Conseils a nos soeurs! -snip-
Google translate from French to English Advice to our sisters!
**** Edited by Azizi Powell
This pancocojams post showcases five YouTube videos of the popular Cameroonian Fulani singer Babba Sadou.
Some information about the Fulani is also included in this post.
The content of this post is presented for cultural, entertainment, asthetic, and educational purposes.
All copyrights remain with their owners.
Thanks to Babba Sadou for his musical legacy. Thanks to all those who are featured in these videos and thanks to all those who are quoted in this post. Thanks also to the publishers of these videos on YouTube.
**** INFORMATION ABOUT THE FULANI PEOPLE From https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fula_people "The Fula, Fulani, or Fulɓe people (Fula: Fulɓe, 𞤊𞤵𞤤𞤩𞤫;
French: Peul; Hausa: Fulani or Hilani; Portuguese: Fula; Wolof: Pël; Bambara:
Fulaw) are one of the largest ethnic groups in the Sahel and West Africa,
widely dispersed across the region.[20] Inhabiting many countries, they live
mainly in West Africa and northern parts of Central Africa but also in South
Sudan, Darfur, Eritrea, and regions near the Red Sea coast. The approximate number
of Fula people is unknown due to clashing definitions regarding Fula ethnicity;
various estimates put the figure between 25[21][22] and 40 million
worldwide.[23]
A significant proportion of the Fula – a third, or an
estimated 12 to 13 million[24] – are pastoralists, and their ethnic group has
the largest nomadic pastoral community in the world.[25][26] The majority of
the Fula ethnic group consisted of semi-sedentary people[26] as well as
sedentary settled farmers, scholars, artisans, merchants, and nobility.[27][28]
As an ethnic group, they are bound together by the Fula language, their
history[29][30][31] and their culture. More than 99% of the Fula are
Muslims.[19][32]"... **** PANCOCOJAMS EDITOR'S NOTE I haven't found a Wikipedia page for Babba Sadou. The only biographical information that I have found is from https://rateyourmusic.com/artist/babba-sadou . That page indicated that Babba Sadou was "Born [in] : Banyo, Adamaoua, Cameroon and "Currently [lives in] Mbalmayo, Centre, Cameroon."
**** OTHER SHOWCASE VIDEOS
SHOWCASE VIDEO #2: babba sadou banyo
BABBA SADOU, Mar 5, 2018
****
SHOWCASE VIDEO #3: musique foulbe babba sadou nord cameroun titre ahmadou le
saodienne full hd
Babba Sadou, Jan
20, 2019
le clip de dubai -snip- From French to English: the dubai clip
**** SHOWCASE VIDEO #4: Musique foulbe babba sadou nord Cameroun titre haliya moussa
Full hd
Babba Sadou, June 6, 2020
**** SHOWCASE VIDEO #5: Babba Sadou au Tchad 1
DE L'ANNEE FILM PRODUCTION, Dec
14, 2020 -snip- Babba Sadou in Chad, West Africa -snip- Notice the West African custom of raining money on performers and people of honor (such as a bride and groom) as expressions of appreciation.
Music video by Dog Star performing My Sweet Bamenda Produced
By Gajo Music
**** Edited by Azizi Powell
This pancocojams post presents information about Bamenda in the Northwest region of Cameroon and showcases two videos that feature the 2014 song "My Sweet Bamenda".
Selected comments from the discussion thread for the first embedded video are also included in this post.
The content of this post is presented for socio-cultural purposes.
Thanks to Dog Star for this music. Thanks to all those who are quoted in this post, and thanks to the publishers of these videos on YouTube. -snip- I pray for peace in Bamenda and in all of Cameroon.
**** VIDEO #2
Lord Focho, August 7, 2016
A montage of clips from the Mecuda convention London and Weston-Super-Mare in 2015 to My Sweet Bamenda song by Dog Star
**** INFORMATION ABOUT BAMENDA From https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bamenda "Bamenda, also known as Abakwa and Mankon Town,[2] is a city
in northwestern Cameroon and capital of the Northwest Region. The city has a
population of about 2 million people and is located 366 kilometres (227 mi)
north-west of the Cameroonian capital, Yaoundé. Bamenda is known for its cool
climate and scenic hilly location.
Colonial era
The origins of the city are related to the settlement of the
Tikar people who culturally forged and maintained relations with the Kingdom of
Bamum in the 1700s.[3] In 1884, the city was colonized by Germany until 1916
when it became a colony administered by Great Britain and France.[4] In 1919,
the administration of Northwest Region and thus the city of Bamenda became only
British. In 1961, the region joined the Cameroon.[5]
[...]
Many of the city's inhabitants are English-speaking, and Cameroonian Pidgin English is the main language spoken in the shops and on the streets of Bamenda.
[....]
For over four years, there has been an insurgency due to political tussles created by secessionist faction known as the Southern Cameroons Liberation Council, a united front consisting of separatists aiming for an independent Ambazonian state.[6]"... -snip- Click https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2021/4/1/violence-in-cameroon-anglophone-crisis-takes-high-civilian-tollfor an April 1, 2021 article entitled "Violence in Cameroon’s Anglophone crisis takes high civilian toll".
The caption after that title reads "Experts warn country on verge of backsliding to ‘fragile state’ status, as conflict between Anglophone separatists and government forces increasingly affecting civilians."
**** SELECTED COMMENTS From the discussion thread for the first video that is embedded in this post.
Numbers are added for referencing purposes only.
1. Arrey Elvis Ntui, 2009 "Great song. This will probably hang on for a very long time. I cannot stay seated anywhere this track is playing - bar, cabaret, night club, even in a taxi. I must shake and gyrate for the love of my beautiful Bamenda. This song is too much!"
** 2. Jacinta Lino, 2012 "Be proud of your self and keep up😍😍🌹🌹"
** 3. velma black, 2015 "MI LOVE DAT SONG SIR PROUDLY BAMENDA I MISS THE PLAC
** 4. D WEALTH, 2018 "I love you bamenda"
** 5. baiye roberto, 2018 "super j'adore cette chanson surtout quand je veux me sentir in courage mon frère" -snip- Google translate from French to English "Great I love this song especially when I want to feel in courage my brother"
** 6. Cynthia Akwar, 2019 "Oh God bless my homeland. Despite what happens"
** 7. Leon Nelepa, 2019 "Still here watching God look in to our Bamenda is a bless land destroy all the evil pple at work"
** 8. Benita-Martha Tamajong, 2019 "i know Bamenda, the land of bravery"
** 9. keith jackson, 2020 "Great song my brother, I plan on visiting Cameroon where I have 35% of my dna! Bamenda is the city where i plan on making my visit! Would love to meet you there! Can’t wait for my first return to the home of my ancestors! This son separated from home by slavery is headed home can’t wait visit is later this year 2020!"
