"Hey Alafia!" - A Children's Action Song Adaptation Of The United States Military Cadences "Here We Go Again" & All You Knuckleheads"

Edited by Azizi Powell

Revised: May 2, 2019

This pancocojams post showcases versions of the United States military cadences entitled "Here We Go Again" and "Hey You Knuckleheads".

In addition, this post provides information about the Baltimore Club song "Hey You Knuckleheads" and the children's action songs "Hey You Knucklehead and Hey Alafia".

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

All copyrights remain with their owners.

Thanks to all those who are quoted in this post and thanks to the publisher of the military cadence song file that is featured in this post.
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Portions of this post were previously published in the June 2018 pancocojams post entitled "The Meaning/s Of The Military Cadence Phrase "Pick Up The Step" & Some Examples Of Military Cadences That Include That Phrase" http://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2018/06/the-meanings-of-military-cadence-phrase.html.

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SHOWCASE SOUND FILE: US army JROTC : here we go again



U.S Army Jrotc, Published on Aug 7, 2016
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Jrotc = Junior Reserve Officers' Training Corps

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LYRICS FOR THE MILITARY CADENCE "HERE WE GO AGAIN" (from the sound file given above)

Here we go again
Same old stuff again
Marching down the avenue
Six more weeks and we’ll be through
I’ll be glad and so will you
I won't have to look at you
You won't have to look at me
Am I right or wrong
[You're right!]
Are we weak or strong
[We're strong!]
Sound off
[1, 2]
Sound off
[3, 4]
Break it on down now
1-2-3-4
1-2-3 4.
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There are a number of different examples of the "Here We Go Again" military cadence online.

All of the versions are call & response. (The group repeats the line chanted by the caller and chants the lines given in brackets.)

The words "go left go right go pick up the steps" are found in some versions of the military cadence "Jody Boy", as chanted with the same tune in this YouTube sound file https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5IXXhd8VRSU :
"Your left, your left
Your left , righta left
Your military left
Your left, your right
now pick up the step
Your left your right your le--eh -eft"."

"Go left, go right, go pick up the steps" are also found in the military cadence "Captain Jack" and probably in other military cadences.

The "go left go right go pick up the steps" words are undoubtedly the source for the "go left go right go pick up the sticks" lyrics that are sung in the "All You Knuckleheads" children's song adaptation of the "Here We Go Again" military cadence that my daughter learned in 1996 when she was a counselor at a children's camp near Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

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THE MILITARY CADENCE, BALTIMORE CLUB SONG, AND CHILDREN'S SONG ENTITLED "ALL YOU KNUCKLEHEADS"
The United States military cadence “All You Knuckleheads" is probably a variant form of "Here We Go Again”.

Here's a version of the military cadence "All You Knuckleheads"
From https://mudcat.org/thread.cfm?threadid=10803
"Subject: RE: Cadence or Marching Songs
From: GUEST,ILUVCOSFORD
Date: 10 May 09 - 02:12 PM

"HEY YOU KNUCKLEHEADS

Hey you knuckleheads,
(reply: Hey you knuckleheads)
You dumb dumb knuckleheads,
(reply: You dumb dumb knuckleheads)
You crazy knuckleheads
(reply: You crazy knuckleheads)
Marching down this avenue
(reply: Marching down this avenue)
...(number, starting with ten) more miles and we'll be through
(reply:... more miles and we'll be through)
Are we going strong?
(reply: we're strong)
Am I right or wrong?
(reply: You're right)
Sound off
(reply: One, two)
Round off
(reply: Three, four)
Turn em all around and bring em back down now
(reply: 4,3,2,1 4,3,2,1)

Keep repeating that, changing the number of miles each time, going down from ten to zero =)

Hope that helps! Xxx"

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BALTIMORE CLUB SONG
The Baltimore Club song "All You Knuckleheads was recorded by Big Ria in 1996. That song uses the tune and the first portion of the "All You Knuckleheads" military cadence. A sound file of Big Ria's "All You Knucklehead"
is found at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=svqRtjtrFwE. The portion of the song that is lifted from the military cadence occurs in the first few seconds of this YouTube sound file (from .03-.13) and then also from 1:07-1:12 in that sound file.

WARNING: The rapper says the word “b*tch” right after the second iteration of that “Hey you knucklehead” line. That is the only expletive in this sound file.

There are other versions of the children's camp song "Hey (or "All") You Knuckleheads". Click https://www.uscsd.k12.pa.us/cms/lib/PA01000033/Centricity/Domain/342/Campfire_Sing.pdf" for the words to a Campfire version of that song. However, neither version of the military cadence posted on Mudcat forum that is quoted above nor the Campfire version include the words "pick up the sticks" or "pick up the step".

My daughter Tazi Hughes learned "All You Knuckleheads" in the summer of 1996/1997 when she was a Camp counselor at Lillian Taylor (summer) Camp near Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. I think it's likely that the Lillian Taylor camp song may have been adapted from the 1996 Baltimore Club song "Hey You Knuckle Heads" that was performed by Big Ria. However, the version of "All You Knuckleheads" that was sung in that camp is closer to the beginning of the military cadence with that name.

After my daughter Tazi shared that song with me, I changed the words “All You Knuckleheads” to “Hey Alafia*” and retained most of the rest of the song's words and their accompanying movements. Tazi and I then taught that song to the children’s game song group called Alafia Children’s Ensemble that we had founded and led from 1997 to 2004 in two locations in the Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania area as well as special programming sessions in a number of mostly Black communities in Pittsburgh.  Unfortunately, I don't have any sound files or videos of  Alafia Children's Ensemble groups or special programming sessions.

*“Alafia” (ah-LAH-fee-ah) is a Nigeria, West Africa (Hausa language and Yoruba language word that is usually translated in English as “Hello” or “Welcome”. Because we used the word “Alafia” as a group name, when another group sings this song, that group could change the word “Alafia” to the name of their group -for instance, “Hey, Dilworth” [school name] or the name of the city where the children live.

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LYRICS FOR "HEY ALAFIA"
Caller - Hey Alafia
Group- Hey Alafia
Caller - Let’s sing, Alafia
Group- Let’s sing, Alafia
Caller - Marching down the avenue
Group - Marching down the avenue
Caller - Five* more miles and we’ll be through
Group- Five more miles and we’ll be through
Caller -Go left, go left
Group -Go left, go left
Caller-Go left, right, left
Group- Go left, right, left
Caller - Go left, go right
Go pick up the sticks
Go left, go right, go left [clap clap]
Group- Go left, go right
Go pick up the sticks
Go left, go right, go left [clap clap]

Repeat from the beginning, counting down to “no more miles”

Caller - Hey Alafia
Group- Hey Alafia
Caller - Let’s sing, Alafia
Group- Let’s sing, Alafia
Caller - Marching down the avenue
Group -Marching down the avenue
Caller – No more miles so we are through
Group- No more miles so we are through
Caller - Go left, go left
Group -Go left, go left
Caller- Go left, right, left
Group- Go left, right, left
Caller - Go left, go right
Go pick up the sticks
Go left, go right, go left [clap clap]
Group- Go left, go right
Go pick up the sticks
Go left, go right, go left [clap clap]

*The caller can choose any number of miles from 2 to 10.

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PERFORMANCE INSTRUCTIONS FOR "HEY ALAFIA"
The group forms a vertical line behind the designated caller. The caller moves in a zig zag line around the performance space.

The group repeats the caller’s words as they follow the caller’s movements:
When the caller sings the number of miles (for instance, “Five more miles and we’ll be through”), she [or he] holds up the number of fingers with her (his) hand/s.

When the caller sings, “go left, go left”, she (he) steps to the left.

When the caller sings, “go left, right, left”, she (he) steps to the left, then to the right, and then to the left.

When teaching this song, the caller explains that the line “go left, go, right, go pick up the sticks” is tricky, and the group has to wait until after she (or he) claps two times at the end before they sing their part.

When the caller sings, “go, left, go right, go pick up the sticks”, the caller moves to the left, then moves to the right, and then bends down and imitates picking up sticks off the ground.

On the line “no more miles so we are through”, the caller makes a zero sign with her (his) hands.

Note: When my daughter Tazi teaches this chant, she elongates the word "avenue" so that it's pronounced something like "avenuuue".

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Visitor comments are welcome.

Two YouTube Videos Of Baba Olatunji Drumming Fanga (with selected comments)

Edited by Azizi Powell

This is Part III of a three part pancocojams series on the song "Funga Alafia".

Selected comments from these videos' discussion threads are also included in this post.

Part III showcases two YouTube videos of Nigerian master drummer Babatunde Olatunji performing "Fanga".

Click https://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2019/04/the-real-origin-of-song-funga-alafia.html for Part I of this pancocojams series. Part I corrects widely found misinformation about the provenance (origin/source) of the song "Funga Alafia".

Click https://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2019/04/three-youtube-videos-of-funga-alafia.html for Part II of this series. Part II showcases some video examples of "Funga Alafia" songs and/or dances.

Selected comments from these videos' discussion threads are also included in this post.

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The content of this post is presented for historical and cultural information.

All copyrights remain with their owners.

Thanks to Baba Olatunji for their musical legacy. Thanks also to all those who are featured in these videos and thanks to all those who are quoted in this post. In addition, thanks to the publishers of these videos on YouTube.

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SHOWCASE VIDEOS
Video #1: Baba Olatunji plays Fanga



D Kern, Published on Mar 22, 2011

Baba Olatunji and the dancers and drummers from our class perform Fanga at Omega Institute in August of 1993.
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Here are selected comments from that video's discussion thread. with numbers given for referencing purposes only:
1. Aurora Baucum, 2011
"whats with the gaps of ugly sound?"

