Edited by Azizi Powell
This pancocojams post provides information about the Angolan Gospel group Filhos Do Ngana and showcases two YouTube examples of the group's song "Kitoko Makasi".
Information about Lingala is included in this post along with Lingala to English translations of the in that song's title.
The content of this post is presented for religious, cultural, and aesthetic purposes.
All copyrights remain with their owners.
Thanks to Filhos Do Ngana for their music. Thanks to all those who are quoted in this post. Thanks also to the publishers of these video on YouTube.
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INFORMATION ABOUT FILHOS DE NAGANA (Sons of Ngana*)
From https://www.facebook.com/FilhosdoNgana/
"Biografia
FILHOS DO NGANA·WEDNESDAY, JUNE 13, 2018
Filhos do Ngana; Um som, uma voz, uma missão.
É um grupo jovens de denominações diferentes que decidiram unirem se com um propósito único, louvor e adoração ao eterno Deus.
É constituído por 5 elementos entre ele: Emanuel Cangundo, Abel Zola, Gregório Quipipa, Silvio Lameira e Samuel Macuato.
O grupo foi criado à 3 anos e durante essa trajectória de exaltação ao soberano Deus por intermédio do louvor tiram varias e actividades aonde apresentavam as suas canções, tiveram também concertos; "Ele vive" Camama tropical e "Ao som da graça" Cine São Paulo, neste momento o grupo conta com uma obra discográfica intitulada "Filho do Ngana" ao vivo esse CD foi gravada totalmente ao vivo actualmente tenciona realizar espectáculo de grande vulto no Cine Atlântico no presente ano propriamente no mês de Setembro, sendo assim contamos com apoio da igreja de Cristo espalhado num a fora.
-snip-
Google translate from Portuguese to English
"Biography
NGANA CHILDREN · WEDNESDAY, JUNE 13, 2018
Children of Ngana; A sound, a voice, a mission.
It is a young group of different denominations that have decided to unite with a unique purpose, praise and adoration to the eternal God.
It is made up of 5 elements: Emanuel Cangundo, Abel Zola, Gregorio Quipipa, Silvio Lameira and Samuel Macuato.
The group was created at 3 years and during this path of exaltation to the sovereign God by means of the praise they take several and activities where they presented their songs, they also had concerts; "He lives" Tropical Camama and "To the sound of grace" Cine São Paulo, at this moment the group has a recording work titled "Son of Ngana" live this CD was recorded totally live currently intends to perform show of great magnitude in the Cinema Atlantic in the current year in September, so we have the support of the church of Christ spread outwards.
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* The English translation of "Filhos do Ngana" appears to be either "Sons Of Ngana" or "Children of Ngana". (The words "filhos" and "do" are Portuguese and (I think that) the word "Ngana" is Lingala.
My guess is that Ngana means God. Is that right?
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INFORMATION ABOUT LINGALA
From https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lingala
"Lingala (Ngala) is a Bantu language spoken throughout the northwestern part of the Democratic Republic of the Congo and a large part of the Republic of the Congo, as well as to some degree in Angola and the Central African Republic. It has over 10 million speakers.
History
In the 19th century, before the creation of the Congo Free State, the Bangala (literally: 'river people') were a group of similar Bantu peoples living and trading along the bend of the Congo River that reached from Irebu at the mouth of the Ubangi River to the Mongala River. They spoke similar languages, such as Losengo, but their trade language was Bangi, which was the most prestigious language between Stanley Pool (Kinshasa) and Irebu. As a result, people upstream of the Bangala mistook Bangi for the language of the Bangala and called it Lingala (language of the Bangala), and European missionaries followed suit.”...
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LINGALA TO ENGLISH TRANSLATIONS OF THE LINGALA WORDS "KITOKO" (also given as "KITICO") AND "MAKASI" (also given as "MAKASSI")
Two definitions for "kitoko"
from https://dic.lingala.be/en/kitoko
"kitóko, pl. bakitoko (class 9a/10a (2) : - / - (ba-) : plural from context (or informal/modern ba-), not with n-/m-)
beautiful, pretty
good, nice (e.g. the taste of food)
beauty"
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From https://glosbe.com/ln/en/kitoko
"kitoko" = beauty {noun}
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That page also provided these English translations of the Lingala word "kitoko" in sample sentences:
"wonderful", "breathtaking", "glorious", "ideal", "luxurious", "sweet", "beautiful", "idyllic", and "rich".
