From http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b040hx6j Something Inside So Strong Soul Music, Series 18 Episode 3 of 5"
"Labi Siffre wrote Something Inside So Strong in 1984. Widely believed to have been inspired by seeing film footage from South Africa, of young blacks being shot at by white policeman, he now reveals that the lyrics were also informed by the oppression he had experienced as a homosexual.

The song has been taken up by individuals and groups around the world who have suffered from discrimination. The Choir With No Name in Birmingham, made up of homeless singers, always close their concerts with the song. Choir members explain why it's so important to them, giving them a sense of pride and dignity. "...

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SONG LYRICS: SOMETHING INSIDE SO STRONG
(written by Labi Siffre)


The higher you build your barriers
The taller I become
The farther you take my rights away
The faster I will run
You can deny me
You can decide to turn your face away
No matter, cos there's....

Something inside so strong
I know that I can make it
Tho' you're doing me wrong, so wrong
You thought that my pride was gone
Oh no, something inside so strong
Oh oh oh oh oh something inside so strong

The more you refuse to hear my voice
The louder I will sing
You hide behind walls of Jericho
Your lies will come tumbling

Deny my place in time
You squander wealth that's mine
My light will shine so brightly
It will blind you
Cos there's......

Something inside so strong
I know that I can make it
Tho' you're doing me wrong, so wrong
You thought that my pride was gone
Oh no, something inside so strong
Oh oh oh oh oh something inside so strong

Brothers and sisters
When they insist we're just not good enough
Well we know better
Just look 'em in the eyes and say
I'm gonna do it anyway [x4]

Something inside so strong
And I know that I can make it
Tho' you're doing me wrong, so wrong
You thought that my pride was gone
Oh no, something inside so strong
Oh oh oh oh oh something inside so strong

Brothers and sisters
When they insist we're just not enough
Well we know better
Just look 'em in the eyes and say
I'm gonna do it anyway [x4]

Because there's something inside so strong
And I know that I can make it
Tho' you're doing me, so wrong
Oh no, something inside so strong
Oh oh oh oh oh something inside so strong


Source: http://www.azlyrics.com/lyrics/labisiffre/somethinginsidesostrong.html
Note that azlyrics incorrectly gave the lyrics "When we know better instead of "Well we know better"

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SHOWCASE VIDEO: Labi Siffre - Something Inside So Strong



Mcr0gw, Uploaded on Aug 19, 2007

Live, just him and his DX7 in front of thousands

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Nigerian Children's Group Heavenly Kingdom Kids - "Birth Day" (video & lyrics)

Edited by Azizi Powell

This post showcases a video of the Nigerian children's Gospel group Heavenly Kingdom Kids singing "Birth Day".

The lyrics for this song are included in this post from the video sub-titles. Additions and corrections are welcome for my transcription of those sub-titles.

The content of this post is presented for cultural, entertainment, religious, and aesthetic purposes.

All copyrights rights remain with their owners.

My thanks to the composer of these song*. Thanks also to Heavenly Kingdom Kids and to the publisher of this video on YouTube.

*Two websites that I've found note that the composer of this song is Udoezi Cynthia (Cynthia Udoezi?)

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SHOWCASE VIDEOS : Birth Day - Hervenly Kingdom Kids



CHORDSvision Page, Published on Mar 20, 2013
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"Hervenly" is probably a misspelling of the English word "Heavenly".

12/8/2016 - I changed the title of this post to the corrected spelling.

Note that this song ends at 4:32 in this video. The video then starts again from the beginning without sound.

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LYRICS: BIRTH DAY
(as sung by Hervenly Kingdom Kids)

Chorus
It's a happy day.
Ah ha
It's a happy day.
Oo hoo
It's a happy day.
I will rejoice and praise the Lord.
Praise the Lord

It's a happy day.
Aa haa
It's a happy day.
Oo hoo
It's a happy day.
For it's my birthday.
Another year has come.

Rejoice and praise the Lord.
It's a happy day.
Aa ha
It's a happy day.
Oo hoo
It's a happy day.
I will rejoice and praise the Lord.
Praise the Lord

repeat the chorus several times

Verse:
My mum is rejoicing with me.
Aa ha
My dad is rejoicing with me.
Oo hoo
It's my birhday. A great day in my life.
Rejoice and praise the Lord.

repeat entire verse

Chorus

Verse
Celebrate with me!
My brother celebrate with me.
My sister celebrate with me.
It's my birthday. A great day in my life.

repeat entire verse

Chorus

Verse
Rejoice with me!
My friends are rejoicing with me.
They are dancing with me.
It's my birthday. A great day in my life.

repeat entire verse

Chorus

Verse
Sweet mummy.
When I was in my mother's womb.
My mother suffered a lot.
She paid a price that no one could pay for me.
Sweet mummy.
Under the sun she was there.
Under the rain she was there.
Sweet mummy, you are the best in the whole world.

repeat entire verse

Chorus

Verse
Sweet daddy.
When my mother gave birth to me
My daddy suffered a lot.
He was there to make sure that I lived.
Sweet daddy.
Under the sun she was there.
Under the rain she was there.
Sweet daddy, you are the dearest in my heart.

repeat entire verse

Chorus

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YouTube Comments About "The Wrong Way" Of Saying Or Doing A Particular Playground Rhyme, Part II

Edited by Azizi Powell

Latest revision- November 7, 2019

This is Part II of a pancocojams series that documents selected YouTube discussion thread comments about commenters perceptions of certain rhymes being chanted or performed the wrong way.

Part II showcases YouTube videos of four different playground rhymes and selected comments from those videos' discussion threads about how those rhymes were said or performed. The featured playground rhymes are "Down Down Baby", "Double Double This", and "Welcome To McDonalds", and "Apple On A Stick".

These featured comments assert that a particular playground rhyme is "done wrong"* and some responses to those assertions.

This post also documents selected comments in which bloggers asserts that there's no one right way to say or perform a particular playground rhyme and simply share the way that they say and do that particular rhyme.

Click http://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2015/09/youtube-comments-about-wrong-way-of.html for Part I of this post showcases a YouTube video of two young women performing ten "old school" playground rhymes (rhymes that they remember from their childhood or teen years).

The content of this post is presented for recreational and folkloric purposes.

All copyrights remain with their owners.

Thanks to all those who are quoted in this post and thanks to the publishers of these videos on YouTube.

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EDITOR'S COMMENTS
A number of YouTube commenters write that a playground rhyme "goes" a certain way and that a person "did it wrong". In the context of a description of playground rhymes, how a rhyme "goes" means how it is said (chanted/sung) and/or how it is performed (the accompanying actions that are done while chanting the words to the rhyme). When a person said that the rhyme was "done wrong", she or he usually is referring to her or his perception that the words and/or the actions and/or the tune/tempo aren't those that she or he remembers as the "right" way of performing that playground rhyme.

In the almost fifteen years that I've been researching and collecting English language playground rhymes online I've noticed that an increasing number of commenters are moving from the position that there is only one "right" way of saying or performing any particular playground rhyme.

I believe that the very fact that multiple versions of playground rhymes are available for people to read and observe online is changing the way that children and other people think about playground rhymes. When I was growing up in the 1950s I assumed that the only way that a particular rhyme "went" (the words that were said and the way that hand game was played) was the way that I learned it. Nowadays, thanks in large part to YouTube, it appears to me that an increasing number of people are coming to the realization that there are usually multiple versions of a particular playground rhyme, and that there may not be any one "right version" (right way of doing or saying that particular rhyme).