** Reply 11. didiash, 2020 "Not the best time to visit...pish it as far as possible"
** 12. Aliah Atonji Anyam, 2020 "Bamenda was razed to near ashes after the 1990 elections. Nobody knew Bamenda would boom again but business thrived there wonderfully before the crises started. After the Ambazonia War of Independence and Covid19, Bamenda would certainly be better. These too shall pass away. My sweet Bamenda will definitely bounce back. Thanks Dogstar for the thrilling piece. Proudly Bamenda."
** 13. jumneh baby, 2020 "I feel like I'm on exile in a strange land, how I wish I
could go back home to bda and not fear for a thing😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭"
** Reply 14. Brita Tessoh, 2020 "December, we can’t travel back home cos of fear of the
unknown. God please help us."
** 15. Griffy Koagne, 2020 "I'm not from the north west less still from southwest but everytime I follow this song, the tears of pain flow and my heart breaks😭😭😭😭🙏💔💔"
** 16. Nchumulu Germaine, 2020 "My sweet Bamenda, a great place."
** 17. Nchumulu Germaine, 2020 "Crisis has crumbled, the sweet Bamenda. God safe Bamenda."
** 18. Ambanaku Raymond, 2020 "Bamenda in my hearts for ever. No leave no transfer."
** 19. Pauline Efi "They have finally destroyed that sweet bamenda.
I feel like crying right now though I'm from mamfe but I schooled in bamenda n
it was just the perfect to study." ** 20. Ambo Bebe, 2020 "Proud to be from bamenda but tears in my eyes for what our motherland has become ..... I pray God touches our land for it has a bright future and brings fought future leaders of Cameroon...proud of Bamenda"
** 21. N.H. Jefferson, 2020 "Our Bamenda has become something else dealing with two crises: the Ambazonia conflict and coronavirus. God will see us through."
** 22. Nsalle Eseh Delphine, 2020
"God bless you Dog star
God bless Bamenda and restored back all that the enemies have stolen from this beautiful blessed Land Bamenda .May God Almighty eradicate all the enemies out of this Land Bamenda in Jesus christ mighty name amen."
** 23. nyam syoya mah, 2020 "bamenda yi go better someday hopefull
** 24. Cyntia Pavelle, 2020 "I ´m still here in 2020. Bamenda😭😭😭"
** 25. nkimih mbeb, 2021 "It's good to be here in 2021.. Much love 4 home land B'da"
** 26. afumbom terence, 2021 "God forgive us our sins and bring us back together"
** 27. Acharich Speaks, 2021 "🙏🏾🙏🏾🙏🏾"
** 28. Chefu Clovis, 2021 "Proud of you my bamenda aka abakwa. De land flowing with milk and honey. I miss home"
** 29. Idriss Nwagoum, 2021 "As a Francophone, I
really miss the old Bamenda. God bless!"
** 30. Achiri Cristel keng, April 10, 2021 "I can never stop listening to this music I pray n hope one
day my Bamenda will be more beautiful than before n there won't be any fear to
go home I enjoy the peace of home."
** 31. Moses Abi, April 12, 2021 "Bamenda Is Under Serious Prunning In Other For The Best Of It To Blossom Like Never Before."
"In moments of
chaos,uncertainty and tribulations we always need that voice in the
valley,that calls out in sweet melody,to God to hear our cry. That voice that
soothes and heals, that gives hope and gives rest. That voice that reassures
us, that reminds us of our own strength. That clear whisper that says "Do
not fear" because together we shall overcome.
[...]
Chilli Wawaye X Yaa Celine - Laà Fan Song by Dijay Karl (Official Video by Mr Adrenaline)
....is that whisper.".... -snip- Statistics (as of Feb 24, 2021 at 1:59 AM ET Total # of views - 76,069 Total # of likes - 1.3K Total # of dislikes - 14 Total # of comments - 145
**** Edited by Azizi Powell
This pancocojams post showcases the official YouTube video of song "Láa Fàn".
Brief information about Nso people is included in this post along with selected comments from this video's discussion thread.
The content of this post is presented for cultural, entertainment, and aesthetic purposes.
All copyrights remain with their owners.
Thanks to Chilli Wawayee featuring Yaah Celine for this video and thanks to all others who are associated with this video and thanks also to all those who are quoted in this post. -snip- Here's a biographical statement about that I found at https://www.afro.video/en/artist/chilli-wawaye/ [retrived Feb. 2021]
"The 24 year old folk singer Fonyuy claudette Mbinkar by artist name CHILLI hails from the north west region of Cameroon."
I haven't found any other information about Chili Wawaye other the content of her
Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/Chilli.wawaye/. I haven't found any information about Yaah Celine.
Please add information about these singers and this video in that video's discussion thread and/or in this pancocojams post. Thank you.
“The people of Nso are found principally in Bui Division, in the Northwest Region of Cameroon. They are ruled by a “FON”, in a centralized system of governance that dates centuries ago.
Their traditional language is “Lamnso” (language of Nso) and their capital is Kumbo. (also known as Kimbo). Both the people and the capital are sometimes referred to as Banso (meaning people of Nso) – the addition of the Ba prefix is attributed to the Fulani conquerors in the 17th century; the prefix resonates in the names of towns around the area.”…
****
SELECTED COMMENTS FROM THAT VIDEO'S DISCUSSION THREAD
These comments are given in relative chronological order, based on their publishing date with the oldest comments given first, except for replies. Numbers are added for referencing purposes only.
1. Senge Etende, 2020 "This is pure tradition. Great craft. Love it."
** 2. Samgwa'a Nyoh Peter, 2020 "I love my culture this song brings the vibe to 100% 🇨🇲🇨🇲"
** 3. EJ Gladys MOKEBA, 2020 "Beautiful display of culture. I'm not from the NW region,
but i love the showcase of grassfeild culture.....esp the rythm of the
traditional drums and musical instruments!
Great job. I'm loving it all......keep it up!"
** 4. Thierry Ngah, 2020 "Le song ci c'est la magie👌👌👌
tu valorises parfaitement la culture
Camerounaise en général et celle du Nord Ouest en particulier. Félicitations" -snip- The song is magic👌👌👌 you
perfectly value the Cameroonian culture in general and that of the North West
in particular. Congratulations
** 5. Nchenge Eyong, 2020 "ok o,that drums dem na die na.Kudos sister keep bringing out that rich culture."
** 6. DiverseMediam 2020 "Oh my!! ma love for this song!! bravo!! This is what call
culture!!"
