tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5893219718076521675.post4325448748556549706..comments2024-03-28T07:58:41.643-04:00Comments on pancocojams: The Funga Alafia (Fanga) Song - Part 2 (Lyrics)Azizi Powellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14963772326145910073noreply@blogger.comBlogger18125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5893219718076521675.post-22367750864675374702019-12-14T15:57:18.393-05:002019-12-14T15:57:18.393-05:00Greetings, Jenna.
Thanks for your comment about t...Greetings, Jenna. <br />Thanks for your comment about the song "Funga Alafia".<br /><br />As I noted in this post, the word "fanga" may be accurate instead of "funga".<br /><br />I was curious about what Google translate would give for the phrase "akiwa alaywa". The result for that phrase is:<br />Swahili to English : "while drunk".<br /><br />If this result is correct, I'm assuming that your music teacher didn't purposely teach the wrong lyrics. <br /><br />It should be noted that none of the words to "funga alafia" are in Swahili, but are supposed to be in one or more traditional West African languages.<br /><br />Perhaps your music teacher meant something that translates to like "be happy".<br /><br />I suppose one can be happy while being drunk, but my guess is that that wasn't what LaRocque Bey, the African American composer of "Fanga Alafia" meant when he composed this song.:o)<br />Azizi Powellhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14963772326145910073noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5893219718076521675.post-57740889711863822682019-12-14T13:41:15.735-05:002019-12-14T13:41:15.735-05:00I learned this song as a kid in the early 90's...I learned this song as a kid in the early 90's but we were taught:<br />"Fanga alifia, ashay, ashay.<br />Akiwa alaywa, ashay, ashay.<br />Fanga alifia, ashay, ashay.<br />Akiwa alaywa, ashay, ashay.<br />Ashay ashay, ashay ashay.<br />Ashay ashay, ashay ashay."<br /><br />I have yet to see that second phrase included in any version on any website. I'm beginning to wonder if my music teacher just made that bit up. Lol! Jennahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06394870663323413685noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5893219718076521675.post-78579906688157001792017-11-12T18:37:01.317-05:002017-11-12T18:37:01.317-05:00You're welcome, Leslie Pieters.
One Love!You're welcome, Leslie Pieters.<br /><br />One Love!Azizi Powellhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14963772326145910073noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5893219718076521675.post-64679345200607807362017-11-12T14:03:38.517-05:002017-11-12T14:03:38.517-05:00Thank you!!!Thank you!!!Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17701249903239560662noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5893219718076521675.post-7313828422583852762015-10-19T12:30:18.672-04:002015-10-19T12:30:18.672-04:00Greetings, Lisa Saunders.
Thanks for your comment...Greetings, Lisa Saunders.<br /><br />Thanks for your comment. <br /><br />I appreciate the addition of information from a person who learned the Dunham technique under apprentices to Katherine Dunham and Ruth Beckford. (For other readers, click <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Katherine_Dunham" rel="nofollow">https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Katherine_Dunham</a> for information about African American dancer, choreographer, author, educator, and social activist Katherine Dunham) Here's an excerpt from that page: "[Katherine] Dunham was an innovator in African-American modern dance as well as a leader in the field of dance anthropology, or ethnochoreology.")<br /><br />I continue to believe that the word "funga" is an American folk processed form of the traditional West African word "fanga". However, it's interesting to learn that "fungua" means "open" in Kiswahili.<br /><br />Back in the day (in the 1960s and 1970s) in the USA, Swahili was the main African language that many afrocentric Black people knew a few words of. For that reason I wonder if we tended to try to connect many African words and culture to Swahili the same way that some Eurocentric people try to connect a lot of old European culture to the Celts and Celtic languages.<br /><br />If indeed the fanga dance was (is?) traditional used as a welcome dance in the West African culture/s that it is from, it's likely that it's just fortuitous that "fungua" means "open" in an East African language - and that "open" in the context of that dance could be said to mean "our hearts are open"' "our arms are open" in welcome . While the West African word "alafia" has a traditional meaning that is close to "welcome", I don't think that the West African word "fanga" (which African Americans changed to "funga") has a meaning that is the same or close to the word "welcome".<br /><br />It occurs to me that the African Americans who composed the lyrics "Funga Alafia/ ashay ashay" may have meant for each of those words to be followed by a comma as in "Funga, Alafia, Ashay, Ashay". Those lyrics could then be said to mean "Power (life giving force/energy) welcome, Power (life giving force/energy), Power (life giving force/energy).<br /><br />Thanks again, Lisa!<br />DeleteAzizi Powellhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14963772326145910073noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5893219718076521675.post-77592851281420171842015-10-19T00:50:42.768-04:002015-10-19T00:50:42.768-04:00Many thanks for your extensive notes. What a gift!...<br />Many thanks for your extensive notes. What a gift!<br /><br />I learned Fanga in 1971 when I was a student of Dunham Technique under apprentices of Ms. Dunham and Ms. Ruth Beckford at UC Berkeley. I still continue to share it with my students all these many years later. Back then, we were taught that "Funga" was a word distilled from the Swahili "Fungua" which means "Open", hence the assignment of the piece as a welcome dance.Opening the heart and village to welcome visitors.<br /><br />Thanks again!<br /><br />Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10190713825344108971noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5893219718076521675.post-88584593054968967222015-07-09T00:54:37.083-04:002015-07-09T00:54:37.083-04:00Thanks, anonymous.