People can attempt to find out and document the earliest version of a particular playground rhyme or early versions of that rhyme (the words, tunes, tempo of those versions and how they were performed). People can also surmise from observations and reading what were and what are the "usual" version/s of that rhyme is done (among certain populations within certain periods of time or during different periods of time). However, it's my position that variant forms of a playground rhyme (ones that are somewhat different from the "usual version/s") aren't particularly wrong. That said, a red flag about the authenticity of an online example that purport to be a child's remembrance of a playground rhyme if that version is quite different in themes, words, tune (cadence), and actions from other examples of that rhyme that I've come across.

The content of this post is presented for folkloric, cultural, and recreational purposes.

All copyrights remain with their owners.

Thanks to all those who are quoted in this post, thanks to those who are featured in these videos, and thanks to the publishers of these videos on YouTube.

****
FEATURED VIDEOS AND SELECTED COMMENTS
These videos are presented in chronological order according to their publishing dates with the oldest dated video given first. The quoted comments from those video's discussion thread are given below each video.

These comments are given in relative order based on their posting date with the oldest comments given first, except for replies. However, these comments may not be in consecutive order. I've assigned numbers to these comments for referencing purposes only.

Example #1: Down Down Baby Hand Clap Australia



yummum1978 Uploaded on Jun 6, 2010

The old school ground hand claps are back. This is the girls doing the down down baby hand clap. Good on ya girls
-snip-
"Old school" is an African American Vernacular English term that means "something from the past". The term is usually at least mildly positive.
-snip-
Selected comments:
1. dickysnicky, 2011
"my mum taught me dis thing but she learned it differently"

**
2. pepsicokemix , 2011
"This is how I learned it.

Down Down Baby, down down the roller coaster, sweet sweet baby, sweet sweet don't let me go. Shimmie Shimmie coca pop shimmie shimmie AH! I like coffe, I like tea, I like a little boy and he likes me! To the front, to the back, to the side side side, To the front, to the back, to the side side side, FREEZE!"

**
3. Melody2717, 2011
"I (from uk) used to do this: down down baby, down down the rollercoaster, sweet sweet baby, i'll never let you go, jimmy jimmy cocabow, jimmy jimmy pow, jimmy jimmy cocabow, jimmy jimmy pow, mama mama, sick in bed (all the same from here).
Weird how its basically the same all the way over here! Oh except it wasnt rhythm of the hot dog but rhtyhm of the heaaaarta (heart)"

**
4. yummum1978, 2011
"Hi 321Coffeequeen, I don't think it really matters how you do it along as you have fun. The girls had a great time learning it and performing it. P.S this is exactly the same one the 2 little girls off of sesame street did all those years ago."
-snip-
I can't find the comment that the video publisher yummum1978 is responding to.

Click https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5K-FpmUUc7U
"Sesame Street: Handclapping Chants" for the 1990s Sesame Street video of “Down Down Baby” that is mentioned in this comment.

**
5. nad pe, 2011
"u guys made a mistake its actually this: Down Down Baby Down Down the rollercoaster ( u do rollercoaster with ur hand) Sweet sweet baby sweet sweet dont let me go ( u do a and X with only two hands) Shimme Shimme Cocoa puff shimme shimme raaaw (u flip ur hair) shimme shimme cocoa puff shimme shimme raaaw mamamama sick in bed she called the docter and the docter said lets get the rythem of the head ding dong (repeat) lets get the rythem of the hands (repeat) lets get the rythem on the feet"

**
6. Ian Martinez, 2013
"I did it different than the Australian version but i live in the USA so what do you expect!!!!!!"

**
7. Noelle Romero, 2013
"We did it differently when I was in elementary. I live in the U.S,"

**
8. ChildoftheUniverse, May 2015
"LOL I love it . I grew up in the 80s in NYC and we did it the exact same way. It's amazing and I love that you kids are still doing this nowadays. Great job :-)"

****
Example #2: How to play the Double double clapping game



Kidspot, Published on May 23, 2013

Clapping games are a great way to improve motor skills and language development. Double double is a fun quick clapping game you can teach your kids.
-snip-
I find the comments about this playground rhyme (hand game) to be interesting because, unlike the other examples in this series, it's not the words to the rhyme that are in dispute. The commenters are asserting that the children in the video are performing the hand game wrong (i.e. different from the standard way that it's performed, at least in the United States where the hand game likely originated.) Can't there be more than one "right" way to play this particular hand game?
-snip-
Selected comments:
Except for the video uploader’s replies, all of the comments to date in this video's discussion thread are assertions that the girls in the video did this hand game wrong.

1. Keana Mooney, 2013
"Thats not how i do it"

**
REPLY
2. Kidspot, 2013
"Thanks for pointing out that there ARE other ways to do this, you're right! But that doesn't make this wrong!"
-snip-
There are no replies to this comment or to any other comment that Kidspot (this video's publisher) wrote.

**
3. Vineeta Ishwarlal, 2013
"this isn't the right way to do the clapping part"

**
4. Sophie Malcolm, 2013
"That isn't proper double is hands clenched"

**
REPLY
5. Kidspot, 2013
"Thanks for watching! There ARE other ways to play this game - you obviously play it differently. It's nice to see how different people play it though, don't you think?"

**
6. Hannah Castleton, 2014
"its wrong"

**
7. Courtney Craker, 2014
"That's wrong, it should be double, double with fists.. this this is your palms, and that that is the back of your hands

and its
double
double
this
this
double
double
that
that
double
this
double
that
double
double
this
that"

**
REPLY
8. diana Gonzalez, May 2015
"Your right that's how you do it"

**
9. Liena Dilone, 2014
"Not right fist is double"
-snip-
This comment is likely punctuated as [That is] Not right. [You make a] fist [on the word] double.

**
10. alwaysminecraft, 2014
"fist fist. pat backward 2 times , pat 2 times,fist then backward pat,backward pat then pat"

**
11. Chloe Sloger, May 2015
"you guys do it wrong learn the right way or dont do it at all"

**
12. Kidspot, May 2015
"+Chloe Sloger why do you think it is wrong? We are in Aussie, it may be slightly different around the world?"

****
Example #3: Welcome to McDonald's Hand Game | The Ciera and Olivia Show | July 28, 2014



Ciera and Olivia Show, Published on Jul 28, 2014

Welcome to McDonald's! Can I take your order? LOL Tell us if you like or ever heard of our hand game. Let us know if you'd like to see more of our hand games.
-snip-
Selected comments:
1.CanadianQueen76, 2014
"I have never heard of this hand game."

**
REPLY
2. Ciera and Olivia Show, 2014
"Olivia's friend made it up"
-snip-
In my (admittedly informal, mostly online) research of contemporary English language playground rhymes I've found that children will often claim that they made up a rhyme if they use even slightly different words for that rhyme. "Making up" a rhyme doesn't mean making it up "from scratch" (without there being any previous example that is somewhat changed by adding or subtracting words and/or actions.) And if a child believes that she or he made up a rhyme, then it's likely that child would think that her or his version of that rhyme wouldn't be wrong - since that version is the "original" form of that rhyme.

**
3. Naquia sutton, 2015
"I've heard of it but me and my friends do it a different way"

**
4. MLP K&B, 2015
"We do this to but we play it different. It goes with a different hand movement and it really hard and fast. You have to snap and hit your hips and stuff but I got it now. This is ours.

Welcome to McDonald's may I take your order,
Yes, you may. Yes you may.

I want a Big Mac, curly fries,
Soda pop and apple pie,
A Million dollars and a really cute guy,
(Clap, snap) To Go!!!