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REPLY
D Kern, 2013
"The tape that I digitized it from had those gaps. We felt lucky that we had a record of our wonderful time there with Baba at all : )"

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3. Prestigeroka, 2016
"I'd like to use this video as part of a research project for university, but wondered how to verify whether this is the same 'Fanga' dance pearl primus brought to America.
And also who were these dancers?, Where were they from, a regular class, troupe, social club...? Who were the teachers of the class? and .
I would love to highlight this video as its one of the rare videos containing the great Baba Olatunji accompanied by amazing dnacers, but without certain information this Beautiful video will just become another archive :(

Any help would be GREATLy appreciated x"

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REPLY
4. Debby Kern, 2016
"Baba Olatunji was the drumming teacher. Alaliday ---- was our dance teacher. I believe they said the dance originated in Liberia. It was all the dancers who took the workshop at Omega that year. The only professional was the teacher. Lots of fun though!"
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As documented in Part I of this 2019 pancocojams series, Funga Alafia dances that have been performed in the United States are adaptations of the Vai (Liberian) Fanga dance.

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Video #2: Babatunde African Drum Performance.



derbeno, Published on Apr 8, 2007

Babatunde Olatunji interpretation of Fanga, a Rhythm from Liberia
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Here are selected comments from that video's discussion thread. with numbers given for referencing purposes only:
1. NJtoTX, 2007
"Yay Baba, Sanga and Sikiru! I believe this is from one of Baba's teaching videos - they do it so simply. Even then, Baba could not see - he had to be led up to the drums. Aah, but once he was there..."

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REPLY
2. Paul Skiff, 2016
"This is a great outtake from an instructional video Baba did back in the early 1990's. It's Babatunde Olatunji, for those of you unfamiliar with his music. That's the magnificent Sanga of the Valley on the right side of the screen and another of Baba's longtime collaborators Sikiru Adepoju on the left. Both also played on Planet Drum, the full length CD that won the Grammy for best World Music recording in 1991, I think it was. That recording stayed at the top of the charts longer than any other recording in its category.

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3. TheOriginalZeke, 2008
"For those of you who are first discovering him, the great Babatunde Olatunji was credited with founding the "world music" style on his Drums of Passion album (1960). He has influenced many musicians over his career. Google or Wiki "Babatunde Olatunji" for more info."

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4. 1oolabob, 2008
"Ashe, ashe! My spiritual grandpa doing what he does. Thanks for posting this!"

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5. Eyemallfunkedup, 2008
"This was a special man. If only more people in the world were like Baba, the world would be a much better place. Alafia----PEACE AND LOVE TO YOU. R.I.P. Brother....
"
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6. Christina Alava Igbinkeke, 2008
"Now we can see how the Cubans preserved the drum rhythums and where they came from"

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7. dreadywinnie, 2009
"AMAZING! Big UP! Thanxx for this sooo grandiose Video!!
Peace & Love!"

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8. de marco, 2010
"Amazing....
Friendship greetings
I live in Sentul, Bogor - West Java (INDONESIA)

PEACE
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This is the earliest examples of what I refer to as "nation signing in" comments that I've found (as of April 2019). There were very few other comments like this in this discussion thread. Click the nation signing in tag that is found below to read more about nation signing in comments.

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9. Walker Foster, 2013
"But the language of the song is Yoruba, yes? Fanga Alafia..Ashe Ashe? Someone hip me, please."
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"Someone hip me, please" = "Someone please explain this to me [so that I will be "hip" (up to date with the latest information).

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REPLY
10. Gold001, 2013
"Yeah, I know this because I'm Nigerian. I'm not Yoruba, but I go a Yoruba church. The drumming is similar to the church's drumming. Also, even the guy's name is Yoruba, and if you look at some of his performances, they're singing in the Yoruba dialect."

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REPLY
11. Azizi Powell, 2019
"Walker Foster, the rhythm known as "Fanga" is from the Vai people of Liberia, West Africa. The words "Alafia" and "ashe" are from the Yoruba people of Nigeria. (Babatunde Olatunji was also from Nigeria, and his first and last names are also Yoruba.)
However, the song "Funga Alafia" (sometimes given as "Fanga Alafia") was composed in 1959 or 1960 by an African American drummer living in New York City named LaRocque Bey. Bey played drums with Olatunji. Notice that the tune for "Funga Alafia" is the same tune as the American song "Little Liza Jane".

Click https://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2019/04/the-real-origin-of-song-funga-alafia.html for more information about this subject.

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12. Moia Mc Barrow, 2015
"Can somebody tell me the names of the types of drums here?"

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13. Paul Sidhu, 2016
"What's the name of the large barrel drum with the cowbell?"

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REPLY
14. Paul Skiff, 2016
"There is a lot of confusion about that outside of Africa. In the U.S. you commonly hear it called the djun djun, or jun jun. It is kind of a slur on dunun which is what you would hear in a lot of west Africa. Not to be confused with dundun, which is the name of the Yoruba talking drum that is much smaller and hour glass shaped and is played with a curved stick or mallet. The djun djun is the bass drum of the ensemble."

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15. frenelmerisier, 2016
"this is ok. ..but haitian drumming is way better"

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REPLY
16. little mix, 2016
"and where did haitian drumming come from? i'll wait"

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REPLY
17. smiling coast Bah, 2016
"Haha, good point !!!! Blesss."

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REPLY
18. Kate B., 2017
"little mix I swear people in the Caribbean and America keep forgetting..."

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19. Moccio VooDoo, 2018
"It's so similar with jamaican nyabinghi"

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This concludes Part III of this three part pancocojams series.

Thanks for visiting pancocojams.

Visitor comments are welcome.

Three YouTube Videos Of Funga Alafia Songs & Dances

Edited by Azizi Powell

This is Part II of a three part pancocojams series on the song "Funga Alafia".

This pancocojams post showcases three video examples of Funga Alafia songs and/or dances.

Selected comments from one of these videos' discussion threads are also included in this post.

Click https://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2019/04/the-real-origin-of-song-funga-alafia.html for Part I of this pancocojams series. Part I corrects widely found misinformation about the provenance (origin/source) of the song "Funga Alafia".

Click https://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2019/04/two-youtube-videos-of-baba-olatunji.html for Part III of this pancocojams series. Part III showcases two YouTube videos of Nigerian master drummer Babatunde Olatunji performing "Fanga".

Selected comments from these videos' discussion threads are also included in this post.

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

All copyrights remain with their owners.

Thanks to Larocque Bey, the composer of the song "Funga Alafia". Thanks to all those who quoted in this post and all those who are featured in these videos. Thanks also to the publishers of these videos on YouTube.
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An earlier version of this pancocojams series was published in 2011. Click http://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2011/11/the-funga-alafia-fanga-song-part-3.html for that post. That post showcases other YouTube examples of Funga Alafia other than those that are found in this post. Links to Part I and Part II are found on that page. Part I provides information about the history of the song "Funga Alafia" and Part II provides some lyric examples of that song.

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SHOWCASE VIDEOS
These videos are presented in chronological order, based on their publishing date with the oldest videos presented first.

Video #1: Nana Malaya - "Funga Alafia"



The Kennedy Center, Published on Oct 9, 2013

The Millennium Stage partners with the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority to present some of the best D.C. area street performers in a MetroPerforms! Showcase.
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Here's a comment that I posted to that video's discussion thread in 2016:
"Alafia, Nana Malaya!

I'm glad that I happened upon this video of your and your drummers' performance of "Funga Alafia".

I'm proud to know you.

Here's some information about this multifaceted dancer, choreographer, speaker, teacher, and entrepreneur:

Nana Malaya is originally from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. One of her children is movie and television actor Lamman Rucker.

The poem "I Am the Original Dance Machine" (3:20 in this video) was written by New York City dancer/choreographer Bob Johnson, who also lived in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania and in 1969/1970 was the founder of the Pittsburgh Black Theater Dance Ensemble. Nana Malaya was a member of this esteemed dance company.

Ase, Nana Malaya!"
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Here are some additional comments from this YouTube video's discussion thread
1. Jimi Cyber, 2015
"Pearl Primus, (1919-1994),the anthropologist and choreographer of African dance introduced Funga to the USA. "Movements and gestures are a language as Ms. Primus spoke the dance story." Quote from Dr. DeAma Battle of Art of Black Dance and Music."

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REPLY
2.Malaya Rucker-Oparabea, 2017
"I DANCED AND TOURED WITH MS PEARL PRIMUS!!!"

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REPLY
3. Susan Kennedy, 2018
"Jimi and Malaya,I have always had great respect for Ms. Primus. Not many know about her, more people know about Ms. Dunham. I got burned out about this song in the elementary music teaching circles, but remembering that Ms. Primus introduced Funga to the US brings back its relevance for me. Thank you!"

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4. Mattdog2020, 2017
"We had a huge group of African people come and do this at my school 20 years ago."

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5. Bluegirl12865 MSP, 2019
"is it sad that I think I’m the only that had to sing this recently when I’m in 6th grade because all the comments I see are about those peoples singing it in elementary? :/
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There's a lot of comments on this discussion thread and on other discussion threads for YouTube videos of "Funga Alafia" about children learning and singing this song in school. Presumably, most of these comments are from the United States. However, one commenter (on another YouTube discussion thread) wrote that his school sung this song in Norway.

I think this is one of a very small number of "African" songs that are taught in United States schools- which is kinda ironic since this song isn't from Africa.

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Video #2: Funga Alafia



Roxanne Smith, Published on Sep 5, 2014

5th Graders performing Funga Alafia a welcoming song.

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Video #3: Funga Alafia - West African Song- Kipp Academy DC



Callaloo TV, Published on Jul 28, 2017

The Callaloo Team leads a cultural music workshop at Kipp Academy, DC Benning Road, SE Washington, DC

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This concludes Part II of this two part pancocojams series.

Thanks for visiting pancocojams.