I appreciate you sharing infor...Thanks, anonymous.<br /><br />I appreciate you sharing information about this post and this blog with your students.Azizi Powellhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14963772326145910073noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5893219718076521675.post-3923621296531892392015-07-09T00:43:20.557-04:002015-07-09T00:43:20.557-04:00Hi! What a FABULOUS resource that is just overflo...Hi! What a FABULOUS resource that is just overflowing with information! I can't wait to share many of these details with my music students at school in the fall!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5893219718076521675.post-57115838245936318762014-03-07T10:33:26.648-05:002014-03-07T10:33:26.648-05:00Sorry, I meant to continue with that "Fanga&q...Sorry, I meant to continue with that "Fanga" is also a particular traditional rhythm played on that drum.<br /><br />But the "Funga Alafia" songs aren't traditional to the Vai people or to any other Africans, but were created by African Americans to celebrate African culture.<br /><br />Thanks again for your comment!Azizi Powellhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14963772326145910073noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5893219718076521675.post-53405967469915332522014-03-07T09:15:52.121-05:002014-03-07T09:15:52.121-05:00Thank you, anonymous.
Yes, I have also read that...Thank you, anonymous. <br /><br />Yes, I have also read that the fanga is a drum.Azizi Powellhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14963772326145910073noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5893219718076521675.post-5730682450749477502014-03-07T01:11:03.132-05:002014-03-07T01:11:03.132-05:00I found a book called "An Annotated Glossary ...I found a book called "An Annotated Glossary of Vai Musical Language and Its Social Contexts" which seems to indicate that a fanga is an hourglass shaped drum.<br /><br />http://goo.gl/uBBjQPAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5893219718076521675.post-15736750377948047122013-09-13T15:08:45.338-04:002013-09-13T15:08:45.338-04:00Thanks, Sarah in Minneapolis!
I like these kinds ...Thanks, Sarah in Minneapolis!<br /><br />I like these kinds of posts because I learn so much through my research. <br /><br />I'm glad you're sharing this research with your students. Azizi Powellhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14963772326145910073noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5893219718076521675.post-37366550056762651152013-09-13T10:26:26.416-04:002013-09-13T10:26:26.416-04:00Thank you!! I have learned SO much from these pos...Thank you!! I have learned SO much from these posts. We sing this song at a ceremony marking the beginning of the school year, and I am fascinated by the rich and complex history of the transformations of the traditional dance rhythm.<br />I will try to pass on what I have learned to my students!Sarah in Minneapolisnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5893219718076521675.post-40403244250974846372012-09-21T07:36:15.247-04:002012-09-21T07:36:15.247-04:00Greetings, Sue O!
Thanks for your comment! I appr...Greetings, Sue O!<br /><br />Thanks for your comment! I appreciate it.<br /><br />I'm glad that groups & individuals are learning this song "Funga Alafia" & also are learning the interesting African American/West African history of this song.<br /><br />Best wishes!Azizi Powellhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14963772326145910073noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5893219718076521675.post-60267858946505226462012-09-20T16:49:14.444-04:002012-09-20T16:49:14.444-04:00Thank you for all of your research. I first learne...Thank you for all of your research. I first learned this song at a music therapist meeting several years ago and have been using it in my groups ever since. The man who taught it pronounced it "foon-jah", and when I looked it up on the internet later I could find very few references to the song, other than that the correct pronunciation was as you wrote. I am glad to have it validated. <br />The sources I found before were also dubious about the words even being of African origin, so it's nice to have that cleared up also. <br />I taught this to one of my preschool groups this morning and they loved it. Sue Ohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17580315531280521167noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5893219718076521675.post-22017981719081364382012-07-06T16:19:16.494-04:002012-07-06T16:19:16.494-04:00Endlich! Nach 4 Stunden Recherche habe ich gefunde...Endlich! Nach 4 Stunden Recherche habe ich gefunden, was ich suchte, die Übersetzung von ashe.<br />Fange-Alafia-ashe!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5893219718076521675.post-49549951826089091022011-12-12T14:18:56.710-05:002011-12-12T14:18:56.710-05:00Thanks for your comment, Boundless Gratitude.
I ...Thanks for your comment, Boundless Gratitude. <br /><br />I appreciate knowing that this post has been read.<br /><br />Alafia to you too!Azizihttp://www.cocojams.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5893219718076521675.post-162812900611620342011-12-12T13:44:05.068-05:002011-12-12T13:44:05.068-05:00Thanks so much! I enjoyed reading this and found i...Thanks so much! I enjoyed reading this and found it quite helpful. Alafia!Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11718461322014638434noreply@blogger.com