:3"
-snip-
":3" is a symbol for "smile"

**
5. Heather Vaniwarden, 2015
"That s not how you do it but I love how u do it love u😽"

**
janiah Simone, 2015
"I heard of the game McDonald's and I know how to do it but u did it wrong"

**
6. Melissa Brown, 2015
"That's not how it goes. It goes like this. Welcome to McDonalds May I take you order Yes I would like a Big fat falaya fish Quarter pound French fry Icee cold a milkshake Sunday is an apple pie "

**
REPLY
7. Bl4ckSting, 2015
"+Melissa Brown everyone can do it a different way"

**
8. The cool girl 😎😎, 2015
"Omg not trying to be mean but that's not how to play"

**
REPLY
9. Ciera and Olivia Show, 2015
"+The cool girl 😎😎 How do you play it?"
-snip-
As of this date, there's no published response to that question.
UPDATE: On February 28, as a result of YouTube's ban on comments on most YouTube videos featuring children under 13 years of age, all of the comments in this discussion thread (and every other discussion thread for videos in this post) have been deleted.

**
10. Taylor Nelson, 2015
"Sorry girls thats not how u play"

****
[Added November 7, 2019]

How to play Apple on a stick clapping game



Kidspot, May 23, 2013

Clapping games are a great way to improve motor skills and language development. Apple on a stick is a fun clapping game you can teach your kids.

Apple on a stick makes me sick

makes my heart go two-46

Not because you're dirty, not because you're clean

Not because you kissed a boy behind a magazine

Girls, boys, having fun

Here comes a cat with an annoying hum

It can suibble it can squabble it can even do the splits

But I betcha, I betcha, you can do this

Close your eyes and count to 10

(close eyes)

If you stuff it up you're a big fat hen

1-2-3-4-5-6-7-8-9-10

You didn't stuff it up so you're my best friend
Hints and tips:

The game is made up of a few moves, repeated over and over in the same sequence. Watch the video to see the moves in slow motion.

1. Hands together, swish hands with other player.

2. Keep hands together, clap each outer hand to the middle.

3. Clap your outer hand to the other player's outer hand. Do it above your joined together hands.

4. Clap each outer hand to the middle.

5. Take outer hands, go under joined hands in middle and grab hands cross-ways. Let go.

6. Grab over hands together cross-ways and pat your hip twice with your free hand.

7. Take same hand (from hip) click it in the air twice then ...

8. Slap that hand together front-ways in the middle.

9. Slap that hand backs together in the middle.

10. Each player puts their hands together again and ... swish, start again.
-snip-
Here are several comments in which the commenters share the way they say or perform this rhyme, but don't assert that other ways of saying or doing this rhyme are wrong.

I added these comments which I had saved some time ago because they were deleted along with millions of other comments because of YouTube's February 2019 ban against posting comments to videos that feature children under 13 years old.

Florence S, 2017
"Never knew there were so much different ways to sing it till i scrolled through the comments, lol. Mines
"Apple on a stick, makes me sick. Makes my heart beat 2,40,6. Not because you're dirty not because you're clean. Not because you kissed a boy behind a magazine. Boys, girls, having fun. Here comes a lady with a pickle up her bum. She can do the cartwheel she can do the splits, but i bet ya, i bet ya, she can't do this. Close your eyes and count to 10 if you muck it all up your not my friend."

**
Latifa Yakubu, 2018
"I do it like this: apple on a stick makes me sick makes my heart beat 2/4/6 not because you're dirty not because you're clean just because you kissed the boy behind the magazine. Boys boys having all the fun here comes Mike with his tie undone he can do the wibble wobble he can do the splits but I bet you 10 dollars he Canne dae this close your eyes and count to ten if you mess up you have to start again
1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10
You didne mess up so you're ma best friend
BTW I live in Scotland so we use slang in ours"

**
Esther LeClaire, 2018
"I sing it this way:
Apple on a stick,
it makes me sick,
it makes my heart go 2 4 6!
Not because I'm dirty, not because I'm clean,
not because I kissed a frog behind a magazine!
So come on girls, lets have some fun,
here comes a lady with a big fat bum!
She can do the wiggle waggle, she can do the splits,
But I bet you ten bucks she can't do this!
Close your eyes and count to ten,
If you mess up, start over again!
1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 8 9 10!"

**
Paul Somerville, 2018
"I say it like this
Apple on a stick it makes me sick. Makes my heart beat 2.46. Not because your dirty not because ur clean. Not because you kissed a boy behind a magazine. Boys girls having fun now here comes the lady with the big fat bum. She can wibble it and wobble it and do the splits but I bet ya I bet ya she can’t do this. Close your eyes and count to ten if u muck it up ur not my friend. 12345678910. You didn’t muck it up so ur still my friend and that’s the end of chapter ten amen"

****
Thanks for visiting pancocojams.

Visitor comments are welcome.

YouTube Comments About "The Wrong Way" Of Saying Or Doing A Particular Playground Rhyme, Part I

Edited by Azizi Powell

Latest revision- November 7, 2019

This is Part I of a pancocojams series that documents selected YouTube discussion thread comments about commenters perceptions of certain rhymes being chanted or performed the wrong way.

Part I of this post showcases a YouTube video of two young women performing ten "old school" playground rhymes (rhymes that they remember from their childhood or teen years). The featured comments are those which assert that a particular playground rhyme is "done wrong"* and some responses to those assertions. at th. This post also documents selected comments in which bloggers asserts that there's no one right way to say or perform a particular playground rhyme.

Click http://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2015/09/youtube-comments-about-wrong-way-of_25.html for Part II of this post. Part II showcases three YouTube videos of three different playground rhymes and selected comments from those videos' discussion threads about how those rhymes were said or performed. The playground rhymes that are featured in that post are "Down Down Baby", "Double Double This", and "Welcome To McDonalds".

****
EDITOR'S COMMENTS
A number of YouTube commenters write that a playground rhyme "goes" a certain way and that a person "did it wrong". In the context of a description of playground rhymes, how a rhyme "goes" means how it is said (chanted/sung) and/or how it is performed (the accompanying actions that are done while chanting the words to the rhyme). When a person said that the rhyme was "done wrong", she or he usually is referring to her or his perception that the words and/or the actions and/or the tune/tempo aren't those that she or he remembers as the "right" way of performing that playground rhyme.

In the almost fifteen years that I've been researching and collecting English language playground rhymes online I've noticed that an increasing number of commenters are moving from the position that there is only one "right" way of saying or performing any particular playground rhyme.

I believe that the very fact that multiple versions of playground rhymes are available for people to read and observe online is changing the way that children and other people think about playground rhymes. When I was growing up in the 1950s I assumed that the only way that a particular rhyme "went" (the words that were said and the way that hand game was played) was the way that I learned it. Nowadays, thanks in large part to YouTube, it appears to me that an increasing number of people are coming to the realization that there are usually multiple versions of a particular playground rhyme, and that there may not be any one "right version" (right way of doing or saying that particular rhyme).

People can attempt to find out and document the earliest version of a particular playground rhyme or early versions of that rhyme (the words, tunes, tempo of those versions and how they were performed). People can also surmise from observations and reading what were and what are the "usual" version/s of that rhyme is done (among certain populations within certain periods of time or during different periods of time). However, it's my position that variant forms of a playground rhyme (ones that are somewhat different from the "usual version/s") aren't particularly wrong. That said, a red flag about the authenticity of an online example that purport to be a child's rememberance of a playground rhyme if that version is quite different in themes, words, tune (cadence), and actions from other examples of that rhyme that I've come across.