Videos comments are welcome.

The REAL Origin Of The Song "Funga Alafia" - Hint: It Isn't A Liberian Song, Or A Nigerian Song, Or A Traditional African Song

Edited by Azizi Powell

Latest edition - November 28, 2024

This is Part I of a three part pancocojams series on the song "Funga Alafia".

This pancocojams post corrects widely found misinformation about the provenance (origin/source) of the song "Funga Alafia".

Click https://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2019/04/three-youtube-videos-of-funga-alafia.html for Part II of this series. Part II showcases some video examples of "Funga Alafia" songs and/or dances.

Selected comments from these videos' discussion threads are also included in this post.

Click https://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2019/04/two-youtube-videos-of-baba-olatunji.html for Part III of this pancocojams series. Part III showcases two YouTube videos of Nigerian master drummer Babatunde Olatunji performing "Fanga". Selected comments from these videos' discussion threads are also included in this post.

The content of this post is presented for historical and cultural information.

All copyrights remain with their owners.

Thanks to Larocque Bey, the real composer of the song "Funga Alafia" and thanks to all those who are quoted in this post.
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I recommend that people interested in this subject click https://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2024/11/the-real-origin-of-song-funga-alafia_26.html for an updated version of this post. That 2024 post contains material that isn't included in updates to this 2019 post.

An earlier version of this pancocojams series was published in 2011. Click http://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2011/11/real-history-of-funga-alafia-fanga-song.html for that post. That post contains additional information about the history of "Funga Alafia". Links to Part II and Part III are found on that page. Part II provides some text (word) examples of that song and Part III showcases YouTube videos of "Funga Alafia" other than those that are found in this 2019 post.

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CORRECTING MISINFORMATION ABOUT THE SONG "FUNGA ALAFIA" [Revised on April 29, 2019]
I first wrote about the song "Funga Alafia" on this pancocojams blog in 2011.

I decided to revisit this subject because of the relatively widespread inclusion of "Funga Alafia" in school curriculums in the United States andin  other non-West African nations and also because of the widespread misinformation about where this song comes from.

Even if people prefer later arrangements of a particular song, I believe it's important to document and share that song's provenance (origin/source).

If possible, it's important to know who composed the song - if not the actual composer/s than which population it came from. It's also important to know what the original words were, which tune and tempo was originally used and what performance activities, if any, where used while singing or chanting the composition.

Knowing where the song came from can help determine the overall meaning of the song itself as well as the meanings of specific words/phrases (including slang and colloquial expressions).

Knowing the provenance of a song can also help instill and reinforce group self-esteem and personal esteem in people from that particular population.

Here's some basic information about the song "Funga Alafia":

1. The song "Funga Alafia" was composed by African American drummer and dancer LaRocque Bey in Harlem (New York City) in 1959 or 1960.

2. The word "funga" is a folk processed form of the Vai (West African language) or the Mandinka (West African language) word "fanga".

3. The word "ase" is from the Yoruba (Nigeria, West Africa) language.

4. The word "alafia" (aalafia) is a loan word in the Yoruba language.  "Aalafia" was derived from the Hausa (Nigeria) word "lafiya" which means "good health". The Hausas derived the word from the Arabic word "al-afiyah" which means "the good health.

5. The tune for the song "Funga Alafia" is from the American folk song "Little Liza Jane".

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CORRECTING MISINFORMATION ABOUT "FUNGA ALAFIA" DANCES
"Funga Alafia" dances may be based on the traditional Vai (Liberian) dance called "Fanga", but aren't authentic replications of that traditional dance. Widely performed Funga Alafia "head and shoulders" movements are contemporary American adaptations that aren't part of the traditional Liberian Fanga dance.

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DOCUMENTATION AND COMMENTARY ABOUT THE PROVENANCE (ORIGIN/SOURCE) OF THE SONG "FUNGA ALAFIA"
(numbers provided for referencing purposes only)
1. Information about Sierra Leonean musician Asadata Dafor:
"Asadata Dafora Hortan (August 4, 1890 – March 4, 1965) widely known as Asadata Dafora was a Sierra Leonean multidisciplinary musician. He was one of the first Africans to introduce African drumming music to the United States, beginning in the early 1930s...

In 1929 Asadata Dafora journeyed to New York City to try and pursue his career as a musician. He was then 39 years old...

[...]

Dafora co-authored a radio play with Orson Welles entitled "Trangama-Fanga" [in 1941]."
Source: From http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Asadata_Dafora
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Sierra Leone borders Liberia, and some members of Assata Dafor's dance company were from Liberia. It's therefore likely that Dafor would have known the Fanga rhythm and dance. In her PhD dissertation, dance historian Marcia Heard indicates that Asadata Dafor was the first person to introduce the Fanga dance to the United States, and he called that dance "Fugale". Furthermore, multi-instrumentalists, writer, and educator Sule Greg Wilson*, who drummed with Babatunde Olatunji, asserts that Assata Dafor was the first person to introduce Fanga to the United States.

Source: Google Books [hereafter given as "Schwartz: Pearl Primus Biography"].

*Read a comment from Sule Greg Wilson given below #2 in this section of this post.

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2. Information about African American dancer/choreographer Pearl Primus
From http://www.vam.ac.uk/content/articles/h/black-dance/:
"[Pearl Primus] was born in Trinidad before her parents immigrated to Harlem in 1919. She worked at the New Dance Group Studios which was one of few places where black dancers could train alongside whites. She went on to study for a PhD and did research on dance in Africa. Her most famous dance was the Fanga, an African dance of welcome which introduced traditional African dance to the stage."

From The Dance Claimed Me: A Biography Of Pearl Primus by Peggy Schwartz & Murray Schwartz:
" "Fanga" was central to Pearl's school, her performances, and her lectures. A dance of welcome that she brought back from her first trip to Liberia it was probably a variation of a traditional dance that she continued to change over the decade." [page 88]
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[information from that book] Pearl Primus' Fanga dance was picked up by other African dance companies in the United States and was reconstructed by them. Babatunde Olatunji was the first company to do so, because two dancers from Primus' company left to perform with Olatunji.

[quote from that book]
"Virtually every black community dance company in America has its version of "Fanga" and most start with the chant "Fanga alafiyah ashe ashe, fanga alafiyah ashe ashe" as its accompaniment. This chant was added by LaRocque Bey, a percussionist in New York in the late 1950s, was not part of the original work. Primus used two other chants "gehbeddy jung jung jung" with a strong, active, insistent rhythm, or "dum dake dake dum dake, dum dake dake dum dum dake", gentler, and with a swing and a sway to it." (Schwartz, Pearl Primus Biography, p. 88).
-snip-
Here's a comment that was posted to a YouTube video discussion thread by Sule Greg C. Wilson in 2011:
From https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dnju7nD5cR8
Funga Alafia, published by Kathryn Nobles on Jun 14, 2009

[This is a YouTube video of a group of mostly White American drumming and moving to a version of the song "Funga Alafia"]
"They were having fun--great! But: what they're doing is not the dance Fanga, which was created by Pearl Primus after her trip to Liberia. Nor is it the rhythms traditionally played with the dance. The melody is U.S.: Lil Liza Jane, with Yoruba words put to it in New York City by LaRoque Bey. Would it be cute for Blacks to do Swan Lake with Firebird choreography? It would be fine with me--if they knew that's what they were doing. Spread culture around, but try to keep it intact...."

****
3. The song/chant "Fanga Alafia" that was composed by LaRocque Bey includes two Yoruba words: "alafia" and "ase" (usually written in the United States as "ashay").

Here's how an African American man in Harlem in 1959/1960 likely became familiar with those Yoruba words: In the late 1950s and early 1960s (and since then) a small number of African Americans practiced/practice the Yoruba religion of Ifa in Harlem. The Yoruba Temple in Harlem was under the leadership of Baba Oserjeman, the first African American to be initiated into the traditional Yoruba religion of Ifa. Baba Oserjiman, a former dancer with Katherine Dunham, was initiated into that religion in Cuba in 1959. Source http://www.bnvillage.co.uk/news-politics-village/99564-south-carolina-voodoo-sect.html

It's likely that LaRocque Bey was familiar with Baba Oserjiman and the Yoruba drummers & dancers (if he himself wasn't a member of that drum group). And it's also likely that some of the Yoruba drummers and dancers were (also) members of Bey's drum company. The community of afrocentric African Americans wasn't all that large in the late 1950s and the 1960s.

****
WHAT IS THE GENERAL MEANING FOR THE SONG "FUNGA  ALAFIA" IN THE UNITED STATES (AND, BY EXTENSION, IN OTHER COUNTRIES WHERE IT IS TAUGHT)?

In the United States, "Funga Alafia" is generally considered to be a welcome song, probably because the word "alafia" can be interpreted as meaning "greetings" or "welcome". The word "alafia" is a part of this song's title and is part of its original lyrics. However, the English words "We welcome you" and other English words as well as the hand to heart and other movements that accompany those words don't appear to have been an original part of that song.  

****
THE MEANINGS OF THE AFRICAN WORDS IN THE SONG "FUNGA ALAFIA" 

THE WORD "FANGA"

The word "fanga" can be found in several traditional African languages. However, it's important to remember that even words that are spelled the same and/or may be pronounced the same may not have the same meaning.

Here's an excerpt from Hillary Sargent's website: http://www.fanga-music.com/myFanga:
"The word FANGA! Originates from the West African Mandingo lingo.
Literally it translates: Power! - It hits you to the core, in its multifaceted, powerful meaning: everybody has his or her own FANGA! - To me it is resilient, not only powerful, in essence the African rhythm in FANGA! inspires me with a spiritual enlightenment which has become the matrix of my soul identity."
-snip-
Another example of the word "fanga" is found in this description of a Malian film:
Taafe-Fanga is the title of a highly acclaimed film from Mali, West Africa. The film is produced "in Bambara and Kaado [languages] with English [language] subtitles", and the title means "Skirt-Power". http://newsreel.org/video/TAAFE-FANGA.
-snip-
Presumably, the word "fanga" also means power in one of those African languages cited above.