** 7. Ngum Abi, 2020 "This is real cameroonian music 🎶🎵
I love it 👍🏾"
** 8. Marcoloko Showline, 2020 "Congrats dear. Thanks for taking us back to the roots of our culture..."
** 9. Sama Blanche, 2020 "OMG I'm in love with this music 🎶 although I'm not from Nso but if I see Nso man I will married him just because of this song I love traditional 💕 ❤ 💖 Ahead Ahead my darling sister from another mother"
** 10. said bara, 2020 "a kwiiii. Laa Fan. nice one there. NSO for life. goodjob y'all"
** 11. Nancy Khiki, 2020 "For the culture 🙌🏾🔥🔥🔥🥰🥰🥰"
** 13. Christopher Spadone, 2020 "Beautiful video. Everyone & everything is spot on. Tout c'est correct. Great representation of Grafi culture. My hats off to you. I love it when I see people bringing the real culture into the 21st century."
** 14. Asoh Zeedel, 2020 "Lovely, which tribe is this?"
** Reply 15. John Dipola, 2020 "Banso"
** Reply 16. Nathalie Tueno, 2020 "BANSO - NORTH WEST – CAMEROON"
** 17. Godfrey Fonyuy, 2020 "The beauty of my culture. Beri wo."
** 18. BIGBASEMUSIC d.j.Nelson, 2020 "Cool👌"
** 19. xtangk, 2020 "More grease to your beautiful cultural representation"
** 20. wan wan Bihfon, 2020 "Quarantine mode traditionally enjoying"
** 21. melvis bright, 2020 "Our Culture our heritage. Keep it up so proud of you darling"
** 24. Miky M, 2020 "Remind me of my nso choir, when I follow my mom to church 🥰"
** 25. Aghie Ndimakollo, 2020 "This is sooooo beautiful ride on girl, what people from Nw are you showcasing here"
** Reply 26. CHILLI WAWAYE "Nso culture"
** 27. Angu N, January 2021 "For the culture🔥"
** 28. bethel ross, 2021 "J'ai des voisins chez moi à Mbanga qui sont de WUM. ils chantent et dansent le NDJANG DANCE. Tous les dimanches ils dansent les mêmes sonorités depuis que je suis petit à aujourd'hui. Cette chanson me parle vraiment..." -snip- "I have neighbors at home in Mbanga who are from WUM. they sing and dance the NDJANG DANCE. Every Sunday they dance the same tones since I was little until today. This song really speaks to me ..."
** 29. Mawussi Shakalalako, 2021 "Oh la llaaa mama i love this video and the forest drum beats. The Ewe tribe in my country has the same traditional dress code. Africa is the true paradise on earth"
** 30. Ngah Liberus Kenyuy, 2021 "We proud of who we are"
This pancocojams post presents information about the Northwest region of Cameroon and showcases five video examples of the traditional Mbaglum (mbaghalum) dance in the north western area of Cameroon, Central Africa.
Selected comments from the discussion threads for some of these videos are also included in this post.
The content of this post is presented for cultural and aesthetic purposes.
In addition to the dance, I'm also interested in highlighting the traditional musical instruments that are being played and the clothing that the performers wear.
Thanks to all those who are featured in these videos, thanks to all those who are quoted in this post, and thanks to the publishers of these videos on YouTube.
****
INFORMATION ABOUT MAKON
From http://www.macudaamerica.org/
...”The Mankon Fondom (kingdom) represents one of the oldest monarchies of the grass field people of the Northwest Region of Cameroon and is ruled by a Fon HRH Fo’o SAN Angwafo III. The sons and daughters of Mankon constitute a vibrant community of hardworking men and women who make up a large part of the Bamenda metropolitan population. Mankon is the largest group in the Ngemba tribe with a population of over 180,000 inhabitants.
History has it that they migrated from the Tikar region around the 14th century through hostile terrains before settling in present day Mankon. On the origin of the name, one of the skillful leaders (Fo Ndehmagha IV) was unaware that the crowd or wave of people following him had grown tremendously along the way and so when he turned and looked behind him and saw the huge following that formed a wave behind him, he proudly exclaimed ” Weh Mankuung eh” referring to its enormous tail and so the people became known as Mankon. Some have translated Mankon to mean big tail or big wave and the sub-groups, clans or families under Mankon are referred to as Nkon (small tail or wavelets). The big wave has continued expanding and merging with other cultures while retaining its DNA and allegiance to the original source."... -snip- I reformatted this quote to enhance its readability.
****
INFORMATION ABOUT BAMENDA (CAMEROON)
From https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bamenda
"Bamenda, also known as Abakwa and Mankon Town,[2] is a city in northwestern Cameroon and capital of the Northwest Region. The city has a population of about 2 million people and is located 366 kilometres (227 mi) north-west of the Cameroonian capital, Yaoundé. Bamenda is known for its cool climate and scenic hilly location.
History
The origins of the city are related to the establishment of the Tikar people who joined the Kingdom of Bamum in the 1700s. [3] In 1884, the city was colonized by Germany until 1916 when it became a colony administered by Great Britain and France. [4] In 1919, the administration of Northwest Region and thus the city of Bamenda became only British. In 1961, the region joined the Cameroon. [5]
Today, many of the city's inhabitants are English-speaking, and Cameroonian Pidgin English is the main language spoken in the shops and on the streets of Bamenda.
[...]
Nicknames: Abakwa, which of date is made of three villages Mankon, Bamendankwe and Nkwen Bamenda presently contains the highest number of English speaking Cameroonians."... -snip- Added April 15, 2021 from that same Wikipedia article:
Many of the city's inhabitants are English-speaking, and
Cameroonian Pidgin English is the main language spoken in the shops and on the
streets of Bamenda.
For over four years, there has been an insurgency due to
political tussles created by secessionist faction known as the Southern
Cameroons Liberation Council, a united front consisting of separatists aiming
for an independent Ambazonian state.[6]"... -snip- Click https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2021/4/1/violence-in-cameroon-anglophone-crisis-takes-high-civilian-toll for an April 1, 2021 article entitled "Violence in Cameroon’s Anglophone crisis takes high civilian toll" The caption after that title reads "Experts warn country on verge of backsliding to ‘fragile
state’ status, as conflict between Anglophone separatists and government forces
increasingly affecting civilians."
****
SHOWCASE VIDEOS
Video #1: Mbaghalum - John Minang
atehndin, Published on Mar 22, 2008
African music
-snip-
Here are two comments from this video's discussion thread, with numbers added for referencing purposes only:
1. Wananyoh Mefebe, 2012
"This is the sound that resonates to the depths of your soul and takes you home if you are from the Northwest Province."
**
2. eyoumwonje, 2012
"i like very much folk dancing from north west cameroon especially from bamenda"
****
Video #2: MBAGHALUM BY NGWA- AH NKANG
Kingsley Nkimbeng, Published on Nov 16, 2011
HIT ZONE ENTERTAINMENT BAMENDA
-snip-
I removed the phone number from this summary.