The content of this post is presented for folkloric, cultural, and recreational purposes.

All copyrights remain with their owners.

Thanks to all those who are quoted in this post, thanks to those who are featured in these videos, and thanks to the publishers of these videos on YouTube.

****
FEATURED VIDEO AND SELECTED COMMENTS
These comments are given in relative order based on their posting date with the oldest comments given first, except for replies. However, these comments may not be in consecutive order. I've assigned numbers to these comments for referencing purposes only.

Fun hand games



fatcat123455, Uploaded on Dec 24, 2011

old school hand games from way back.. can u remember any more??? i got like 10 of them
1.bo bo seantin tatin 2.miss mary mack
3. i dont want to go to mexico 4.tweet tweet tweet 5.my mother your mother 6. down down baby 7. little sally walker 8.double double this this 9. ini mini sicilini
10. i went to a chineese restaurant 11. ce ce my play mate
-snip-
Click http://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2012/10/various-playground-rhymes-performed-by.html for another pancocojams post that features this video.

Text examples (the words) to some of the rhymes that are included in that video may be found on pancocojams. Insert the title of the rhyme in the pancocojams search engine to find those posts. The texts to those rhymes can be found on pancocojams pages of my cocojams2 playground rhymes blog http://cocojams2.blogspot.com/
-snip-
Pancocojams Editor's Note: November 7, 2019
On February 28, 2019 YouTube enacted a ban on comments for most YouTube videos that feature children under the age of 13 years. In addition to disallowing future comments, all of the comments that were written in those YouTube videos' discussion threads were deleted.

Since this video features young adults, this video's discussion thread isn't affected by that new policy.

Here are selected comments from that discussion thread. Most of these comments focus assertions that the women chanted or performed one or more of these rhymes "the wrong way" or responses to those assertions.

I've also included an exchange (that I participated in) about whether or not the performance of "I Went To A Chinese Restaurant should be changed to remove the stretching eyes movement that the women did to mimic "Asian eyes".

Numbers are added for referencing purposes only.

1. bubbles bubbles, 2012
"wow nice i remember a lot of these. But u got them but some of its a little wrong but good job"

**
REPLY
2. NubianP6, 2012
"I don't think there is a "right" or "wrong" way to do these...it's mostly a regional thing. Several of them are a bit different from what I learned growing up in Florida, but I still recognized most of them... :)"

**
REPLY
3. Otha Day, 2012
"Agree - there is no right or wrong.....these are part of the folk tradition of music-making, story-telling, game-playing and dancing. As such, they change and evolve.....Growing up in Chicago, I recognize a number of them as variants on what kids used to do in the 60's and 70's. THANKS for sharing them! As a Black music educator and drum circle facilitator it is so good to see young Blacks beginning to make and share videos like this."

**
4. Otha Day, 2012
"I love these! Great job!! my only complaint is to have wished you to have changed the ending of "Chinese Restaurant" so that the stereotyped Asian faces part was excluded or better yet, changed to something that was celebratory and not derogatory. Otherwise, so glad that you shared."

**
REPLY
5. faeriefirefly917, 2012
"No way! Stop being so PC! Changing them would ruin them. Don't be so sensitive. This is in no way derogatory."

**
REPLY
6. Azizi Powell, 2012
"Actually, there are alot of derogatory words (& in this case accompanying mimicking actions) in children's rhymes. And the words to playground rhymes change all the time accidentally because of mishearing or misremembering or not recognizing a word or phrase & substituting that unfamilar word/phrase for another one. So there's nothing wrong with purposely changing a word/phrase that is offensive & hurtful. And if you were Asian, it's likely you'd fine that version offensive & hurtful."

**
REPLY
7. Azizi Powell, 2012
"Just like the "eenie meenie" rhyme was changed on purpose, that Chinese Restaurant rhyme has been & can be.
That said, I congratulate the two girls who made the video for documenting the way the rhymes were when they learned them. It's one thing to document the way rhymes were for the "folkloric record" & another thing to encourage children nowadays to perform them in the exact same way you remember."

**
REPLY
8. fatcat123455, 2012
"well the chinese restasurant was how i sang it as a kid... we didnt kno any better back then to kno if we were singing offensive things... but thx for the comments anywho :)"

**
9. lovethoseplumbs, 2013
"you did one wrong!"
-snip-
“did one wrong” may mean the words that are said and/or the actions that are done while chanting the words

**
REPLY
10. Visha Hicks, 2013
"she didn't do them wrong they change overtime"

**
REPLY
11. The K-POP NERD Fatema Kamal, 2013
"SHE SAID THE HAND GAMES WERE OLD SCHOOL ,SO MOST OF THEM WOULD HAVE A MODERN TWIST TO THEM. LIKE "I DON'T WANT TO GO TO MEXICO". SHE DID ANOTHER VERSION, BUT I THINK MOST OF US ARE USED TO JUST THE WORDS:
SHAME SHAME
I DON'T WANT TO GO TO MEXICO NO MORE MORE
THERE IS A BIG FA[T] POLICEMAN/WOMAN AT THE DOOR DOOR
IF YOU OPEN THE DOOR
HE'LL/SHE'LL PEE ON THE FLOOR
I DON'T WANT TO GO TO MEXICO NO MORE MORE


NOW DO YOU UNDERSTAND???"

**
12. LittleRedBug1, 2013
"some of those hand games r so wrong....learn the right way."

**
13. jaz lor, 2013
"thanks girls!! i was trying to remember them cuz I was teaching my 7 yr old daughter how to play. great job. she was showing me how they play now and the songs have stuff like kissing boys and says that barney is dumm."

**
14. Alicia Wilkins, 2013
"I remember alot of these, but the eenie meanie sicilini one, everyone has different words to it. Still, brought back a lot of memories. xD"

**
15. IAmLorraineV, 2013
"she didn't do them wrong they change overtime"

REPLY
16. Briana Jeanne, 2019
"IAmLorraineV not only over time, they also change depending on where you lived. It’s like that game whisper down the lane. These games were passed on by word of mouth so there are going to be slight variations."

**
17. Amy Carroll , 2014
"There is no wrong, just different versions! Good for you for holding onto these and trying to keep them alive."

**
18. period pooh!1!, 2014
"i went to the chineese market is wrong"

**
REPLY
19. Briana Jeanne, 2019
"Lanny2thicc I think different places just had different variations of the games. Kinda like how different places have different slang and such"

**
REPLY
20. Briana Jeanne, 2019
"Lanny2thicc makes me think of that game whisper down the lane..like these games we’re passed around by mouth so they’re going to change as you go down the line. Yknow what I mean?"
-snip-
It appears that the screen name "Lanny2thicc" was changed to " period pooh!1!"

**
21. william baldwin, 2015
"Mexico was wrong it goes like shame shame shame I don't wanna go to mexico no more more more there's a big fat policemen at the door door door if you open the door he gonna pee on your floor I don't wanna go to mexico no more more more STUPID GIRLS"

**
REPLY
22. Try New Things :3, 2015
"man that wrong they said it rite"

**
REPLY
23. Brianna Winchester, 2015
"+william baldwin Lmao that's the one I'm used to, too. But there's different variations of it obviously."