Another example of the use of "fanga" is the French afrobeat group by that name. Here's information about that interracial group's name from http://cd1d.com/en/artist/fanga:
"Fanga means 'Force' (spiritually speaking) in Dioula, one of the numerous dialects of Western Africa. This French group of 7 musicians, deeply immersed in Afrobeat - a musical language pioneered by Fela Kuti in the 70's, combining African music, jazz and funk - was born from an encounter between the hip-hop programmer Serge Amiano and the rapper Yves Khoury (aka Korbo) of Burkina Faso."

I've also read that "Fanga" is a Vai (Liberia) word and I've usually seen "fanga" used as the name for the rhythm and accompanying dance which are based on a traditional Vai (Liberia, West Africa) welcome dance. Given those three examples, I believe that it's likely that the Liberian word "fanga" also means "force" or "power".

It should be noted that the authors of The Dance That Claimed Me: Biography of Pearl Primus by Peggy & Murray Schwartz indicate that drummers and dancers in different American companies didn't perform "Fanga" with the same tempo or in the same way. (Schwartz, Pearl Primus Biography, page 91)

I have two theories for how LaRocque Bey used the word "funga" instead of "fanga" for "Funga Alafia" song.

1. La Rocque Bey purposely changed the word "fanga" to "funga" because he wanted to distinguish his song and his beat from other Fanga chants and beats that were being played in the United States. 

2. LaRocque Bey accidentally mispronunciation of the word "fanga" as "funga" and he kept that accidental pronunciation because he liked it.

I lean toward theory #1.

**
ALAFIA (ah-LAH-fee-ah)
A number of online sources indicate that the word "alafia" is a greeting word used by Yoruba people of Nigeria, West Africa.

According to various online sites, the "Yoruba" word "alafia" originated from the Arabic word "alaafiyah" meaning "health" or "good health" and entered the Yoruba language by way of the Hausa (Nigeria) modification "lafia la".

From https://www.facebook.com/575706419187357/photos/pb.575706419187357.-2207520000.1468493353./1067659546658706/?type=3 IFA: Òrìṣa Scientific Spirituality, July 12, 2016 ·
"For many, the Yoruba term "alafia" (also spelled alaafia) is used to mean "inner-peace" and said as a greeting like the use of the Kemetic word "hotep" and the Arabic word "salaam."

In the past ten years, there has been much controversy about the term alafia and whether or not it is truly Yoruba or derived from Arabic.

It is noted that the Yoruba word alafia shares its meaning with the Hausa (Northern Nigerians) word "lafiya" which means good health. They derived the word from Arabic's al-afiyah which means "the good health." When said as "zaman lafiya" in Hausa, it comes to mean innerpeace.

The indigenous Yoruba word for good health is ilera. Hence the popular Yoruba phrase, "Ilera loro" which means "health is wealth."

However, does all this mean that alafia is not a Yoruba word? Not necessarily....

All of this being said, alafia (whether indigenous or of Arabic origin) is not traditionally a greeting as seen in the Arab's salaam. That is definitely an attempt for people to imitate [sic] the Arab's greeting pattern of "peace" instead of learning Yoruba conversational protocol."....
-end of quote-
From at least the late 1960s, some afro-centric African Americans have used "alafia" as a greeting word that means "hello", "welcome, and/or "peace". I believe that "alafia" was first used by African Americans as a traditional African language way of saying  the Arabic phrase "A salaam alaikum" ("Peace be unto you").

Furthermore, for some period of time (at least in 1990s to the early 2000s) some afro-centric people in the United States would say "Peace" as a greeting word, and especially as a word said when they were leaving a person or people. I don't know how widely the word "Peace" is still used that way in the 2020s.
-snip-
Click http://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2017/02/excerpts-from-online-articles.html for a pancocojams post on the origins and meanings of the word "alafia"

**

THE WORD "ASE"

Here's some information about the Yoruba (Nigeria, West Africa) word "ase":

"Ase" is the Yoruba term for "the energy of creation"; "the spark of life". http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yoruba_mythology ; hereafter given as "Wikipedia: Yoruba Mythology"
-snip-
From http://asheselah.wordpress.com/about/whats-an-asheselah/
"Ashe (ah-SHAY, also Ase) – A Yoruba word meaning power, command, and authority. The ability to make whatever one says happen. Often summarized as “so be it”, “so it is”, or “it definitely shall be so”.
-end of quote-

I've heard the word "ase" pronounced "AH-shay" or "ah-SHAY" in the United States* 

*I've heard both pronunciations in Newark, New Jersey and in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

(Yoruba speakers- please share the correct pronunciation for this word. Thanks!)

In the United States the word ase is often (incorrectly) written as "ashe".

In the context of the song "Funga Alafia", the word "ase" has colloquially (and probably incorrectly) been interpreted as meaning either "amen" or "really". With regard to the "really interpretation, some people believe that "Alafia ashe ashe" means "We really welcome you"  or "We enthusiastically welcome you."

****
This concludes Part I of this pancocojams series.

Thanks for visiting pancocojams.

Visitor comments are welcome.

(Ugandan children's dance group) Masaka Boys - "Viva Africa" Video (with comments)

Edited by Azizi Powell

This pancocojams post presents information about the Ugandan, East African children's dance group Masaka Kids (formerly known as Masaka Boys) and showcases their 2016 YouTube video "Viva Africa" ("Long Live Africa).

This post also includes a general overview about "nation signing in" comments and documents some examples of that category of comments and a few other comments from the discussion thread for Masaka Boys' "Viva Africa" video.

A list of nations that these commenters represent is also included in this post.

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

All copyrights remain with their owners.

Thanks to the Masaka Boys for this video. Thanks to all those who are quoted in this post and thanks to the publisher of this video on YouTube.

****
INFORMATION ABOUT MASAKA KIDS
Excerpt #1:
From https://www.masakakidsafricana.com/about
"The Masaka Kids Africana is composed of African children, from the age of 2 and up. Many have lost one or both parents through the devastation of war, famine and disease. They represent all the children of a continent and they demonstrate the potential of African children to become strong leaders for a better future in their land.

The children melt the hearts of audiences with their charming smiles and delightful African tunes, accompanied by vibrant dance moves. Nearly every performance is concluded with a thunderous standing ovation. A marvelous by-product of the concert is the inspiration the music brings to virtually every listener. In spite of the tragedy that has marred their young lives, the children are radiant with hope, musically gifted and wonderfully entertaining.

We rely on the generosity of our extended family — people like you — so we can educate, feed, clothe and support all of our children. Every dollar we save from our performance is also a dollar earned for the continued care of our kids. Our music and dance troupe children will soon begin training again during their school term breaks and over select weekends. Show your support of music and advocacy – it’s so easy to do."

****
Excerpt #2
From https://face2faceafrica.com/article/masaka-kids-africana
"The popular Ugandan Masaka Kids Africana dance group is making headlines once again with a new dance video for the song “Movie Star” by Mi Casa, featuring Eddy Kenzo.

In front of a house, a medley of about six youths dance and sing along to “Movie Star” while the other youths in the frame play football with a coconut.

Similar to Uganda’s popular Ghetto Kids, Masaka Kids Africana — most of which appear to be between the ages of 3 and 9 years old — display their dancing skills for the world to see while their unfazed jajas (or grandmothers) look on in their traditional busutis (traditional dress)."

****
SHOWCASE VIDEO: Masaka Boys Dancing Viva Africa



Eddy Kenzo, Published on Mar 17, 2016
-snip-
Masaka is a large town in the Central Region of Uganda, west of Lake Victoria. The headquarters of the Masaka District are in the town.[2]

"Masaka Boys" later changed its name to "Masaka Kids" perhaps, in part, because of comments asking why that group was named "Masaka Boys" when it included girls.
-snip-
Statistics as of April 26, 2019 5:53 PM:
total views - 3,756,450

total likes - 26,000

total dislikes - 1,100

total comments - 1,736
-snip-
Here's some information about Eddy Kenzo from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eddy_Kenzo
"Edrisa Musuuza, known professionally by his stage name Eddy Kenzo, is a Ugandan artist best known for his 2014 song "Sitya Loss".

Kenzo was born in Masaka, a town in the central region of Uganda."
-snip-
Read more about Eddy Kenzo in that Wikipedia article.

The "Ghetto Kids" are a Ugandan dance group that achieved popularity by dancing to Eddy Kenzo's music. Click http://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2015/08/ghetto-kids-problematic-name-for.html for a pancocojams post about this children's dance group.

****
PANCOCOJAMS EDITOR'S COMMENTS ABOUT "NATION SIGNING IN" COMMENTS
It wasn't until April 2019 that I really became aware of the YouTube discussion thread commenting custom that I refer to as "nation signing in".

"Nation signing in" (nsi) occurs when a person writes his or her nation's name, country code top-level domain [initials], country [telephone] code (iso) etc. in a discussion thread for a YouTube music video with or without any other text or emojis (small digital images or icons).

"Nation signing in" comments serve as "shout outs" (brief public acknowledgements/greetings and/or praises) for a particular song and/or singer/s. These comments document the global reach of a particular song, singer/s, and particular musical genre/s by serving as a "roll-call" of the nations (and sometimes also from ethnic groups, language groups, cities/states etc.) that know this song/singer and are enthusiastic about this song/singer.

Many nation signing in comments consist total or in part of "love, from [nation's name]. However, some comments in this wide category include historical, socio-cultural (including political, and racial/racist comments), and/or educational information and comments about the commenter's nation, region, or ethnic group and more.

