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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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!"
-snip-
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
-snip-
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
-snip-
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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16. little mix, 2016
"and where did haitian drumming come from? i'll wait"
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17. smiling coast Bah, 2016
"Haha, good point !!!! Blesss."
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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.
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