**
REPLY
24. Faith Paul, July, 2015
"They did it right Caz people learn that song different ways"

**
REPLY
25. Mollie Ralston, 2015
"+william baldwin , ive never herd it that way and it seems by these comments that your way is the uncommon way so youre wrong.STUPID BOY"

**
26. Shelley Coleman, March 2015
"at my school we do 2 versions of shame shame shame the firt one goes ... shame shame shame i dont want to go too mexico no more more more theres a big fat policeman at my door door door he grabed me by my collar then made pay a dollar i dont want to go too mexico no more more more then the second one is .... shame shame shame i dont want to go to mexico no more more more theres a big fat policeman at my door door door he grabbed me by the hips kissed me on lips i dont want to go too mexico no more more more"

**
27. Kristinaisbored, 2015
"I luved to play down down baby but I played it diffrent"

**
28. Joslyn DeRousse, 2015
"The vary last one they did i did while doing jump rope except for the end you say is it a boy,girl,twins or a alien and repeat until you mess up"

**
29. dance stars 52, 2016
"you guys didn't do miss marry mak right"

**
30. Pat Gor, 2018
"Yoll did mommy having a baby rong"

**
31. Cristina Joyce, 2019
"That isnt how you do my mother your mother"

**
32. Gee Idk, 2019
"I did I went to a Chinese restaurant differently
I went to a Chinese restaurant to buy a loaf of bread bread bread. They wrapped it up in bubblegum and this is what they said said said. My name is chicka chicka boom boom I like karate. Punch you in the stomach. Oops I'm sorry. Don't tell mommy. Chinese, Japanese criss-cross apple sauce. Do me a favor and just get lost.
That's the way I did it"

**
33. 10oughnut Donut, 2019
"This prove that my hand game life was a lie when I was younger I would play those game a lot but people showed me those game wrong"

**
REPLY
34. Briana Jeanne, 2019
"10oughnut Donut nah, I think different places just had different variations. I’m from Philadelphia and some of the motions and rhymes were slightly different for my school."

****
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Visitor comments are welcome.

Videos Of Ikoku, A Traditional Central African Dance

Edited by Azizi Powell

This post showcases six videos of the traditional Ikoku dance of Southern Gabon and the Republic of the Congo (Congo/Brazzaville). Some information about this dance is included in this post along with brief notes about the Central African nations of Gabon and the Republic of the Congo and information about the Puna ethnic group.

The content of this post is presented for cultural, entertainment, and aesthetic purposes.

All copyrights remain with their owners.

Thanks to all those who are featured in these videos. Thanks also to the publishers of these examples on YouTube, and thanks to all those who are quoted in this post.

****
The Ikoku dance is traditional to the Puna ethnic group. That ethnic group is found in the Central Africa nations of Gabon and the Republic of the Congo.

Several of the videos embedded below indicate that they feature "ikoku and dimbu". My guess is that "dimbu" is another type of dance. Unfortunately, to date, I haven't found any information online in English about "dimbu". If anyone reading this post could add information about that dance, it would be appreciated.

INFORMATION ABOUT GABON
From http://www.nationsonline.org/oneworld/gabon.htm
"Gabon, a country at the Equator in West-Central Africa bordering the Atlantic Ocean in west is bordered by Equatorial Guinea, Cameroon, and the Republic of the Congo."...

****
INFORMATION ABOUT THE REPUBLIC OF THE CONGO
From https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Republic_of_the_Congo
"The Republic of the Congo (French: République du Congo), also known as Congo Republic,[5] West Congo, or Congo-Brazzaville, is a country located in Central Africa. It is bordered by five countries: Gabon to the west; Cameroon to the northwest; the Central African Republic to the northeast; the Democratic Republic of the Congo to the east and south; and the Angolan exclave of Cabinda to the southwest."...

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE PUNU ETHNIC GROUP
From https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Punu_people
"The Punu, or Bapunu (Bapounou), are a Bantu group of Central Africa and one of the four major peoples of Gabon, inhabiting interior mountain and grassland areas in the southwest of the country, around the upper N'Gounié and Nyanga Rivers. Bapunu also live in the Divenie, Kibangou, and Mossendjo districts of the Republic of the Congo. They are linguistically related to the Eshira."...

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE IKOKU DANCE
Here's information that I found online about the Ikoku dance. Additions and corrections are very welcome.

From https://sites.google.com/site/dancetherapyshistory/gabon "The Pharmacopoeia And Gesture Dance Of Yesterday And Today" by Jean Ondeno Rebieno, Author - Composer - Performer, Traditional therapist, Libreville, Gabon
..."The courtesans dances

In central Africa in general and in Gabon in particular, women's choreography should reflect its femininity and grace and typically the posterior portion thereof is widely and often put to use to magnify fertility, whereas for the man, power, agility and virility prevail...

Almost all of Gabon's ethnic groups have at least a courtesan dance, dance whose choreography performed by a person in the center of the circle and, after walking exhibition will invite an opposite sex person simulating a sex act .

Following the example of Mabumi (Massango) Ekunda (Myene), Malamu (Lumbu) Elone (Fang) Ikoku (Punu) etc .... these dances called courtesans can also have a ritual character (twins ceremony) in coarse songs which are often associated with choreography explaining them. They can be or be part of an initiation ritual, a ritual part of a funeral dance.

The choreography can take on the appearance of a provocative dance for a dance warrior or joy or profane dance.

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From http://www.academia.edu/2703762/On_Dancing_and_Fishing_Joy_and_the_Celebration_of_Fertility_Among_the_Punu_of_Congo-Brazzaville "On Dancing and Fishing: Joy and the Celebration of Fertility Among the Punu of Congo-Brazzaville" by Carine Plancke
October 28, 2010
..."In this article dealing with ikoku dancing among the rural Punu of south-western Congo-Brazzaville, the emotional experience of the dance is brought to the fore, along with the emphasis placed on this aspect by the Punu themselves. Indeed, joy is the concept used to account for the emergence of a dance event and to appraise its quality.1....

1.The transcription of the Yipunu language is based on Mabik-ma-Kombil (2001). I have,however, substituted the transcription -ny for ñ."

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SHOWCASE EXAMPLES
These examples are given in chronological order according to their publishing dates on YouTube with the oldest dated example given first.

Example #1: ikokou



La muse, Uploaded on Nov 11, 2007

clip d ikoku y dimbu
-snip-
This video includes stilt dancing.

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Example #2: Gabon - Dibaku - Ikoku



Seka Moke, Uploaded on Aug 15, 2008

AFRICA FROM A-Z : GABON

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Example #3: IKOKU stanley koumba



bangando77, Uploaded on Mar 9, 2009

pour ceux qui sont loin du pays et qui souhaitent retrouver maman
la nostalgie du bled
-snip-
Google translate from French to English:
for those who are far from home and want to find mom
nostalgia of corn
-snip-
A possible translation in Standard English - for those who are far from home and want to feel nostalgic about their home country

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Example #4: Gabon Ikoku



bangando77 Uploaded on Mar 27, 2009

Danse Ikoku du sud du Gabon. Regalez vous dans la culture gabonaise.
Dedicace aux exilés
-snip-
Google translate from French to English
Dance [from] Ikoku southern Gabon. Treat yourself [to] the Gabonese culture.

Dedicated to [Gabonese] exiles
-snip-
This video includes stilt dancing.

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Example #5: G45 (HEMYSON)



clark ogyama, Uploaded on Jan 29, 2010

Rythme Ikokou!!!!!!!!!!!

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Example #6: IKOKU Y DIMBU



Dolce Gaboma, Published on Mar 24, 2013.
-snip-
This video includes stilt dancing.

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Visitor comments are welcome.