Also, a number of nation signing in comments result in other commenters from that nation or from other nations to reply to what was written and/or to (also) share their nation's name.

****
ALPHABETICAL LISTING OF NATIONS REPRESENTED BY COMMENTERS
Here's an alphabetical list of nations or regions such as "North Africa" and "the Caribbean") that are represented by one or more commenters in the discussion thread for the Masaka Boys - "Viva Africa" video (as of the date of this publication)
Afghanistan
Algeria
Angola
Argentina
Asia
Bangladesh
Brazil
Cameroons
the Caribbean
Chad
China
Columbia
Comoros Islands
Costa Rica
Eritrea
Equatorial Guinea
Ethiopia
Gambia
Germany
Ghana
Haiti
Holland
India
Indonesia
Jamaica
Kenya
Kuwait
Liberia
Madagascar
Mali
Mexico
Morocco
Mozambique
Nepal
Nigeria
Pakistan
Panama
Peru
The Philippines
Russia
Senegal
Somalia
South Sudan
Spain
Sudan
Tanzania
Uganda
United States
Vietnam
Western Sahara
Zambia
Zimbabwe
-snip-
I apologize if I inadvertently failed to include any nation or region in this list that was represented in the discussion thread for this embedded video.

****
SELECTED COMMENTS FROM THIS VIDEO'S DISCUSSION THREAD
This compilation of selected comments from the discussion thread for the YouTube video by Masaka Boys - "Viva Africa" [embedded above].

The examples that I selected for this pancocojams compilation aren't all of the roll-call comment that are found in this video's discussion thread as of the date and time of the publication of this post.

Numbers are added for referencing purposes only.

Disclaimer: I didn't read all of the comments in that discussion thread, but I did read A LOT of them. I believe that these selected comments are representative of those types of comments in that entire discussion thread. Some nations are represented by more than one comment in this compilation.

2016
1. dtk100000
"I am a caribbean man and although our music has an african foundation I got really turned on to african music about a year ago and i must say some of the freshest music i'm hearing out there comes from africa. As for the dancing i categorically state and no one dances like the africans. I really is a joy to watch these kids dance. Great song too."

**
REPLY
2. bibolcs, 2017
"We call it "Champeta" in the cities of Barranquilla and Cartagena in Colombia South America passing by also for Haiti Island where they say "Champe", thanks 4 upload this beautifull video, "Viva Mama Africa", God bless those Kids, God bless Africa..¡ Hahahahahahahaha Greetings to everyone from United States of America."

**
3. BigVik
"You can take everything away from us but you can never take HAPPINESS way from us...Africa My Africa... Africa My Pride, Africa My Motherland... Africa My Home....The Great Land Of The Ancestral Savanna....Hey, fellow Africa brothers and sisters out there, i really don't know what AFRICA means to you, but to me, it means EVERYTHING.....VIVA AFRICA.."

****
2017
4. Patrick Lubin
"Im Haitian.... But im so proud that i come from Africa. Haiti little Africa"

**
5. teotonio Marcelino
"Never give up you are in the right way...i am from mozambique and we love so much your songs..peace"

**
6. Mad World Leaders
"Love You My Africa looking forward for a United Africa for more Peace Love and Equality. From Ethiopia."

**
REPLY
7. Godfrey Kaumba, 2018
"Kk Nn I love Ethiopia and br send I nice photos and pages of our history, am concerned rasta in Zambia Mumbwa boma"

**
REPLY
8. Rich Sayed, 2018
"I'm looking forward to as well...U are not alone...I'm from Liberia n desperately looking forward to d day when Africa will un-shelve d ripen pearls of Western dominance....."

**
REPLY
9. traore abdulramzy, 2019
"Rasta tafari"

**
10. Lucy Smith Vegas Castillo
"Viva África! !!!vivan los niños,viva su cultura,cuanto talento, el ritmo lo lleban en su sangre mulata..saludos y mas grande admiración de Perú! !!!"
-snip-
Google translate from Spanish to English
"Vive Africa! !!! live the children, live their culture, talent, the rhythm they bring in their mulatto blood..saludos and greater admiration of Peru! !!!"

**
11. Le Quan
"amazing !!! i'm from vietnam"

**
12. Ashutosh Gupta
"I am Indian... But I love Africa
Vivaaaaa affffriiiicaaaaaaa"

**
13. Ngamting Yanlem
"Love from Asian...Love you Africa. You guys are awesome."

**
14. DJ shafie somali Fan's
"east Africa I came from somalia viva africa"

**
15. Mohamed Tetuan
"viva Africa from morroco"

**
REPLY
16. Yacine Bouziane, 2019
"Viva Africa from your neighbour. Algerian. (Vive. Imazighen)"

**
REPLY
17. Rezene Ftwi, 2019
"Africa only for black people u look like Asian also u know what to do

**
REPLY
18. Yacine Bouziane, 2019
"@Rezene Ftwi befor you opening your mouth. Study the history of north Africa. So you will find great civilization. Called. Amazigh. ( Berber). I'm a mong those ppl I'm amazigh Berber. I give you an example. Like zidane is originally. From my country. Algeria. Is not Arab. He said this already. So brother. We are Africans look. To Algeria. Morroco. Tunisia. Until Egypt. They re African they weren't Arabs there's no difference between us. Black or white."

**
19. Sally Bradley
"You all rock--USA-FLORIDA/WEST COAST"

**
20. Weldon Maddan
"Striking similarity between Jamaican Dancehall dancing and these dance moves. You see elements in Samba, Hip Hop across the African diaspora etc. but very strongest in dancehall -- maybe because of less European influence and the predominance of blacks in Jamaica relative to Cuba, Brazil, USA etc."

**
21. Mhd mahafidhou
"I am Comoros island of Africa"

**
22. Bashir Mugoya
"Viva Uganda,Kenya,TZ,Somalia,Morocco,Lybia,Egypt,Liberia,Ghana,Gbout,Sudan,Tunisia,Algeria,Zambia,Zimbabwe,Ivory Coast,Togo,Congo,Mali,Nigeria and many others...Viva Africa is our PRIDE"
-snip-
TZ= Tanzania

Some of these nations are given in the alphabetical list found above because I didn't read any individual comment from a person representing those nation.

**
REPLY
23. كوش عرقنا و مصر ارضنا النوبة ملوك الدنيا
"Bashir Mugoya No need for Morocco, Libya and Egypt we know they’re Arab invaders... Ancient Egyptians are now called Sudanese"

**
REPLY
24. Villano.
"@كوش عرقنا و مصر ارضنا النوبة ملوك الدنيا nop se african"
-snip-
Google translate from Arabic to English
@ Kush our race and Egypt our land Nubia kings of the world

**
REPLY
25. Yacine Bouziane
"@كوش عرقنا و مصر ارضنا النوبة ملوك الدنيا we are amazigh. African. We are not arabs [profanity deleted]"
-snip-
Google translate from Arabic to English
"@ Kush our race and Egypt our land Nubia kings of the world"

**
REPLY
26. Yacine Bouziane
"Thank you. Brother. Viva Africa. From algeria"

**
27. Hassan As
"viva Africa from senegal"

**
28. LIMMIE DICKENS
"AM FROM RUSSIA. AM RUSSIAN I HAVE BLACK HUSBAND.. I LOVE AFRICA I LOVE BE WITH BLACK PEAPLE I LOVE YOU ALL... GOD BLESS .. YOU ARE THE BEST"

**
REPLY
29. Terry Cherono, 2018
"LIMMIE DICKENS ur welcome to Africa.karibu Kenya"

**
REPLY
30. Neo Kaidu, 2018
"Long live russia"

**
REPLY
31. mejury shiri, 2018
"Love you too💓💓"

**
REPLY
32. Alex pesto Fornite, 2018
"U guys like germany its a cool place"

**
REPLY
33. Kadar HASan, 2018
"lIMMIE DICKENS WE LOVE YOU TOO, TAKE CARE OF OUR BLACK BROTHER, RUSSIA IS VERY COLD hhhh"

**
REPLY
34. NKS 20, 2018
"Africa loves you too! Viva Russia.
Greetings from Mozambique 🇲🇿❤"

**
REPLY
35. paris yally, 2019
"Hi
LIMMIE DICKENS
We love you and your family back!! take care of yourself and your family very well,"

**
36. David Mwangi, 2019
"Limmie Dickens.we love u more.much love from kenya"
-snip-
For the record, it seemed to me that there were more comments in this discussion thread from Kenya than from any other African nation.

