pinktoumani, Sep 10, 2008
Malamini Jobarteh (vocals), Pa Bobo Jobarteh (kora) and Bai Jobarteh (drums) performing Kelefa Ba.
Kelefa Ba is a traditional song about a man called Kelefa Sanneh from a part of the ancient Mande empire that is now in Guinea Bissau. He came to The Gambia to fight in a war in order to prove his status as a warrior prince, and died in the process.
[...]
This was filmed at Jali Kunda in Brikama, The Gambia in 2006
The stringed instrument is the kora, the 21 stringed African 'harp/lute'. The drums are two djembe and a sabar...
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Edited by Azizi Powell
This pancocojams post showcases the Gambian traditional song "Kelefa Ba". A YouTube video of this song is presented in this post along with information and comments from that video, from other YouTube summaries and discussion threads, and from other online sources.
All copyrights remain with their owners.
Thanks to the composer/s of this song and music. Thanks to all those who are featured in this video and thanks to all those who are quoted in this post. Thanks to the publisher of this video on YouTube.
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INFORMATION AND COMMENTS ABOUT "KELEFA BA"
These entries from online sources are given in no particular order and are numbered for referencing purposes only.
ONLINE EXCERPT #1
From https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2lTtXYW31K4 "EP2 - KELEFA by Lalo Keba Drammeh" published by
" "Kelefa Ba" is one of the best known kora songs, the song all beginners learn first, and it is in this tradition of narratives about great leaders.
Kelefa Sanneh was from the old Mandingo capital of Kabu, in
what is now Guinea, and the song, said to be written by his own jali, Madi
Wuleng, tells of his death in a battle on the north bank of the Gambia River in
the mid-1800's. The song, like all jali narratives, tells only scattered parts
of the story, but the piece is so familiar to its village audiences that the
excitement is in the way new ideas are introduced or parts of the action
described. Kelefa had come to Niumi at the request of the local king, Demba
Sonko, who realized that Kelefa had little chance of surviving a battle where
the enemy had been preparing for him and tried to send him away on an errand.
Kelefa returned too soon, went into battle, and was killed.
The kora is in the most common tuning, known as Tomoraba. It
is very similar to the European scale but the tempering differs in the third
and seventh, which are lower than the European, and the second and sixth which
are slightly higher.
This is one of the best known and most frequently played of all kora pieces, and here it is an instrumental solo. Amadu bases his Kelefa on three themes, each one of which has a separate title and significance: Kelefa Saane, which is the first piece a kora student learns to play; Kuruntu Kelefa (introduced after four and a half minutes of this track), a processional piece, played when the musician walks behind his patron; and Jato (introduced after six minutes), which Amadu usually plays to accompany spoken recitation. All three are in Tomora Ba tuning.
Kelefa Saane is one of the most popular of the Mandinka heroes. He was a warrior prince (nyancho) from Badora in present-day Guinea-Bissau. When he was young he was sold into slavery for a misdemeanour and hence became known as 'the slave of the Maanes' (cf. the reference in A2), but later he was able to buy back his freedom. Like all true warior princes, he refused to live by anything but fighting, and soon set off for Niumi on the north bank of the Gambia river in order to assist King Demba Sonko in his war against Jokadu. After a number of adventures on the way, Kelefa eventually joined the King, for whom the war then took a favourable turn. Jokadu diviners, however, advised their people that Kelefa could only be killed by an albino with a silver bullet; Kelefa was then shot while lying under a tree.
This tune is said to have been composed by Koriyang Musa, who was personal musician to Kelefa. He was also the son of Jali Madi Wuleng, the 'inventor' of the kora. Kelefa Saane is supposedly the first piece ever composed specifically for the instrument.
Tomoraba tuning.
These two pieces are often played together. They commemorate
Kelefa Sanneh, a famous mercenary who fought in a 19th-century war between the
kingdoms of Nyomi and Jokadu on the north bank of the Gambia River.
"Kelefaba" is traditionally the first piece that the beginning Kora
student learns. "Kuruntu Kelefa" ("Trailing Kelefa")
describes the galloping of horses.
Kelefaba
Mindolo banta, Kelefa la mindolo banta, = The millet beer
is gone, Kelefa's millet beer is gone.
Kelefaba la mindolo banta = Great Kelefa's millet beer is
gone.
Kuruntu Kelefa
Mansa jalo kuma fo baga le, Kari siya jama, a kela man
siya (repeat) =The king's jali (says) Those who talk a lot are many, but thow
who act are few.
Knight.
On one particularly puzzling feature of the Kelefa story
Innes notes that Kelefa is referred to as "Jola Kelefa," implying
that his ethnic lineage is Jola rather than Mandinka. He reasons that the
surname Saane, recognized by all as Mandinka, may have once been a Jola name,
assimilated by the Mandinka when they came to the area. When I enquired about
this same point in 1970, one of the jalolu with whom I was studying explained that
jola in Mandinka means "payer"—one who pays, or in this case, repays.