Five Videos Of The Gabonese (Central African) Vocalist Patience Dabany

Edited by Azizi Powell

This pancocojams post showcases five videos of the Gabonese Pop/Soukous (Congolese Rumba) vocalist Patience Dabany. Information about the West-Central African nation of Gabon is also included in this post along with the information about Patience Dabany.

The content of this post is presented for cultural, entertainment, and aesthetic purposes.

All copyrights remain with their owners.

Thanks to Patience Dabany for her musical legacy. Thanks also to the publishers of these examples on YouTube, and thanks to all those who are quoted in this post.

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INFORMATION ABOUT GABON
From http://www.nationsonline.org/oneworld/gabon.htm
"Gabon, a country at the Equator in West-Central Africa bordering the Atlantic Ocean in west is bordered by Equatorial Guinea, Cameroon, and the Republic of the Congo.

With an area of 267,668 km², the country is somewhat larger than the United Kingdom, or slightly smaller than the U.S. state of Colorado.

Because of its oil and mineral reserves and a relatively small population, Gabon is one of Africa's wealthier nations, which is able to protect and preserve its pristine rain forests with a rich biodiversity. More than 10% of Gabon's area is protected parkland, there are 13 National Parks in the country, among them the forested coastal terrain of the Loango National Park, 'Africa's Last Eden' shelters a diversity of wildlife from gorillas and hippos to whales. Lopé National Park consists of mostly rainforest, but in in the north the park contains the last remnants of grass savannas. Akanda Park is known for its mangroves and tidal beaches. Highest mountain in Gabon is Mont Iboundji with 1,575 m."...

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From https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gabon
"Gabon... officially the Gabonese Republic (French: République gabonaise), is a sovereign state on the west coast of Central Africa. Located on the equator, Gabon is bordered by Equatorial Guinea to the northwest, Cameroon to the north, the Republic of the Congo on the east and south, and the Gulf of Guinea to the west. It has an area of nearly 270,000 square kilometres (100,000 sq mi) and its population is estimated at 1.5 million people. Its capital and largest city is Libreville...

It is estimated that 80% of Gabon's population can speak French, and that 30% of Libreville residents are native speakers of the language. Nationally, 32% of the Gabonese people speak the Fang language as a mother tongue.[7]

Gabonese music is lesser-known in comparison with regional giants like the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Cameroon. The country boasts an array of folk styles, as well as pop stars like Patience Dabany and Annie Flore Batchiellilys, a Gabonese singer and renowned live performer. Also known are guitarists like Georges Oyendze, La Rose Mbadou and Sylvain Avara, and the singer Oliver N'Goma.

Imported rock and hip hop from the US and UK are popular in Gabon, as are rumba, makossa and soukous. Gabonese folk instruments include the obala, the ngombi, balafon and traditional drums."...

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INFORMATION ABOUT PATIENCE DABANY
From https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Patience_Dabany
"Patience Marie Josephine Kama Dabany (born 22 January 1944; member of the Order of Gabriela Silang), also known by the names Marie Joséphine Kama and Josephine Bongo, is a Gabonese singer and musician. Dabany served as the First Lady of Gabon from 1967 to 1988. For nearly 30 years she was married to Omar Bongo Ondimba, who was President of Gabon from 1967 to 2009. After their divorce, she successfully pursued a career in music. She is the mother of the current President of Gabon, Ali Bongo Ondimba.
….In 1986 Joséphine and Albert Bongo divorced. Marie embarked on a career as a professional artist, under her new name, Patience Dabany. Her first album was Levekisha. Other albums followed such as Cheri Ton Disque Est Rayé, Associé, and Patience Dabany in 1994. In 1997, she released the album Nouvelle Attitude. The same year Dabany returned to her motherland and reestablished herself in Libreville. In 2001 she released Article 106. Her 2004 world music album Obomiyia allowed her to tour with James Brown in Europe. She recorded an album with Kounabeli in 2005; the song La Connaissance from this album was one of the anthems of her former husband (now using the name Omar Bongo Ondimba) used during the presidential campaign of 2005.

Patience Dabany collaborated with many artists such as El DeBarge, Tabu Ley Rochereau, and Tshala Muana...

She was awarded an Honorary Doctorate of music in Los Angeles. She has composed music for feature films. Having performed at Paris Olympia in 2001,[1] Patience Dabany is one of the most prolific musical ambassadors of Gabon."...

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SHOWCASE EXAMPLES
These examples are given in chronological order according to their publishing dates on YouTube with the oldest dated example given first.

If you know what these songs mean, please add that information in the comment section. Thanks!

Example #1: C'est pour la vie - Patience Dabany [It is for the life]



sweetytruth, Uploaded on Feb 24, 2008

La diva de la musique gabonaise. la Mama ! La seule dont chaque gabonais aime au moins une chanson!
-snip-
Google translate from French to English:
The diva of Gabonese music. Mama! The only one Gabonese love each at least one song!

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Example #2: Patience Dabany - Zain aya



schadrel Uploaded on Dec 30, 2008

Gabon culture et danse

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Example #3: Patience Dabany - Ewawa video
.


schadrel Uploaded on Jun 29, 2009

Patience Dabany, Ewawa. La Mama chante Ewawa. C'est en fait une invitation à lap iste de danse.

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Example #4: Patience Dabany - On vous connait [We know you]



Bl@ck Pok€s, Uploaded on Sep 20, 2010

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Example #5: Patience Dabany : Onkira



MBILASUKU, Published on Sep 14, 2013

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Visitor comments are welcome.

Black Catholics In The USA Sing Gospel Music

Edited by Azizi Powell

This is Part II of a two part series about African American Catholicism. Part II [formerly titled "Seven Videos Of African American Catholic Gospel Music"] showcases seven videos of Black Catholics in the United States singing Gospel music. Selected comments from the discussion threads of some of those videos are also included in this post.

Click http://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2015/09/african-american-catholics-article.html for Part I of this series. Part I [formerly titled African American Catholics...] presents some historical information and comments about Black Catholics in the United States.

Note that the focus of this series is on African American Catholics only and not on other Black Catholics from the Caribbean, South American, Africa, and elsewhere who are now living in the United States.

The content of this post is presented for historical, cultural, religious and aesthetic purposes.

All copyrights remain with their owners.

Thanks to all those who are featured in the videos that are embedded in this post. Thanks to the publishers of those videos and thanks to all those who are quoted in this post.

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SHOWCASE VIDEOS
These videos are presented in chronological order according to their publishing dates with the oldest dated video given first.

Notice that a number of people in several of these videos are wearing kente cloth sashes. In the United States since at least the late 1990s Ghanaian and Ivory Coast kente cloth has become a symbol of African heritage. Click http://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2014/02/wearing-kente-cloth-stoles-during.html for a pancocojams post that is part of a series about the Black American custom of wearing kente cloth. Also notice that there are people who don't appear to be Black in those choirs and in those congregations.

Example #1: St Joan of Arc Catholic Church [New Orleans, Louisiana] 100th Anniversary Celebration



ls3studios, Uploaded on Sep 5, 2008

100 Years of Faith: St. Joan of Arc Catholic Church Celebrates
"Forging the Future from the Struggles of the Past"
-snip-
Selected comments from this video's discussion thread:
Matthew Zachary, 2009
"i'm going to New Orleans for college in 2 weeks. woot woot. im so excited. but are catholic churches there still racially segregated? jw. i hope not, cuz i need a home parish there.

**
J Ashton, 2010
"Beautiful. I'm so glad I found this. As a new Catholic, I love seeing the unity with my own congregation. LOVE THE SONG. I will visit this again, just to hear the song!"