****
2018
37. william Amstrong
"Big up ,Youssou ndour,am from Sénégal"

**
38. Alpacino Garcon
"I'm haitian, that's mean Africa is my Roots."

**
39. eL Kaffa
"LOVE FROM INDONESIA COUNTRY"

**
40. GoodLoco
"Viva africa viva morocco"

**
41. easysueburs
"I've always loved Africa. Straight outta the USA. Love you guys."

**
42. JAIRO PEREZ
"Viva Africa!! From Los Angeles ❤️👌🏽love you guys one love"

**
43. Rachel Villarim
"You guys are amazing!! Much love from Brasil ❤️👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻"

**
44. OG ABDI
"Viva Africa From Horn Of Africa Somalia.
One Love Africa❤️❤️ Am Proud to be African❤️💯❤️❤️"

**
45. Kate Okunbor
"From great country Nigeria. I am a proud African everyday and always."

**
46. صهيب احمد
"Mama Africa
From sudan hundred percent african"

**
47. Roman Torres
"From mexican to Africa brothers and sisters"

**
48. كوش عرقنا و مصر ارضنا النوبة ملوك الدنيا
"Viva Africa from Sudan 🇸🇩 😍🖐"

**
49. ganas437
"Love from an African in China!😘😘"

**
50. A K
"That baby girl has a swag 😗. Namaskara from South India"

**
51. Mileydis Alvares
"definitavemente que viva africa!!! aca desde Panamá"

**
52. ZIM FLAVOUR
"Viva AFRICA strait outer ZIMBABWE"

**
53. Yoi21dan Valendri
"Viva África from Buenaventura-colombia={ ī ❤Being black}"

**
54. bhuwan sharma
"Uganda 😍😍😍😍😍😍😍"

**
55. Abdikariim Mohamed
"ViVa Africa ❤ from Somaliland."

**
56. kpop cute s
"This song is my favourite. ...i am from Nepal....😍😍😍"

**
57. baba lin
"Mi home land Gambia"

**
58. Viviane Marcellin
"I love AFRIK
From MADAGASCAR
😘😘😘😘😘😘😘😘"

**
59. Dimisa MIXES
"Amazing 😍
Im from nord africa
Algeria 💚
Ïn love with our country ughnda"

****
2019
60. Kigozi Edward
"Ugandans where are you
me I'm here 2019."

**
61. Andrea Barnes
"Love ,love Africa. One luv from Jamaica. These children dance beautiful. The moves are out of this world. Happy children. This is the real thing. Love you all. ☺☺☺☺☺❤💛💚❤💛💚❤💛"

**
62. mehedi hassan
"hi i am Bangladeshi
.i love your videos...love African.."

**
63. SHARON S
"Love from INDIA💓 you guys are simply amazing 💓soo much love to you💓 God bless"

**
64. Rita tacón
"Eternamente agradecida a Africa,pues fruto de nuestro amor( él mozambiqueño y yo de Burgos(España)) nació nuestro hijo Maravilloso. Viva África"
-snip-
Google translate from Spanish to English
"Eternally grateful to Africa, as the fruit of our love (he from Mozambique and I from Burgos (Spain)) our wonderful son was born. Live Africa"

**
65. Abdihamid Dahir
"From uganda viva africa."

**
66. ምኩሕ ብድንግል ማርያም Kerenawi
"Proud to be African 🤗
Africa mother of happiness💛
Much love from Eritrea⚡"

**
67. Akram Boudrioua
"I love my great Africa
Great nation great continent
From the largest country of Africa DZ DZ"
-snip-
From https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/.dz
".dz is the country code top-level domain (ccTLD) for Algeria (from Dzayer, the local name for Algeria)"

**
68. MD DELOAR dengarage boy
"Woow

I'm From Bangladesh 🤗"

**
69. Diaby Diab
"viva africa form mali i love my africa la terre des mes enceitres"
-snip-
Google translate from French to English
"the land of my speakers".

Another suggested Google translation "ancestres" instead of "enceitres"- "the land of my ancestors".

**
70. Sam tizon
"Wow! I loved it! Viva Africa! Love from The Philippines! 🇵🇭 ❤"

**
71. Fazal Ndeche
"Viva Africa!!! Viva The African Child!!! WIth Love from your Kenyan Brother.... listening and watching from Kandahar, Afghanistan. One Africa, One People. Love you All."

**
72. Horácio Mabuleza
"Viva África from Mozambique 🇲🇿"

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73. Muhammad Nur
"From chad viva africa"

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74. 2PAC MALIEN
"Viva Maman Africa
Viva Mali Bamako"

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75. adama Jallow
"Love from Gambia🇬🇲🇺🇬"

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76. Waan
"Love from half asian half african I LOVE YOU ANGOLA"

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77. Panzo Gonga
"Viva afrika, viva kuduro made in Angola 🇦🇴... je t’adore l’Afrique je t’adore l’Angola 🇦🇴"
-snip-
Google translate from French to English
"I adore you Africa I adore you Angola 🇦🇴"
-snip-
"Kuduro" is the type of dancing that is performed in this video.

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78. Kidane Teklesenbet
"Viva Eritrea 🇪🇷 and viva all of Africa"

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79. ethioGo tube
"Viva etiopia and ertria wz africa"

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80. Buchraia Emhamed Salec
"Viva toda África, viva Western Sáhara, viva Algeria"

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81. Arjun Chkrabortyyy
"I just love it...❤❤❤Africa

I m from India . 😊
But..i like African pepol and love you ......aswome song😊😊😊"

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82. Daniella Extrella
"From Cameroon viva Africa"

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83. tut peter gatluak
"I'm from south 🇸🇸"
-snip-
I think this commenter is reppin South Sudan.

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84. EA sweet
"Talented kids ❤ love from kuwait"

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85. Hashim Said
"Welcome to tanzania we love you too we are the world"

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REPLY
86. Loveness Mfinanga
"Viva Africa i come from Tanzania"

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87. Senay Tium
"when I hear viva Africa I feel like Africa is a single nation !!!!!! but why our leaders are evils .....From ETHIOPIA"

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88. Samiullah Alihaider
"Beautiful dance love from Pakistan.."

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89. Rodrigo Sahagun
"Viva Africa, a brother from Mexico."

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90. mark Ghale
"Hey... IAM from Nepal..and we love African dance and as well as African people 🙂🙂🙂🙂"

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91. Maribel Zeledon
"Viva africa desde costarica bella musica y baile"
-snip-
Google translate from Spanish to English
"Viva Africa, I'm from Costa Rica beautiful music and dance"

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92. Bostonly Mukhim
"I am from India n i love Africa girl because my wife also she is from Africa only."
-snip-
I added multiple examples of comments from India because it seemed to me that there were more comments from India than from any other nation outside of Africa.

**
93. Neusa Reis Batista
"Sou brasileira,mais sou africana de coração!"
-snip-
Google translation from Portuguese to English
"I'm Brazilian, but I'm African at heart!"

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Visitor comments are welcome.

Article Excerpt: "Retention and Preservation of African Roots in Jamaican Folk Music"

Edited by Azizi Powell

This pancocojams post presents an excerpt from a 2000 article by Carter R. Stowell entitled "Retention and Preservation of African Roots in Jamaican Folk Music".

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

All copyrights remain with their owners.

Thanks to Carter R. Stowell for this research and writing and thanks to all those who are quoted in this post.
-snip-
Click the "Jamaican Revivalist Religion" tag below for more pancocojams post about that subject.

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ARTICLE EXCERPT
From https://debate.uvm.edu/dreadlibrary/stowell.html
"Retention and Preservation of African Roots in Jamaican Folk Music" by Carter R. Stowell, University of Vermont; August 4, 2000
...."Religion
"Central to every aspect of folk life are the religious overtones which pervade it. People in folk societies have not yet separated their religious beliefs from their secular activities." This quote from Barrett’s 1976 work The Sun and the Drum: African Roots in Jamaican Folk Tradition contends that it is an exercise in abstraction to discuss Jamaica’s blend of African religions as a "component" of some lifestyle. Instead, there exists a peculiar gravity, perhaps a spiritual saturation, without which life itself is inconceivable. Some of the deepest rooted musical traditions are preserved within the context of religious practice, the ritual ceremonies that are part of this particular cosmology. In Jamaica, African folk religions served this purpose, even in combination with certain Christian denominations.

From 1655-1816, the Church of England made no attempt to Christianize the slaves. This policy reflected the hypocrisy of the Church at that time. Barrett writes, "the masters feared that the preachers… would stretch the equality of humanity before God a little too far." However, Christianity found its way into slave communities through the so-called nonconformist denominations — the Moravians in 1734, the Methodists in 1736, the Baptists in 1783, and the Presbyterians in 1823.

At the same time, a folk religion evolved out of a blend of African religions. The cult of Kumina was most affected by the Ashanti, the dominant ethnic group among the slaves. Kumina ceremonies which are called for births, deaths, marriages and other occasions involve vigorous dancing, drumming, a sacrifice, alcohol (typically rum) and ancestor-spirit possession. The spirit possession is critical. In this state, the possessed becomes a medium for a revelation communicated by an ancestor of the dancer or of the person who called the Kumina. The revelation is taken very seriously. In this way, neo-African cults and religions were a main preserver of music. The spirits are summoned by specific drum rhythms. This major role of music persists in Afro-American cults though the music itself may venture in new directions. As Roberts puts it, "slaves were not musically conservative or unenterprising." The result was a spirit-filled amalgam of Christianity and African folk religions invoking persecution by a fearful, established Church of England.

Christian fervor grew infectiously among Jamaica’s African population from emancipation through 1860 when a social phenomena dubbed the Great Revival swept across the island and across the Western world. Barrett writes, "The Great Revival allowed the African religious dynamic — long repressed — to assert itself in a Christian guise and capture what might have been a missionary victory." The Afro-Christian Revivalist sects used guitar, drums, cymbals and handclapping in emotionally charged worship services. At this point the music is essentially Jamaican, formed through a syncretism of African concepts, dynamism and sounds with European style verses and longer melody lines. So the overall sound might be called Euro/African in Roberts’ system. On the other hand, the energy of the worship service and ultimately the practice of the faith overwhelmingly favors the African contribution.

There is a symbolic element carried by the presence of the drum. The Church of England , had they encouraged Christianity among the slaves, would certainly have prohibited drumming at a worship service. For the Ashanti, the drum is among the tangible connections to an African heritage. The drum is the voice of God and a medium of worship. R.S. Rattray in his 1923 book Ashanti recounts the Ashanti story about the origins of drumming:

The Kokokyinaka is a beautiful dark bird that frequents the forest… Its call is not unlike the notes of the drums. It is every drummer’s totem, they claim clanship with it and would not eat or kill it. Its call is something like Kro kro kro kro ko kyini kyini kyini kro kyini ka ka ka kyini kyini kyini ka. The Ashanti say is taught them to drum.

Drumming is sacred to the Ashanti like the bird to the forest. Its voice called from Jamaica’s Revival yards, open courtyard spaces where worship services convened. Thus African traditions were reformulated, becoming truly Jamaican, and survived with remarkable clarity in the carriage of worship.