****
Video #3: Mbaghalum - John Minang -macuda
Aray LUC, Published on Mar 20, 2012
enjoy mankon
-snip-
Here are two comments from this video's discussion thread, with numbers added for referencing purposes only:
1. Wendy Ambo, 2017
"Any mankon person to translate what he says pls???"
**
REPLY
2. Terese Tess, 2018
"Wendy Ambo I'll translate the intro...so long.
Time has come to give the woman to her husband. Tell all Cameroonians....
Why do people enjoy drinking (palm wine), but don't like to go through the pain of tapping(fetching) it? They complain that there is dew on the road to the palm wine bush.
Has someone ever gone to a medicine man to find out why he /she is successful?
When you are sick, you know who loves and loves you you not....
The rest of it is so long and a mixture of pidgin English that I can't keep up, but I hope it gives you an idea. It's a bunch of wise sayings put together some what coherently."
****
Video #4: Dancing To The Mankon Legacy - Men Dance 2009
lorolose, Published on Dec 24, 2014
Exhibition of Men Dance Groups in Mankon-Bamenda, Cameroon [1 hour 08 minutes]
****
Video #5: Mbaglum Ntene for I Nkwen Bamenda 24.06.2015
Manunga Studio 2, Published on Jul 3, 2015
On the occasion of the canonical erection of the St. John The Baptist Quasi-Parish at Foncha Street Nkwen to a full parish there were some traditional dances to grace the occasion, amongst them the Mbaglum Dance of Ntenefor I from Nkwen in Bamenda.
-snip-
The summary for another video of this dance that was published by Manunga Group reads "Mbaglum is a popular traditional dance from the Bamenda neighbourhood. here we watch a group from Nkwen performing their own Mbaglum."
This pancocojams post provides information about the Baka people and showcases five videos of Baka singers, musicians, and dancers.
Selected comments from these YouTube videos discussion threads are 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 cultural legacy of the Bakas. Thanks to all those who are featured in these videos and thanks to all those who are quoted in this post. Also, thanks to the publishers of these videos on YouTube.
****
INFORMATION ABOUT THE BAKAS
From https://intercontinentalcry.org/indigenous-peoples/baka/
"BAKA
The Baka Peoples, known in the Congo as Bayaka (Bebayaka, Bebayaga, Bibaya), are hunter-gatherers inhabiting the southeastern rain forests of Cameroon, northern Republic of Congo, northern Gabon, and southwestern Central African Republic.
The Baka are sometimes referred to as a subgroup of the Twa, but the two peoples are not closely related. Likewise, the name "Baka" is sometimes mistakenly applied to other area peoples who, like the Baka and Twa, have been historically called pygmies (a term that is considered to be quite disrespectful).
Unlike most other Central African Peoples, the Baka maintain a unique language, also called Baka. Although nearly all of their neighbors—including the Aka—speak Bantu languages, the Baka languages are of a different language family, Ubangian. In addition, many Baka speak Koozime, Bakoum, Bangandou, et al., the tongues of their respective Bantu neighbours, as second languages. A much smaller proportion speak French.
Baka religion is animist. They worship a forest spirit known as Jengi, also called Djengi or Ejengi, whom they perceive as both a parental figure and guardian. Each successful hunt is followed by a dance of thanksgiving known as the Luma, which is accompanied by drumming and polyphonic singing. One of the most important traditional ceremonies is the Jengi, a long and secret rite of initiation which celebrates the boy's passage into adulthood, studied in depth by the anthropologist Mauro Campagnoli, who also could take part in it. The Baka practice traditional medicine, and their skills are such that even non-Baka often seek out their healers for treatment.
”We came across the anti-poaching squad on a main road. They wanted to get information by torturing us. They beat a pregnant woman with a machete. They tackled me and I fell to the floor. They made us crawl on our knees for a great distance. Then they made us run as they followed us on their motorbikes, for more than a kilometer.”
-Modala, [a] Baka man
"The best conservationists
...Studies show that Baka work to improve the forest environment for their animal neighbors. For example, when Baka harvest wild yams, they often leave part of the root intact in the soil. This spreads pockets of yams through the forest, which are a favorite food of elephants and wild boar.
They know their lands, and what happens on them, better than anyone else. Yet Baka complain that they are unable to pass on these forest skills and values to younger generations, since the violent abuse they face makes them afraid to travel with their families into the forest.
Landless and suffering
Forced out of the forest, many Baka communities complain of a serious decline in their health. Living on the roadside, they are increasingly exposed to malaria and other diseases.
They can no longer harvest the medicinal plants they need to stay healthy, and are forced to rely on staple foods with a lower nutritional content. Alcoholism soars.
Now we are falling ill because of the change in our diet. Our skin doesn’t like the sun and life in the village. In the forest we are healthy and put on weight. Now no one has any muscles, everyone looks ill. We are forced to drink to forget our troubles"...
****
From http://myafricantribe.weebly.com/the-facts.html
"Facts about the Baka Tribe
The Baka people are known as the forest people because they live in the rainforest of Gabon, Congo, and Cameroon.
Since the Baka live in the rainforest they depend on hunting and gathering for food. They also make medicine from the forest.
Rather than "pygmy" these people perfer to be called by their tribal names: Aka, Baka, Efe, Mbuti, and Twa Sua
"Pygmy," is derived from the Greek word, pyme, which means "a cubit in height."
They are best known for their small size. Adults usually grow to be only three or four feet tall….
****
SHOWCASE VIDEOS
Example #1: Yelli - Baka women yodelers
bakabeyond Uploaded on May 25, 2008
To hear more yelli listen to Voice of the Rainforest at http://march-hare-music.com.
HD version at https://youtu.be/JAYN8GT0N6g
Recording of the Baka women from Gbiné singing their traditional "Yelli" songs. Profits from sales of CDs and DVDs will go back to the Baka women through Global Music Exchange. You can get a DVD with this and other films of the Baka at http://www.baka.co.uk/store/acatalog/...
More information at http://www.1heart.org
-snip-
Here's a comment from this video's discussion thread:
flextoneibanez, 2010
"The power of their voices is amazing. I would have never heard this if not for Baka Beyond, who are also amazing. I am a guitar player mostly influenced by metal music but I can appreciate the beauty of the music of this culture, as a lot of other people can. As I sit in my sterile western world box I realize that music is truly universal."
****
Example #2: Baka in the Forest - yelli, yodels, forest harp and water drums
bakabeyond, Uploaded on Mar 25, 2009
Photos of the Baka Forest People in the Cameroon rainforest.