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Example #2: Black Catholic Choir



Jobriga, Uploaded on Apr 27, 2011

The Lord's Prayer (Our Father) as sung by the Archdiocese of Boston Black Catholic Choir.

Performed in the Goddard Chapel at Tufts University on Sunday, 1/28/07.

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Example #3: National Black Catholic Congress XI Day of Reflection: A Retrospective Slideshow



Andrew Lyke, Published on Mar 11, 2012

Prepared for the Day of Reflection for the National Black Catholic Congress XI

Archdiocese of Chicago
March 10, 2012
-snip-
Selected comments from this video's discussion thread:
Jeremiah17v9, 2013
"I get very sad when I see the name of my Catholic Faith prefixed with a certain colour!

There is NO room for this divisive terminology in the Universal Catholic Church!"

**
neenee0949, 2015
"To my dear friend Andrew Lyke, I say I cannot thank you enough for this! To Jeremiah17v9 I say I was privileged to be in an audience with Pope John Paul II and heard him say with my own ears that just as Black Catholics need the church, the church needs our gift of blackness, and this my brother is our gift of blackness at it's finest!"

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Example #4: National Black Catholic Congress 2012



Dale Brown, Published on Jul 20, 2012

July 19 Mass entrance procession
-snip-
Selected comments from this video's discussion thread:
Joslyn Brown, 2012
"I was there and the procession of Clergy at the beginning of each Mass was awesome and spirited, the singing by the choir was breathtaking and uplifting, and the Homilies each day left you wanting more, and were something good to reflect on and share!!!!!!!!!"

**
wcliffordpetty, 2013
"Thanks for posting...My name is W. Clifford Petty and I am the soloist featured in this video. This song was composed by Dr. Patrick Bradley and recorded on my TOUCH JESUS cd. You can download this song from iTunes. The sheet music and the CD are also available on the World Library Music web site."

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barritube1, 2013
"This reminds me of our Mass sessions we had when I went to Our Lady of Lourdes High School in Cameroon. It was so full of energy. Especially during feast days like Easter."

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Stefanie Miles, 2014
"These are Black Catholics who gathered from all over the country in Indianapolis for this conference. My parish was there from the Archdiocese of Washington (DC). This was an AWESOME experience!"

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Example #5: Music in Liturgy - Office of Black Catholics



WashArchdiocese, Published on Jul 31, 2013

Music in Liturgy: Music has always been a part of the worship life of the faithful. The African American Catholic voice is lifted up in praise and worship every time we gather at the liturgy. The exuberant and participatory expression of Gospel music you find in African American parishes is a wonderful example of the "New Evangelization" which the church has embraced. This music is an expression of our own (cultural) traditions and religious life. This diversity of worship practices and spiritualities is a strength of our church. This video touches on one part of how we are "Truly Black and Authentically Catholic".

For more information, please visit:
http://www.adw.org/black-catholics/

Also visit us at: http://www.adw.org

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Example #6: "Follow the Lamb" performed by the St. Columba Catholic Church Gospel Choir



Michael McAlpin, Published on Jan 18, 2013

The St. Columba Catholic Church Gospel Choir visited Saint Mary's on Jan. 15, 2013 to mark the 150th anniversary of the College, the 150th anniversary of the Emancipation Proclamation and birthday of Dr. Martin Luther King. The choir sang a variety of gospel songs and spirituals and liturgical music from the Black Gospel tradition written for the Catholic Mass. "Follow the Lamb" is a selection composed by St. Columba's music director Rawn Harbor.
-snip-
I'm not sure where this choir is located.

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Example #7: Inside the only African American Catholic basilica



The Virginian-Pilot, Published on Jul 30, 2014

Basilica of St Mary of the Immaculate Conception in Norfolk [Virginia] is the only African American basilica in the country. The music director and the rector talk about their unique music direction and worship. Story: http://hamptonroads.com/2014/08/catholic-mass-done-unlike-any-youve-ever-seen“
-snip-
An excerpt of this article is included in Part I of this pancocojams series. Here's a definition of "basilica" from that article:
"The name "basilica" is a Roman Catholic honor bestowed by the pope to a church with architectural beauty and history. St. Mary's, the oldest Catholic church in the state, was built when steeples dominated skylines and churches were works of Gothic art. Its original 1842 structure, destroyed by fire in 1856, was replaced by the current one in 1858.”

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Visitor comments are welcome.

Black Catholics In The USA (Article Excerpts & Comments)

Edited by Azizi Powell

This is Part I of a two part series about African American Catholicism. Part I [formerly titled "African American Catholics...) presents some historical information and comments about Black Catholics in the United States.

Click http://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2015/09/seven-videos-of-african-american.html for Part II of this series. Part II [formerly titled "Seven Videos Of African American Catholic Gospel Music"] showcases seven videos of Black Catholics in the United States singing Gospel music. Selected comments from the discussion threads of some of those videos are also included in that post.

Note that the focus of this series is on African American Catholics only and not on other Black Catholics from the Caribbean, South American, Africa, and elsewhere who are now living in the United States.

The content of this post is presented for historical, cultural, and religious purposes.

All copyrights remain with their owners.

Thanks to all those who are quoted in this post.

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INFORMATION ABOUT AFRICAN AMERICAN CATHOLICS
From http://nbccongress.org/features/history-african-american-catholics.asp The National Black Catholic Congress: A Brief History of African American Catholics
Adapted from Fr. Cyprian Davis, OSB
"Slavery in the Antebellum U.S.

Slavery was a cruel social institution that corrupted the entire history of the United States. It divided the nation. It divided religion. It touched every part of the Catholic Church. In 1839, Pope Gregory XVI condemned slavery in the document Supremo Apostolatus Fastigio, but this made little impact. Catholic slaveholders did not consider slavery immoral, since the Bible did not forbid it. Many priests and religious sisters owned slaves. So did some bishops. Even some African American Catholics had slaves. A black person might purchase a slave in order to be able to marry him or her and the spouse remained, legally, a slave....
Black Priests in the United States

The first African American priests were James Augustine Healy (1830-1900), Patrick Francis Healy, S.J. (1834-1910), and Alexander Sherwood Healy (1836-1874). The Healy brothers were three of ten children born in Georgia to Mary Eliza, a slave, and her owner, Michael Morris Healy, an Irish immigrant and landowner. Healy sent all of the children to the North, where they did not consider themselves as black. James, Patrick, and Alexander eventually completed seminary in Europe. In 1875, James became the first African American bishop, leading the Diocese of Portland, Maine. Patrick was never recognized as black. A Jesuit, Patrick was the first president of Georgetown University-ironically, an institution that did not accept black students until the time of the civil rights movement.

The first African American priest who was known and recognized as black was Augustus Tolton (1854-1897). Tolton was born on a Missouri plantation. Both of his parents devout Catholics and slaves. At the outbreak of the Civil War, his father fled to freedom in St. Louis, where the Union Army was stationed. Later, Tolton's mother fled to freedom in Quincy, Illinois, rowing across the Mississippi River with her three children. In Quincy, they lived in the midst of poverty and deep racism.

Educated in Catholic schools, Augustus Tolton felt called to the priesthood, but no seminary in the United States accepted blacks. Various priests in Illinois tutored him in foreign languages and history and encouraged his vocation. He gained admission to a seminary in Rome and at the age of 32 was ordained there, at the prestigious Basilica of St. John Lateran. Upon his return to the United States, overflow crowds in three states gathered for his first masses"...
-snip-
This article provides information about the history of African American Catholics up and including the present.