Preservation and Letting Go
Why does music die? Musical practices of West African nations and their Caribbean descendants, as discussed previously, are associated with specific functions. As a musical tradition loses its original function, crucial motivation is lost in participants. The music may find a new function or perish. Changes in music or the passage of a form can happen slowly and quite noticeably. For instance, when the younger generations in a culture fail to accept the traditions of their elders, a music which may have been significant in worship or folk medicine is bound for extinction. In the late nineteenth century, these extinctions were globally recognized; academics rushed in to observe and catalogue.

The effort did not begin in Jamaica, of course. Czechoslovakian-born, American academic Bruno Nettl, in his essay "The Concept of Preservation in Ethnomusicology" (1985), clarifies that 19th century collectors of non-Western music were not initially concerned with preservation. Not until students of European folk music wanted to preserve their own folk heritage did it become a practice. Scholars in Britain compiled an immense collection of Child Ballads. In North America, the Works Progress Administration sponsored publications of folk songs. By the late 19th century, music publications emerged to address the needs of the amateur musician. Books were published for teaching while people were urged to play and to dance to keep their heritage alive.

Steve Barrow and Peter Dalton’s Reggae: The Rough Guide (1997) — an anthology of Jamaica’s audio recordings — notes that musicologists recorded albums of Revival Zion music, work songs (called ring play or the ring game), and Jonkanoo. These efforts are generally considered "too little too late". Many of the forms were recorded post-mortem, the music’s function having turned entirely to self-preservation. However, recordings capture just a piece of musical culture: the artifact of sound, of tones and pulses.

Alan Merriam contributed a measure of rigor to the ill-defined field of ethnomusicology in his 1960 article "Ethnomusicology: Discussion and Definition of the Field". Merriam offers a definition — "the study of music in culture or as culture" — with a model of music having three components: concept, behavior and sound. Nettl observes an overwhelming concentration on sound: archives of transcription and recording lacking a sufficient compliment of documentation regarding the when, where, how and why of performances or the styles they have created or represented. To this day, there is no consensus regarding methodologies of musical preservation.

The issue of preservation is further complicated by a search for identity and reclamation of dignity. This dynamic, in Jamaica and also in Caribbean studies in general, leads to an emphasis on the differences between two musical macrosystems, Africa and Europe. While this pragmatic approach is arguably oversimplified, it hopefully lends insight and context to more granular approaches. Nettl’s 1985 essay offers a summarized history of preservation:

Perhaps the history of preservation travels along a continuum, beginning with attempts to make large authentic collections, just for the record, to practical collecting for educational use (in a broad sense), then to the urgent efforts to preserve what would soon disappear, and finally to a realistic, if resigned, way of looking at music as such an enormous quantity of cultural data that only selective samples can be taken and preserved.

The urgency for preservation, manifest in non-Jamaicans, did eventually touch the island. In successive visits during 1919 and 1921, Martha Warren Beckwith collected Jamaican "Anansi" stories from over sixty native informants. Miss Helen Roberts accompanied Beckwith in 1921 to record the music and the "magical effect of song which, at least in the old witch tales, far surpasses that in the action of the story." Among the Ashanti of Ghana, anansi is a spider. Beckwith, in her preface, compares the Anansi stories to the Hare of Bantu lore which became Brer Rabbit in the United States. These folk tales have been interpreted to represent the power of the ancestors to take on animal forms. The exposure of these stories through publication has offered the outsider one more clue reflecting the complexity of Jamaican folk culture which developed with a keen spiritual awareness originating in West Africa.

Closing Thoughts
Hundreds of Twi words of the Ashanti remain in the dialects of Jamaican peasants. A few elderly people sing Yoruba songs in the parish of Westmoreland. Folk forms of the lower class have percolated upward through societal classes, taking on more sophisticated musical elements. As a music is enjoyed by the upper class or the elite, a creole form may be tied to nationalism, evidenced by Jamaican reggae music. No effort at preservation has suspended the rapid transformation of Jamaican culture and music though archetypal connections to the past are concocted, enshrined and challenged.

In the later studies of Captain Rattray (1881-1938), published as Religion and Art in Ashanti (1954), he recounts this Ashanti tale,

Many Ashanti think that the ‘man in the moon’ is a drummer; children are warned not to watch him too long lest they should see him lay his drumsticks upon his drums, when it is thought they would die.

The same moon this evening might stand as a reminder of what is distant and practically imaginary in contrast to what is palpable. Landing on the moon and tasting its soil is not the same as knowing or even understanding it. Similarly, the conclusions of a cultural examination lacking direct experience is, at best, supplementary to voices of the culture itself. Mindful of this predicament, a world community can still benefit from such discourse so long as the ‘man in the moon’, like the Kumina drummers of Jamaica, maintains the rhythm."

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Visitor comments are welcome.

Article Excerpts & Online Comments About Jamaican Revivalists Clothing & Head Wraps

Edited by Azizi Powell

This pancocojams post presents article excerpts and comments that I've found online about the clothing and head wraps that are worn by members of Jamaica's Revivalist churches.

One video of Zion Revivalism and one video of Pocomania Revivalism are also included in this post as examples of some of the attire that is referred to in these articles and comments.

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

All copyrights remain with their owners.

Thanks to all those who are quoted in this post. Thanks also to the persons who are featured in this video
-snip-
Click the "Jamaican Revivalist Religion" tag below for more pancocojams post about that subject.

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PANCOCOJAMS EDITOR'S NOTE
There is surprisingly little online descriptions of the clothing, turbans, and other headwraps of members of Jamaica's Revivalist religious denominations. While there are a number of YouTube videos of Revivalist Zion services, and particularly videos of their thanksgiving tables, there are very few YouTube videos of Pocomania, and none of those videos are entitled Pocomania. This is excluding videos of "Pocomania Day" and other similarly entitled Reggae music videos or sound files, although how "Pocomania members" are dressed in some of those videos provide hints about the attire that is worn by actual members of those churches.

Furthermore, most of the YouTube videos about Jamaican Revivalists have very few if any comments, and most of those comments contain no descriptive information about the attire of those churches members or their reasons for wearing that attire.

I know nothing about Revivalists churches other than what I have read online or watched in YouTube videos. My comments (given below) may not be completely or even partially accurate.

Also, the other YouTube comments that are given below may not be completely or even partially accurate.

The following articles and comments (excepting those comments that I wrote) is my attempt to compile information about this subject that I've found online. Additional information and comments, including corrections, are very welcome for cultural, folkloric, and religious purposes.

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ARTICLE EXCERPTS & COMMENTS ABOUT JAMAICAN REVIVALISM ATTIRE
These article excerpts and comments are given in no particular order and are numbered for referencing purposes only.

EXCERPTS
Excerpt #1
From http://jamaica-gleaner.com/article/news/20150627/spirit-revivalism-part-iii "In The Spirit Of Revivalism – Part III
Published: June 27, 2015; Paul H. Williams
"REVIVALISM IN Jamaica evolved out of Myalism, another Afrocentric religion whose purpose was to rid the land of evil charms and to heal the spiritually and physically afflicted.

The emergence of Revivalism came in the 1860s with two different branches: 60 (1860) or Zion; and 61 (1861) or Pocomania.

Revivalists believe in the Holy Trinity (Father, Son, and Holy Spirit), and they see no separation between the earthly and the spiritual realms.

[...]

Because of the spiritual nature of Revivalism, Revivalists use many artefactual symbols to represent elements of the religion. From their attention-grabbing attires, adorned with sundry paraphernalia, to the objects they use in their services and rituals, Revivalism is replete with symbols.

One of the symbols of Revival is the turban, wrapped, styled, and embellished in a variety of ways. It is one of the most recognisable symbols of Revivalism and has given use to the term 'wrap-head church'. The wrapping of the head and how it is wrapped has many symbolic reasons, likewise the things with which the turban is adorned.

Early this year, Family and Religion spoke with Pastor Henry Hunter of Morant Bay, St Thomas at the first 2015 quarterly conference held at the Zion Headquarters and Jerusalem Schoolroom in Watt Town, St Ann, about the Revival turban. He said the turban represents many things. For instance, Henry said his black turban, which he calls a diadem, represents power and authority.

Turban Colours And Style
The colours and styles of the turbans are based on how the wearers are instructed by angels and the angels with whom that they are working. It is also "a spiritual covering of the head", he said. "Because, you see, as servants of God, being faithful to God, we will come under spiritual attack. It's a war that we are in - a spiritual war going on between God Almighty and the devil," he said.

Family and Religion also spoke with Revivalism scholar and researcher at the University of the West Indies, Mona, Dr Clinton Hutton. He said the influence of the turban is to attract a particular type of spirit. In this case, Hutton said the turban is like an altar, a seal, as it is adorned with objects to induce spiritual possession. In this case, the spirit takes over the head of the wearer until the possession is over.”...

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Excerpt #2
From https://sensejamaica.com/Revival "Revival: From Sense, the Jamaican encyclopedia"
"A distinctly Jamaican Religion created by a synthesis of European and African religious influences. Revival embraces two different branches: Revival Zion and Pukumina (also called Pocomania or Poco). Revivalists are noted for their colourful dress (robes and turbans in different colours depending on the ceremony), for their powerful drumming and singing, and their characteristic wheeling dance to induce spirit possession

[...]

Revival for its adherents is a way of life. Leaders dress in long flowing robes and wear characteristically styled turbans. Members dress soberly with their heads tied turban-style. For meetings, leaders and members will wear clothing of specific colours, depending on the ceremony. Ivy Baxter has commented on the elegance of dress and regalia, and careful adornment of the table in pukumina that is ‘often in striking contrast to the stark appearance of poverty that exists in the surrounding area’."...