Soundtrack is from "Baka in the Forest" at http://www.baka.gbine.com.
More Baka music videos at http://youtu.be/K0PkvzRwoT4
Proceeds from album sales go to the people seen in this video through Global Music Exchange. http://www.1heart.org
help the Baka at http://www.gbine.com/help/
http://www.gbine.com/ http://www.gbine.com/
All royalties earned from the sale of the Baka's music goes to them via the registered charity, Global Music Exchange, so be sure that if you buy their music you are making a difference!...
-snip-
Selected comments from this video's discussion thread (I assigned numbers for referencing purposes only)
1. Adam Rudolph, 2009
"This music is magic and wonderous
Baka Beyond have done the planet a great service in supporting the Baka and their culture and music...
Baka is perhaps the oldest music in the world still being created and so deep and beautiful.
to quote robert thompson
Yelli or Yeyi is "what we could call estactic chanting to vibrate open the forest door to the other world, the door to destiny and fortune...it is the forest icon par excellence...a wordless, textless psalm of ecstacy"
give thanks"
**
2. soukous70, 2009
"Superb as always,thanks for sharing it. I do have a request: perhaps you could interview them about their facepaint and jewelry. Much of it may be simply ornamental,but I would love to learn about any meaning behind any of it. For example,the infant getting bathed in that bucket has a brass bracelet,and something around his neck,I'd be surprised if that were just there to look nice.There is very little documentation of such things. Thanks again!"
**
Reply
3. bakabeyond, 2009
"Many things are used for ornamentation. On our first visit the cassettes we used to record their music were shrink wrapped in plastic that had a shiny gold design. The children were soon wearing this as jewelry. The jewelry that has a spiritual meaning tends to be made from forest products - string made from grass or lianas, knotted or woven, rafia and fur, particularly from a river-dwelling squirel-type animal. Look at the singer's necklace in "Jamming with the Baka in the Rainforest"
**
Reply
4. bakabeyond, 2009
"I can't imagine that the brass bracelet has much ancient meaning to the Baka, though maybe to their Bantu neighbours. I don't know about the thing around the neck, but the string across his chest definitely has meaning. String made from a type of grass is used for both protection and for good luck - getting through adversity etc. There will be knots made and small pieces of wood on the string. The women wear them when pregnant and then they are worn by the baby to keep them healthy and strong."
**
5. paapakobe, 2010
"Great photos! You can see the reflection of your (photographers) relationship. The music is also great. Do you have video of the harp being played? Is it called ngombi?"
**
Reply
6. akabeyond, 2010
"@paapakobe I forgot I'd uploaded one with Mokoloba playing. Put mokoloba in the youtube search"
**
7. MrSebyBrooks, 2010
"I doubt anyone can help me but does anyone know what the main woman sais at the end where they all agree?"
**
Reply
8. bakabeyond, 2010
"eh eh eh aki aloy
Its a kind of signal to bring everyone together and all answer in unison"
**
9. khufu65, 2011
"Thse people lives closer to the gods as has been acknowledge thousands of years ago by Pharaoh Pepi I.When the "Pygmy peformed for him the dances of the GODS"."
**
10. Leo Walsh, 2012
"First of all, dig the music. Polyrhythms are king. And this music is filled with them.
I am also taken by the photos. I've always been amazed at how alike all humans are. We all just want to make a living, and have our families grow up in a safe, loving environment. We want good neighbors. And to just hang out, laugh and love."
**
11. Innervey Kosmos BeatsToMusic, 2012
"love these harmony's can i use it as sample in a hiphop/rnb beat? me and much others would love it"
**
Reply
12. bakabeyond, 2012
"You can use as samples as long as you register them properly so if you earn money the Baka get their fair share. Publishers are March Hare Publishing Ltd, BA1 5NW, UK"
**
13. Shirvan Samla, 2013
"just remember we need to help the baka in some way to keep the artform alive"
**
Reply
14. bakabeyond, 2013
"We certainly do! They are being denied access to more and more of the forest, even by conservationists such as WWF. We need to lobby them to make the Baka central to all decisions about forest conservation. They have been the guardians of the forest for generations."
**
15. Phoenix M Star, 2013
"They are mimicking the exotic birds and sounds of the rainforest around them that is creations music and its phenomenal !"
**
[These comments were written in response to a comment that "baka" is a Japanese word. Some commenters also differentiated between the "Baka" and the "Akas".]
16. bakabeyond, 2014
"+Skummelskog Trollbutt Ba'Aka are from Congo and Central Africa also called Aka. The Baka (maybe Ba'Ka) are from Cameroon, Congo and Gabon and their language is very different, although they share words for many forest things."
**
Reply
17. igot7-lu, 2016
"+Yarfy Fox but this BaAka lol
they spelled it wrong"
**
Reply
18. bakabeyond, 2016
"+igot7-lu Different people Ba'aka - in Congo and Central African Republic, (also call themselves Mbanjelli) Ba'Ka Cameroon and Gabon (also call themselves Mbangombi)."
**
19. Reply
King Yaka
"yarfy fox you baka (and i mean that in japanese lol) let me explain from a Congolese perspective, they are not called the baka that's completely wrong, they are called Bayaka. Ba- meaning The and Yaka is the name of not a single tribe but the name of hundreds of different tribes stretching from Cameroon to Uganda all over central Africa, they are all very different from each other but they share the same ancestry so Bayaka translates to the- Yaka's. Just like you can say Ba-English or Ba-Japanese and if you want to referee to a single Yaka you say Mu-Yaka Mu is singular, well I hope you can understand that and not all bayaka are small or live in the forest, Bayaka are also farmers and fisherman's so they are not pygmies, am from a Yaka tribe and 5.11 I have a brother whose 6.4 I have family members whose are 7 feet. the yakas come from many different tribe all over central Africa, some deep in the rainforest and some who escape into the forest to escape the war with the Europeans and Arabs who where trying to capture them to sale to the slave trade. The reputation of this people has been purposely destroyed by Europeans that's why Stanley wrote "the heart of darkness" so they can exploit that rich land and kill the people because they refused to work for Europeans because in yaka culture one man cannot work for another man, you can only work for yourself and the whole village and everything is shared."
**
20. Reply [to question where this video was filmed]
bakabeyond, 2015
"+Dee-Nice In Cameroon, near the border with Congo Brazaville"
**
21. Tak Yam, 2015
"Why don't those women have front teeth?"
**
Reply
22. bakabeyond, 2015
"+Dee-Nice They sharpen their teeth when they are young which must weaken them because they tend to lose them by the time they are 30"
**
Reply
23. Dee-Nice, 2015
"+bakabeyond
Thank you! :) I know in South Africa, and this is different, some men (usually gangsters) do something called a "passion gap" where they get their front two teeth pulled, but that's different. Not sure which country these women live."