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A definition for "makasi": https://dic.lingala.be/en/makasi
"makasi
plural of "bokási"
bokási, pl. makasi (class 14/6 : bo- / ma-)
power, power, vigor, strength, vitality, energy, resistance
makási
tough, hard, strong, solid, resistant, strength"
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In the context of this Gospel song, does "kitoko makasi" mean "very beautiful" (or "very good")?
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SHOWCASE VIDEOS
Example #1: Kitoco Makassi _ Filhos do Ngana 2017 #HD720
ZION TV, Published on Mar 3, 2018
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Example #2: Filhos do Ngana - Kitoko Makasi
Joel José Oficial, Published on Apr 6, 2018
Um Som
Uma Voz
Uma Missão
-snip-
Google translation from Portuguese to English translation:
A sound
One voice
A Mission
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Thanks for visiting pancocojams.
Visitor comments are welcome.
As of this date, there are very few comments for either one of these two showcased videos.
ReplyDeleteGeovany Blessed published a March 1, 2018 sound file of this song which isn't showcased in this post: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HDb-cTviuvg). The discussion thread for that sound file includes this interesting comment:
Gueth Lunda, May 2018
"Eu sou filha do Ngana diabo não tem Ngana , não ando na esquina e tenho vida no altar , eu sou filha do ... filha do ... filha do ... Ngana. Glorias a Deus
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Google translate from Portuguese to English
"I'm Ngana's devil's daughter does not have Ngana, I do not walk around the corner and I have life on the altar, I'm the daughter of ... the daughter of ... the daughter of ... Ngana. Glory to God"
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Is this translation correct?
If so, I wonder if that comment is criticizing the inclusion of secular dance movements (such as the African American Hip Hop "dab" movement) in the official dance video of this song. In that sense, the commenter might be chastising people who go to dances on Saturday and "let it all hang out" (act as wild as they want to), but then act very pious when they go to church on Sunday.
It occurs to me that the person who began her (or his) comment with "I'm Nagana's devil's daughter and ended with "Glory to God" might have been writing in a snarking (sacrastic) manner- if it's true that he or she is criticizing the change in the video from a slow religious, worship/praise song to an uptempo song with accompanying dancing, drinking, and rapping.
DeleteAs an African American, I recognized the dab movement that is shown around 3:40 in this video. (That move accompanies the up tempo change in the song and the rapping that begins earlier around 2:31 in the video.)
However, I'd love to know the name of the dance that the people are doing to this song. And is this dancing to religious music something that most Africans would be critical of?
"Dab" or "dabbing" is an African American dance movement that was popularized by the Hip Hop trio Migos' 2015 song "Look at My Dab”. However, "dabbing" is said to have originated in the Atlanta, Georgia Hip Hop community in 2010 by another performer from that state with the stage name Skippa Da Flippa.
DeleteHere's a description of that dance from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dab_(dance)
"Dabbing, or the dab, is a simple dance move in which a person drops the head into the bent crook of a slanted arm, typically while raising the opposite arm in a parallel direction but out straight; both arms are pointed to the side and at an upward angle. Since 2015, it has also been used as a gesture of triumph or playfulness, becoming a youthful American dance fad and Internet meme.[1] The move looks similar to someone sneezing into the "inside" of their elbow.[1][2]"
Most Google search results for "Ngana" are for the Maori supernatural being with that name. Click http://nzetc.victoria.ac.nz/tm/scholarly/tei-Bes01Reli-t1-body-d4-d4-d11.html for information about Nganga in Maorian religion and mythology.
ReplyDeleteHere's a brief excerpt from that page:
"Uru-te-ngangana
We have already seen that this being was the firstborn of the children of the primal parents, and that he is connected with the heavenly bodies—that is to say, with light. He is one of the three guardians of the heavens and of the heavenly bodies. This name, in less esoteric versions, often appears as "Uru," and "Ngana"—that is, as two names applied to two beings"...
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I also found a reference for Nyonye Ngana, who is a son of "Mbombo, also called Bumba, is the creator god in the religion and mythology of the Kuba people of Central Africa in the area that is now known as Democratic Republic of the Congo.
[...]
Three of Mbombo's sons then said they would finish creating the world. The first to try, Nyonye Ngana, vomited white ants, but died after.[1] To honor him, the ants went deep in the earth for dark soil to bury him and transformed the barren sands at the earth's surface. The second, Chonganda, created the first plant, which in turn gave rise to all trees, grasses and flowers. And Chedi Bumba, the third son, made the last bird, the kite.[2]"...https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mbombo.
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If "Ngana" in this Angolan Gospel group's name means God, I don't know if it has anything linguistically or otherwise to do with Nyonye Ngana.
Please share if you know anything about these subjects. Thanks!