Thus Jola Kelefa may be interpreted to mean "Kelefa the Avenger."
Duran states that "there is some evidence from the oral tradition that Kelefa [Baa] was the first piece composed for the kora" (p. 17). This is often heard, but it must be discounted, since Kelefa lived in the mid-19th century and the kora was well enough known to be described (18 strings) and named (korro) already in the 18th century by Mungo Park (1969: 213). It is quite true that in western Gambia, Kelefa Baa is the first piece played by beginning students, and it is quite possible that it was known before Kelefa's time under another name.
"Faringbulo" was the first piece of music that
nine of the jalis [of the twenty interviewed] learned to play,
"Lambango" was the first tune for four others. "Kelefaba"
and "Jakaa" were learned first by two other jalis. In addition, ten
of the jalis said they learned to play songs in a set order. Yet no two jalis
listed the songs in the same order."
-snip-
Here are two comments from the discussion thread for this vlog [The vlog shows Zecc Culture speaking in Mandinka.]
" @Zecc Culture is Kelefa Jola or Mandika I have a little bit
confused about his history some Dialli
call him Mandika jola can you make ut clearly thank you"
**
Reply
2. Zecc Culture, 2021
" @Ansou Sarr In mandinka and specially old Kabu dialect
Joola means "the avenger ".. That's why they call him Banora jola ,
or manding Joola , ETC , That means " the avenger of Banora etc ... he is he is the one who came to avenge , to
fight in order pay back ththeir enemies for the offense ... The word comes from Jo = To pay back , so joola means
" the one who pays back or avenges.
Anyway i will explain it when i do Kelefas history ..."
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ONLINE EXCERPT #2
From https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u6MY3v-WA94
[These comments are from the discussion thread for the video that is embedded in this pancocojams post.]
1. darkbluesoul, 2009
"I am american studying african music, so forgive me if I am
inaccurate, but Griots are historians in the tradition of oral histories. They are amazingly accurate and carry the
history of the region as well as local history, even gossip. The Kora is a 21 string harp made with a
gourd, a beautiful instrument."
**
Reply
2. Fatoumata Brenner-Fatajo, 2018
"Yes you are right"
**
Reply
3. Ebrima Jallow, 2022
"Oral history is not very accurate, but it has some history,
remember they work with kings, the King would possibly try to change to story
to make themselves look better."
**
4. pinktoumani, 2013
"It's called a kora - the 21 stringed West African
'harp-lute' of the Mande (aka Mandinka, Mandingo and Malinke) ethnic group
played by members of one of the four Jali or Griot (hereditary musician)
families: Kuyate, Jobarteh (or Djiabate), Suso (or Cissoko) and Konte (or
Conte/Conteh). The drum which looks a
bit like a conga is actually a Sabarro (Mandinka drum) or a Sabar which is a
drum belonging to the Wollof ethnic group of Senegal/Gambia"
**
Reply
5. glamgurl, 2017
"pinktoumani
everything is correct but the mandinka drum is called tang tangu"
**
6. Proman 1, 2013
"I am so proud to know that I have roots in the
Songhai empire. I am so proud to be an
Africa. Griot songs tell stories from
long ago to the modern times."
**
7. Ash1yh, 2016
"Can someon tell me wat is the language for this song?"
**
Reply
8. Fatoumata Brenner-Fatajo, 2018
"Mandinka"
**
9. Afi Bello, 2020
"This is SO beautiful! If anyone can translate this to me
word for word (English/Français) I would REALLY appreciate it! Est ce qu'il y a
quelqun qui peut traduire ça pour moi svp? Merci!!"
Reply
10.
"From your profile, it seems you black/African. I will advise
you to come and visit the Gambia to learn about how this all started. It all
began at time of the great Mali empire, the time of sundiata keita, mansa musa
etc, it was a music dedicated to royalty, kingship etc, the five griots
families later spread to Senegal, Gambia, the two Guineas. If you prefer to
learn the history in English, come to the Gambia, if you prefer French, go to
the other countries I mentioned."
**
Reply
11. Mr. Bah, 2020
" "Kelefa Ba)
"Kelefa Ba" is one of the best known kora songs, the song all beginners learn first, and it is in this tradition of narratives about great leaders.
Kelefa Sanneh was from the old Mandingo capital of Kabu, in what is now Guinea, and the song, said to be written by his own jali, Madi Wuleng, tells of his death in a battle on the north bank of the Gambia River in the mid-1800's. The song, like all jali narratives, tells only scattered parts of the story, but the piece is so familiar to its village audiences that the excitement is in the way new ideas are introduced or parts of the action described. Kelefa had come to Niumi at the request of the local king, Demba Sonko, who realized that Kelefa had little chance of surviving a battle where the enemy had been preparing for him and tried to send him away on an errand. Kelefa returned too soon, went into battle, and was killed.
The kora is in the most common tuning, known as Tomoraba. It is very similar to the European scale but the tempering differs in the third and seventh, which are lower than the European, and the second and sixth which are slightly higher."
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