**
Reply
23. LostXSaints1 year ago
the pointed teeth are considered beautiful in the culture and girls will have their teeth chiseled at an early age. body modifications are pretty popular in tribes around the world…
**
Reply
24. Paul Ziolo, 2016
"Love this. Beautiful & haunting. Thanks for the upload.
Some peoples of Central Africa suffered epidemics of lockjaw in their historical past & the teeth extractions may be a cultural relic of this (see Patterson's Man Eaters of Tsavo)."
**
25. Alan Suits, 2016
"The Baka...what fantasttic music!!!! VIVA BAKA!!!"
-snip-
A number of commenters offered opinions about why the Bakas shown in this video had pointed teeth. Among those opinions were that it was a beauty tradition, it made eating meat easier, and/or it was thought to help prevent tooth decay.
****
Example #3: Baka Pygmies Traditional Song – Cameroon
Corinne Staley, Uploaded on Jul 12, 2009
After tramping 70km through Nki National Park in the congo basin rainforest in Cameroon, we stayed the night at the Baka pygmy village on the outskirts of the park. One of villagers, Pierre, was our guide. The next day they performed some traditional music for me. They were infatuated with the videos i took :) It was an amazing experience.
-snip-
Selected comments from this video's discussion thread (I assigned numbers for referencing purposes only)
1. RCZ90, 2010
"Hello! I just wanted to say I found this video inspirational! Id love to go the congo basin.... to a village like this.... but isnt it true that it is extremely dangerous out there ? If you could give some advice I would really appreciate it! Thanks!
**
2. Corinne Staley, 2009
"Terribly sorry for the late reply! I wouldn't say it's extremely dangerous but it is extremely difficult. Infrastructure is terrible...roads are full of ruts and holes (and those are the good ones!). To get to this village near Nki national park required a two day squishy hot bus trip then a 5 hour drive in a landrover. we had to hire someone just to chainsaw through the trees that constantly fall across the small road. The best advice i have for you is be prepared. you won't regret it."
**
3. Corinne Staley, 2011
"@MARAFSH Cheers! I'm not sure how you'd go about hiking there on your own. I went as part of an internship with my master's programme. I was put in touch with a local NGO and went into the forest as part of a wildlife reconnaissance outting. It's very tricky being a tourist in Cameroon, in the east at least. I wish
I could be of more help!"
**
4. treena mcdoodle, 2011
"alot of the babies have descended bellies..."
**
Reply
5. An3Ramone, 2011
"@motherthirteen I might be missunderstanding what you say, but if you mean about their big bellies, that is because of malnutrition which is a serious problem in Africa."
Reply
6. bakabeyond5 years ago
@bioarcheology Nice reply! I'm on my way to stay with my Baka brothers and sisters right now, but my African heritage is from about 70,000 years ago. We all share the same ancestors if we go far enough back. One Love!
**
7. childofconvenant, 2011
"pygmies were the original inhabitants of the African interrior from the West to Central and Southern for many many years. The Africans today of West and Central , the non pygmies i mean only came there recently. They came from the Nile Valley Uganda to Egypt corridor Ethiopia and Yemen to the west and displaced these pygmies and probably learned how to adopt to the environment from them.
I know this cuz pygmies are found in almoste every central african nation right up to Nigeria,"
**
8. childofconvenant, 2011
"i know pygmies were in Nigeria cuz they still exist in our legends, tales "of dwarfish peoples" and if u watch Nigerian films a demon usually appears in the form of a pygmy. The modern africans are just tall people from Eastern and North Eastern Africa/Middle East the home of tall peoples and displaced these shorter blacks. Diop related in his book how the phoenicians attempted to open a colony arriving at Cameroun and were met by pygmies. I wish Cameroun and Nigeria were one nation"
****
Example #4: Orchéstre Baka Gbiné playing Kopolo - album version
bakabeyond, Published on Apr 24, 2012
Recording album, "Kopolo" in the rainforest near Cameroon/Congo border.
hear album at http://march-hare-music.com/album/kopolo
help the Baka at http://www.gbine.com/help/
-snip-
Selected comments from this video's discussion thread (I assigned numbers for referencing purposes only)
Ashley Smith, 2012
"ARE THEY BEING COMPENSATED FOR THEIR TALENTS?"
**
1. bakabeyond, 2012
"@alorensmith They certainly are. That was the point in making these recordings but it does rely on people buying the music, not just listening for free. See the long description."
**
2. TheMrCompletely, 2013
"That's a really thick polyrhythm. Deceptively complex music, sounds simple and beautiful but has a lot going on. Great natural flow to this music. Loved it"
**
3. Juca Filho, 2013
"I am addicted to baka music since 80s when I knew the Musée de L'Homme records from the Bà-Benzele. Tks for support and spread all over the world this "hidden treasure of mankind." (Louis Sarno, in Bayaka)"
**
4. MrJoecul, 2013
"Simple Gorgeous!Proud to be Cameroonian!!"
**
5. Victor Mora, 2013
"To the musicians: What is this time signature? 9/8? 9/4? Regards..."
**
Reply
6. John Follmer, 2013
"6/4."
**
Reply
7. bakabeyond, 2014
"9/8 definitely if you have to define it"
**
Reply
8. John Follmer, 2014
"Definitely not a 9 count, it doesn't repeat the count correctly. 9/8 and 9/4 are in the same time since it all goes back to the same 1, so trying to distinguish the 2 is pointless when the flow is all that matters. Honestly all you have to understand is how to follow the quarter note. Overthinking the count only means that will be a greater influence to your playing rather than what comes natural. Surprisingly you can naturally play very complex odd times without knowing a single thing about how to count them...because all that matters is the quarter note, since that's what EVERYONE naturally follows. Try counting this in 6/4 and you'll see how it stays in time the whole way, you can't do that with a 9 count, no matter how you count it.....unless you can show me how I'm wrong, I'm certain it's 6/4 (regardless, meter is also a relative thing.)"
**
Reply
9. bakabeyond, 2014
"+John Follmer
Don't see what's surprising about that. Better to listen and play than stress about what time signature it is. You can play a slipjig with this rhythm - I've done it with these same musicians, that's why I thought it was 9/8. If you want to be mathematical about it, the cycle is 3 lots of triplets with 3 bass drum beats (or buttress tree root beats) per cylcle. Divided like that every beat falls on one of the triplets. The rhythm i s 1-1-11-1- (where "1" is beat and "-" is space - 9 beats there), with the "kick" 1-1--1-. There's also a natural swing in it which is why counting doesn't work as well as listening"
**
11. Gee Bud, 2015
"Love this African subtility & rythm and voices - what great artists... may you have a great audience dancing and having fun (and be protected from forces that want to finish all this off in the area... so sad, so evil and wrong..)"