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Excerpt #3
From http://jamaica-gleaner.com/article/art-leisure/20150322/symbolic-revival-turban "The Symbolic Revival Turban"
March 22, 2015 | Paul H. Williams
"...like other denominations, Revivalism is replete with symbols, which are subject to various interpretations - negative and positive.

The most obvious of the symbols is the uniforms that Revivalists wear. They are easily identifiable, and are embellished with a plethora of equally symbolic paraphernalia. To complement the mostly colourful tunics are turbans, worn by men and women. The turbans gave coinage to the term 'wrap-head church'. But what is the significance of these headpieces that are sometimes artistically arranged?

They are left to different interpretations based on their colour/colours, arrangement, embellishment, and the occasion on which they are worn. Because of this, turbans and their wearer are oftentimes misunderstood, unintentionally evoking fear or resentment. In essence, there is much negative attitude towards Revivalism.

Different Interpretations
...To Pastor Henry Hunter of Morant Bay, St Thomas, the turban represents many things. He is a long-time Watt Town pilgrim and schoolroom sojourner. He was also in Watt Town for the first quarterly conference. When Arts & Education bumped into him, he was wearing a long, black gown adorned with red and gold cords. His black turban, which he called a diadem, had an Arabian look. A diadem is a type of crown denoting power/authority.

Instructed By 'Angels'
Hunter said the colours and styles of the turbans are based on how the wearers are instructed by "angels", and the angels that they are working with. He also pulled a biblical significance when he said, "If yuh go back to the Bible, when Jesus Christ was laid in the sepulchre, they say the napkin that he wore was folded properly and laid aside. This (the turban) is a representation of the napkin that Jesus wore at the time."

It, he said, also represents healing, and, as a diadem, power, and "a spiritual covering of the head". "Because, you see, as servants of God, being faithful to God, we will come under spiritual attack. It's a war that we are in, a spiritual war going on between God Almighty and the Devil," Hunter explained. The turban then is a protection for the head.

University of the West Indies educator and Revival scholar/ researcher, Dr Clinton Hutton, said the Revival turban is coming out of the Revivalists own belief systems, and that the turbans mean different things. The styles, he said, are influenced by those worn in Africa, East India and in biblical times.

Another reason for the style, colour and influence of the turban is to attract a particular type of spirit. In this case, Hutton said, the turban is like an altar, a seal, as it is adorned with objects to induce spiritual possession. In this case, the spirit takes over the head of the wearer until the possession is over.

But amid all of the symbolism, the artistry of the turbans is very important, with wearers skilfully arranging them into eye-catching, if not flamboyant styles. At Watt Town, when Arts & Education visited, there was a myriad turbans, but it was those worn by the men that were most outstanding, as you can see."

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Excerpt #4
From https://www.my-island-jamaica.com/history-and-culture.html "Revivalism in Jamaica" by Simone (Spanish Town,Jamaica)
QUESTION: How does Jamaican revivalists dress?
"How did, or how does revivalists dress?"

ANSWER: June-22-2009 by Wellesley Gayle
"Revivals attire themselves in many different ways for different occasions.
Fundamentally though, they are mostly attired with a head wrap known to many as turban -some will have various attachments in it, such as a pencil, ruler, candles etc - pleated skirts and blouse to match.

Some revivalist wears a gown as well. Even though some may be attired in this way, there are revivalist who dress like other christian protestant denominations, but traditional revivalist are normally dressed in their turban, pleated skirts or gown.

They tend to wear a lot of African type/print materials as well. (See picture above).

I hope that helps."

**
Excerpt #5
From https://imani.wordpress.com/author/imani/page/24/
"A hollow sacrifice" Posted by: imani on: October 9, 2007
"A Quality of Violence by Andrew Salkey is a strange novel. Set in April 1900 in the eastern part of St. Thomas, a rural Jamaican parish, a large part of its narrative occurs at night and involves long Pocomania rituals. (Perhaps incorrectly, I consider it to essentially be a religion built on obeah, and so I use the terms interchangeably.) I knew little about Pocomania before, only the clothes the women wore when they danced: red and white turbans with pencils inserted at the sides and long, flowing white dresses; and this information is based on an old Jamaican music video I saw when I was a child."...

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COMMENTS
From the discussion thread for "Jamaican Revival in Watt Town", published by Aston Cooke on Mar 17, 2014*
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R0apj4Rybb4

*This video is given as video example #2 below.
1. Patra Harris, 2018
"Hello everyone. Does anyone know the significance of the colors and what they represent? The white red and blue?"

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2. Kemoya Foster, 2019
"In the bible, the Hebrew word for Red is Oudem. It’s actually meaning is Red Clay. Hebrew word which mean Flesh. Thus, it is the root word for mankind as stated in the Bible.
Blue is the third primary color. It spiritually signifies the Healing Power of God. It is the most sublime subject and color which represents, biblically, the Word of God. The 15th Chapter of Numbers, verses 38-41 denote this biblical meaning of Blue (fringe of the borders a ribband of blue). The very fact that the Sky is blue stands for the presence of YahWeh. God’s chosen nation Israel is also denoted as blue from the time of David.In Matt 9: 21, the woman who had an issue of blood for 12 years says “I shall be whole again, if I touch the hem of His garment)- the garment hem is also Blue.
White- Bride of Christ, surrender, harvest, light, righteousness, conquest, victory, blessedness, Joy, Angels, saints, peace, completion, triumph."
-snip-
I think that this video and this comment are about Pocomania Revivalism. If that's not correct, please correct my mistake by posting a comment in the discussion thread for this pancocojams post. Thanks!

**
From the discussion thread for "Lovindeer POCO PARTY Music Video" by Otis wiggan, Published on Mar 7, 2013
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WyV4GS1Kgb0
1. solidrockifcation, 2013
"why do they have pencils in their hair?"

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REPLY
2. Camille Henderson, 2015
"@solidrockification dont know, but its a poco signature. Its from the Africans"

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REPLY
3. Ohene Ifrit, 2015
"+Camille Henderson that's right, the Ashanti people when they dance, they do those same spins. They say me ko, me ba(I go , I come back), jus like wheel and COME AGAIN."

**
REPLY
4. Azizi Powell, 2019
"@Ohene Ifrit thanks for sharing that information about the source (at least partially) of Jamaican "wheel and turn" dance movements. That was very interesting!

@solidrockification, I'm an African American whose only knowledge about Jamaican Revivalism is what I've read online along with the YouTube videos such as this one that I've watched. Unfortunately, there's very little information about Revivalism customs such as women wearing pencils in their hair. However, my guess is that these wooden pencils are worn either to honor ground spirits or to help call forth (bring near) those ground spirits for protection and/or other purposes.

I reached this conclusion after reading several online articles about Pcocomania Revivalism and Zion Revivalism, and particularly this excerpt from https://sensejamaica.com/Revival Revival : ..."Poco and Zion are alike in many respects, their basic difference having to do with ritual and doctrine and with the types of spirits they invoke, Zion deals only with sky spirits, i.e. God, archangels, angels. Poco spirits are the ‘ground spirits’, i.e. human dead, or ‘earthbound spirits’, i.e. fallen angels. ... Unlike European beliefs that see ‘good’ and ‘evil’ as two separate and distinct forces, Revivalists are concerned with harnessing the unseen forces of the universe that are not good or bad in themselves but can be utilized by man for different purposes. "

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UPDATE
REPLY
5. Bongo Zion, June 6, 2019
"Pencil is to do autonomous writing . Spirits move your hand and make you write in a type of spirit language in a book , if on the ground we use chalk. The writing would look like Arabic but it is not Arabic. I am just giving a near description."

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From the discussion thread for the YouTube video "mother Rowe church in jamaica" by Fellowship Redeem Church, Published on May 16, 2011 [This video is given as #1 below.]
1.Carole St. louis, 2019
"Guys this looks like a traditional Church from slavery mixed with a taste of the British colons. The candles and the decor say it all. The ladies are wearing the most beautiful "afranchi dresses" which are the outfit of the free slave women. A few Churches similar to this one can be found in Casemance, Senegal. I definitely agree this is a lot of fun to sing and dance to the beat. The music is lovely and the way they dance is very graceful. Most particularly between a man and a woman. Praise be Jesus!"

-snip-
2. Here's my note that was written in response to that comment and posted on this pancocojams blog post under that video:
Articles that I've read about the two divisions of Jamaican Revivalism: "Zion Revivalist" and "Pocomania" Revivalism usually indicate that "Zion Revivalism" is less African than Pocomania. However, from the YouTube videos that I've seen, it appears to me that the attire worn by members of Zion Revivalist churches - and particularly the women- is closer to traditional West African attire than the clothing worn by members of Pocomania churches.

In particular, in this video and in some other YouTube videos of Revivalist churches that I've watched (including some other videos in this post) the women's attire-including their headwraps (geles) remind me of Yoruba (Nigeria, West Africa) women's traditional formal attire. Less often, some of the men's attire in Revivalist videos (but not their turbans) remind me of Yoruba men's fashions."...

Click https://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2019/04/seven-videos-of-jamaican-revivalists.html for my subsequent comments about dancing as couples in that is found in a number of Zion Revivalists videos. In those videos couples (man and woman as well as two people of the same gender) appear to spontaneously dance together in what reminds me of square dancing (quadrille) swing or promenade movements.

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SHOWCASE VIDEOS
ZION REVIVAL
Video Example: mother Rowe church in jamaica



Fellowship Redeem Church, Published on May 16, 2011

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POCOMANIA REVIVAL
Video Example #2: Jamaican Revival in Watt Town



Aston Cooke, Published on Mar 17, 2014

Labouring and Drilling. Here is a clip of Bishop Ray Foster's Band captured at the Watt Town Revival Ceremony 2014. Revivalism is an authentic Afro-Christian religious folk form that evolved during the eighteenth to nineteenth century.

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