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From http://lookablackcatholic.blogspot.com/2012/05/history-of-why-black-folk-aint-catholic.html "The History of Why Black Folk ain't Catholic" posted by LT, Saturday, May 19, 2012
..."The antebellum South was predominately Protestant. Originally settled and controlled by Anglicans, the lower class mass of poor farmers, field hands and uneducated average joes found Baptists to be less ritualistic, more charismatic, and their services more participatory. Most slaves that adopted Christianity became Baptists, solely because Baptists allowed them to attend services or hold their own worship. Catholicism was existent in the South thanks to the settlement of the Spanish and French in Florida, Western Mississippi, and Louisiana. Maryland and Louisiana were two slave holding states with a large populace of Catholic residents yet blacks, whether slaves or freed, were less likely be a part of those numbers. Why?

Whereas Baptists, would accept blacks in services, they often found exclusion at Catholic parishes. [Links given to] papal letters prior to and after the Civil War regarding the Church's stance on abolishing slavery. Unfortunately, immigrant American Catholics (Irish, Italian, Eastern European) and their clergy often were not receptive to the idea of mixing with the black population even religiously. Pope Gregory XVI's letter was not well received by the American Catholic clergy, and was often interpreted as a condemnation of the horrific slave trade and not necessarily the institution of slavery itself. This discrimination led to Black Catholics living in a separate realm of faith; founding separate religious institutes for black nuns and priests since diocesan seminaries would not accept them. Many blacks simply felt more at home in Protestant churches where they could worship more emotionally and unstructured, develop (what they perceived) was a real personal relationship with the Lord and be surrounded by others in their community...

[Prior to and during the civil rights era in the 1960s] It also didn't help that quite like water fountains and bathrooms, Catholic confessionals and Mass services (including Baptism and Confirmation) were segregated; some priests and bishops would not even allow Blacks to enter the sanctuary or accept communion"...
-snip-
Selected comments from that blog post's discussion thread:
Question from a reader:
Deltaflute, May 19, 2012 at 7:15 AM
"I have to point out that even though Catholic churches were separatists so were the Baptist ones. Even today Black Baptist Churches very rarely see white people and vice versa in the deep South. So is the reason more because there were no separate Black Congregations because the white slave owning Baptists wouldn't allow it or because the Church wouldn't? Not trying to sound snarky either. I'm asking a legit question."

**
Reply [from that blog's editor]
LT, May 19, 2012 at 7:57 AM
"Legit question. Of course Baptist churches segregated too. But the point is that in the past Catholics weren't as open to evangelizing teaching slaves or freed slaves about the Church. Protestants at least taught the Blacks about God, from there they could create their own worship services. It's hard to be a Catholic if you can't get into a Catholic church."

**
angelwill2015, May 12, 2014 at 3:04 PM
"In the days of slavery, and in some instances up to the beginning of the 20th century, as a "black" (allegedly meaning your your skin color) you were the religion of the colony that ruled the country. Black slaves in the New World were in a British Protestant colony. It is surprising Catholics in the New World who were persecuted as well, survived in Maryland and Louisiana - black or otherwise. In French Catholic colonies of Haiti, the Caribbean and Francafrique - you were Black Catholic. In the Spanish Catholic colonies of Cuba, Puerto Rico, Portugal, etc.) - you were Black Catholic. This perspective needs to be more global. At one time Spanish and French Catholic colonization dominated the majority of the world.....the Black Catholics of the French and Spanish colonies far exceed the Black Catholics of the US....naturally Blaks in a Protestant colony are Protestant. The US was a Protestant colony until religious freedom was actually enacted into law, practiced, enforced, allowed and embraced."

**
cmskjbbnMay 22, 2012 at 5:14 PM

You hear so much about what Protestant leaders were rightly doing to fight slavery and it's hard to think that the Church was relatively silent. I appreciate the links to the papal documents so I can be better educated about what the Church was actually saying.

It is sad to think of Catholic parishes making blacks feel unwelcome and terrible knowing that blacks were not admitted to seminaries and religious orders.* So sad. Thank God for the growth of the Church in Africa, where a love of the faith, even in the face of terrible persecution, is an inspiration to those of us who might take our faith for granted.

*I heard on Catholic radio that the first president of Georgetown [University] was black, mixed race actually, but I can't find any confirmation of that on the Internet. Has anyone heard that before?"

**
Reply
Anonymous,May 23, 2012 at 11:47 AM
"Yes, cmskjbbn. He was Father James Augustine Healy, also the second bishop of Portland Maine. His mother had been a slave. His father was an Irish plantation owner who purchased his mother's freedom and married her. You can read the story here http://catholicism.org/us-bishop-the-son-of-a-slave.html

****
From http://hamptonroads.com/2014/08/catholic-mass-done-unlike-any-youve-ever-seen
"Catholic Mass done unlike any you've ever seen" By Joanne Kimberlin The Virginian-Pilot, August 4, 2014
"St. Mary’s should be felt both ways – empty and full.

With no one in the pews, it’s a monument of soaring arches, stained glass and carved marble, where your voice instinctively sinks to a whisper – so impressive it’s the only Catholic church in Virginia to earn “basilica” status, chosen by the pope as a special place of pilgrimage.

Packed with worshippers, it’s even more remarkable: the only African American basilica in the country, a place where an overwhelmingly black flock is led by a white priest with Irish roots and the formality of ancient rituals pulses with stand-up-and-shout soul.

...St. Mary’s, known as the “Mother Church of Catholicism” in Virginia, was built when steeples dominated skylines and churches were works of Gothic art. Its original 1842 structure, destroyed by fire in 1856, was replaced by the current one in 1858.
When you think about everything that’s gone on outside its doors – even the Civil War,” [Tom] Bomar said, “and the church is still here, doing what it’s always done.”

But there have been changes inside, too. Worshippers like Bomar once were restricted to seats in the balcony. Like many religious entities, the Roman Catholic Church has a spotty record of race relations. Blacks began attending the all-white St. Mary’s in 1886, but they were segregated in the choir loft.

Three years later, Catholic leaders decided to build blacks their own church in Norfolk, St. Joseph’s, near where Scope stands today. When it was razed in 1961, orders came to reunite the congregations, spurring white flight from St. Mary’s.

Across the country, black Catholics remain a minority. For all kinds of historical and cultural reasons, blacks have traditionally embraced other religions.

In the last census, of the 66 million Americans who said they were Protestant, 20 million were black. Of the 68 million who said they were Catholic, only 2 million were black.

More than 1,000 of them attend St. Mary’s. Many are like Bomar, a “converted Catholic” instead of a “cradle Catholic,” and they’ve brought their heritage with them – the fiery gospel ways of African American denominations.

That union meshes the pageantry, reverence and flickering candles of the Roman Catholic service with a worship style that’s full of movement, flavored by a full-throated choir, punctuated by “AMEN!”

But its essence is universal.

“Everyone is welcome here,” Bomar said. “Black church? White church? Those are just barriers people put up. You recognize a decent person by their character. Anything else is superficial.”

Race is no barrier between this flock and its shepherd. In Protestant churches, where congregations often pick their own pastors, skin color usually matches between pulpit and pew. But the hierarchy of the Catholic Church shuffles its priests around, and with few black ones to choose from, rotations tend to be color­blind.

“Our last priest was black,” Bomar said, “and he got sent to a white church in Petersburg. I like that. It reminds everyone that the pastor does not own the church. It gives a humble spirit.”...

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