**
Reply
12. Always-Stay-Positive, 2016
"+Gee Bud Thanks lot. I happened to come to this page because I was searching for this music. I am actually from that [part of the world, and I realise that the greatest evil is money, that is why they are cutting down forests and now they have to were our "western clothes" but can't even buy new ones because of poverty. So sad. Before, we would dance like this covered only with leaves and we were happy. Now, even our own people come to the west and they do not identify with us."
****
Example #5: Tolo ko Tolo
bakabeyond Published on Sep 20, 2013
Video for Bakabeyond's latest single off forthcoming album
-snip-
Here's a comment from this video's discussion thread:
Kykosa Kajangu, 2014
"Martin,
For the last two decades, I have followed your remarkable search for wisdom among the Baka."Digging every day without fail never fails to repay you," says a Bairu proverb. Your visionary work is going deep like a giant root in the fertile field of Marimba, the African goddess of Music. Kudos!"
This post is part of a continuing series on pancocojams about African American Vernacular English.
This post presents two videos of the Cameroonian and Ugandan collaborative record "Chill" by Gasha featuring Eddy Keno. "Gasha" is from the Cameroons, West Africa and Eddy Keno is from Uganda, East Africa.
In addition to showcasing this song and its official video, this post focuses on the use by a number of commenters in the videos' discussion threads of African American Vernacular English (AAVE) and/or Jamaican slang.
The content of this post is presented folkloric, cultural, entertainment, and aesthetic purposes.
Thanks to Gasha and Eddy Keno for this song. Thanks also to all those who are quoted in this post and thanks to the producers of these videos and their publishers on YouTube.
****
EDITOR'S COMMENTS
My secondary focus in this post is on the use of African American Vernacular English (AAVE) and/or Jamaican slang in the YouTube discussion thread of Gasha & Eddy Keno's record "Chill". In the context of the title of this collaborative Cameroonian and Ugandan Afrobeat song, "chill" means "to relax and enjoy oneself". In other contexts the AAVE word "chill" may also mean "stop" [and continue to maintain you self-control in the face of provocation.]
By no means is this the only non-American or non-Jamaican discussion thread that includes African American Vernacular English and/or Jamaican slang.
From my reading, it appears that "cool" is by far the most widely used African American Vernacular English (AAVE) word in non-American (USA) YouTube video discussion threads. In the context of those comments, "cool" probably means something "hip" (very good, very up to date). While "cool" and "hip" are sometimes still used by White Americans, those slang words have rarely been used by African Americans since at least the 1980s. Instead, we have replaced that meaning of the word "cool" with a number of other AAVE words or phrases. Among those words and phrases (given in no particular order) are "sick", "dope", "off the hook", "off the chain", "on fire", and "on point".
African Americans also created the widely used slang term "killed it" (slayed, murdered) to mean "doing something or having done something extremely well", i.e. "He killed that beat". Some of these Black American originated slang terms are also used by (apparently non-American) commenters in this focus video's discussion thread and in some other contemporary non-Anerican video discussion threads.
I believe that the referent "bro" [or "brother"] and "sister" in these comments also are examples of African American cultural influence on non-African Americans. Given African inter-ethnic rivalry, it's hopefully a good sign that people living in that continent are willing to consider people who aren't members of your ethnic group as their brothers or sisters.
From my reading of various YouTube video discussion threads, it appears that "Big up" is the Jamaican slang phrase that is most often used by non-Caribbean commenters. That phrase is found in the comment threads for Gasha's and Eddy Keno's "Chill" video which is the focus of this post.
The Jamaican slang use of the singular word "Respect" [as an indication of props/big ups] is also found in those videos' discussion threads. The contemporary colloquial meanings of "Big Up" and "Respect" is to elevate, applaud, congratulate (give props -give the proper praise to) someone for something that he or she has done very well.
"Massive" (meaning big, as in "a really big hit"), "tune" (meaning "song") and "one love" are other Jamaican terms that are found in this video's discussion thread and that I found in other some other discussion threads of contemporary African videos.
****
FEATURED VIDEOS AND SELECTED COMMENTS (with some slang word explanations)
Read #2# and #4 for explanations of this song. This exchange is an exception to my focus in this post on selected examples of comments that include African American or Jamaican colloquial terms. I assigned all of these comments for referencing purposes only. All of these comments are from 2015. These comments may not be given in consecutive order.
Example #1: Gasha - Chill ft Eddy Kenzo (Official HD)
Afro Nation TV, Published on Feb 24, 2015
Gasha, on this super hit With Eddy Kenzo! Shot in Cameroon, Bonaberi Douala, Savour Africa, get a sneak peak of what Cameroon has to offer!! Bamenda Oyee!! #Njang Oyee!! Enjoy, live,laugh,love, #CHILL.
-snip-
"Bamenda" is a city in Cameroon, West Africa.
-snip-
Selected comments:
1. Binta Kila
"to me this song is so dope but i still cant understand the video. wats d story behind d video ,please some explain it to me. then the picture quality is not the best but this two did a wonderfull job . kudos !!"
-snip-
"dope" = very good
**
2. Lena Liz
Reply
+Binta Kila The song is about a girl (Gasha), who bring a guy she is going to marry (Kenzo,) home to meet her family and friends. She is singing girl talk to him, about stuff she would like him to do for her once they get married.
He sings to back to her, telling her, that not only can he do all things for her, he will change her life.
**
3. Binta Kila
Reply
"OKII! thankss +Lena Liz"
**
4. FineBoy NoMoney
"Gasha over like money!!! a boy comes to see u and the first thing u tell him is to buy you Aeroplane.you want to kill our
in-law???lol okay nice collabo.by the way..if Eddy Kenzo gives you only 2pikin, u can holla me for more. hahaha"
-snip-
"holla"= AAVE for "holler" (call)
**
5. A Thomas
"hands up for what africa is struggling to be>>>>
Gasha keep up babe
Rep the city and lift our flag up DOUALA/CAMEROON"
-snip-
"hands up" - AAVE gesture of appreciation ("wave your hands in the air"); "Doula" is the largest city in Cameroon, West Africa; "rep" (AAVE abbreviation for "represent"; "(continue) being a good representative of your city...)
**
6. shikoohmyles
These Cameroon girls be killing it ♡♡♡ #AfricaRocks
-snip-
"be killing it" = doing an exceptional job
**
7.fashola daen
"Great stuff #Gasha do Cameroon proud the eddy kenzo collabo killed it #team237 #kamerforthemusic"
**
8. Christelle Isabelle
Wow! OMG! this is good! bigup guys!
**
9. okuomose okuns 4 months ago
Am feeling this collab.
-snip-
"I'm feeling" came from the African American Vernacular English (AAVE) saying "feelin the rhythm and feelin the vibes [vibrations- of the music].
**
10. Cccf Vvvvs
"Big up kenzo i love your songs listening from saudi arabia"
**
11. Kone Kadi 4 months ago
Cool j'aime trop
-snip-
Cool + French words "j'aime trop (English translation- I love this a lot.]
**
12. pablo escobar
"cool!i love it.check this out pple https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PfrGQEbqshE"
**
13. Jimmy Ashubwe
"eddy Kenzo. Man you are one different guy. Dont loose this style its true East African you going places brother."
**
14. PHIL-PHAR D'AMSTADAM
"cool this bamenda girl"
-snip-
I believe this comment means "This Bamenda girl is cool".
**
15. Debel Ajiboye
"I am a Nigerian and I am just knowing about Gasha through this song. OMG! She is really talented. What a talented female artist Cameroon got. Big up Kenzo for futuring her, she killed the song with her opera voice, you must indeed buy her an aeroplane like she said loool"
**
16. Georges MOMO
"Big up Gasha"
**
17. Oscar Oscar03
"Bt dee prblm my sista s dat it doesn't hv English subtitles hencee I cnt undstnd so cn u help meh plz wit its translation"
-snip-
This sentence is purposely written with contemporary American spelling without any punctuation marks. In Standard English the sentence is "But the problem my sister is that it doesn't have [any] English subtitles. Hence [therefore] I can't understand [it]. So could you help me please with its translation?
***
Example #2: Chill - Gasha ft. Eddy Kenzo [Official HD]
Eddy Kenzo, Published on Feb 24, 2015
East meets Central, UGANDA meets Cameroon, EDDY KENZO and Gasha merge brains to bring out greatness of AFRICA.
-snip-
Selected comments:
1. simon mario
"Cool"
**
2. Denis Ssenyondo
"Bro Thts Wht we call internal"
**
3. Gnoan Jean Roland Bnié
"you are and will be one the best singer of Africa the way you use to do your music it's not like other.
i'm and will everytime be one of your fans. Big up to you Mister Eddy may God bless you more and more"
**
4. Muke Alison
awww my boo, Gasha. soo proud of you gurl. I am addicted to this song. You and Kenzo killed it #TeamCameroon #Team237
-snip-
"boo" means "girlfriend" (from the African American pronunciation of the French word "beau")
**
5. jerome nsubuga
"Thanks for making Uganda be known worldwide bro am also walking on my mixtape and I hope its the same"
**
6. berkatende@yahoo.com Bkk
"massive tune. Bernarzo say so."
**
7. perlerareblack
"Chill bae <3<3 team Africa#237"
"bae"= best friend
**
8. hajati sem
"Kenzo this is the best collabo and the video is off the hook! African kabisa."
**
9. barla same
"Thanks Gasha to bring Eddie Home and product this great African song.RESPECT!!"
This post showcases seven examples of Cameroonian musician & vocalist Jean Bikoko Aladin, the king of Cameroonian Assiko music. Information about Jean Bikoko Aladin and Assiko music is also included in this post.
The content of this post is provided for cultural, entertainment, and aesthetic reasons.
All copyright remains with their owners.
Thanks to Jean Bikoko Aladin and all others who are featured in these examples. Thanks also to the producers of these videos and their publishers on YouTube and thanks to all those who are quoted in this post.
****
INFORMATION ABOUT JEAN BIKOKO ALADIN AND ASSIKO MUSIC
From http://blogs.voanews.com/music-time-in-africa/2009/09/16/jean-bikoko-aladin-the-king-of-assiko/ "Jean Bikoko Aladin The King of Assiko" by Matthew Lavoie, Posted September 16th, 2009
..."I know of a Senegalese percussion style called Assiko, that may have had its roots in Sierra Leone- where I have also heard of Assiko percussion- recently the Gangbe Brass Band from Benin named one of their albums ‘Assiko’, and in Cameroon there have been at least three different genres of Assiko, sung in different languages with different histories and different offshoots. About a month ago I started going through a set of reels that Radio Doula gave us back in 1974 and a large stack of Cameroonian vinyl, and the more I listened (especially to the recordings of one Jean Bikoko Aladin) the more I yearned for taxonomic clarity and a deeper knowledge of Assiko. Now, several weeks of phone calls and interviews later, here is what I learned about Cameroonian Assiko music and especially about the gifted Jean Bikoko Aladin.
Today, to speak of Assiko music in Cameroon is to speak of the music of the Bassa people from Southern Cameroon. The foundations of Bassa Assiko are the interconnected relationships between the glass bottle and the guitar, and between the earth and the feet; the name Assiko is derived from the Bassa words ‘Issi’ for earth and ‘Go’ for foot. Assiko, like so much of 20th century African music is a syncretic form; it developed, probably over one hundred years ago, when the acoustic guitar, first brought to Cameroon by Portuguese sailors, was married to the Ngola rhythm of the Bassa.
Over the first half of the 20th century Assiko music was the rhythm of celebrations throughout Bassa country, performed by guitar players who traveled the Assiko circuit that took them to Eséka, Mésondo and Edéa, and through all of the villages in between, with detours to the Bassa neighborhoods of Douala. These migrant guitar players, accompanied by a percussionist keeping the pulse on a glass bottle beat with two iron rods, kept Bassa audiences dancing late into the night. And it was on this circuit, performing his way through the villages of Bassa land, that Jean Bikoko Aladin cut his teeth.
Considered the father of modern Assiko music, Jean Bikoko Aladin is one of Central Africa’s great unsung guitar masters. He was born around 1939 (his actual date of birth is unknown) in a village not far from Eséka. After a few years of elementary school at the Catholic Mission in Eséka, Jean Bikoko left his family to find work, and while still in his mid-teens was hired as a cook and servant for a logger in the forest village of Bonepoupa, located 65 miles northwest of Eséka. It was in Bonepoupa that Jean Bikoko first tried his hand at the guitar, building his own rudimentary instrument out of bamboo and bark, and studying the techniques of local guitar players Albert Dikoumé and Hiag Henri….
The last half-dozen years have seen… the resurgence of Jean Bikoko Aladin (his fretboard wizardry earned him the Aladin nickname)....
This first set of four tracks was given to the Voice of America by Radio Douala back in 1974 and features some of Jean Bikoko’s earliest recordings. I haven’t been able to identify dates for any of these tracks; in the absence of written records, none of my interlocutors could recall when individual songs were recorded. These radio recordings could all have been made in the early 1970s, just as they could be archival recordings that Jean Bikoko made in the 1960s. Regardless, all of these tracks illustrate Bikoko’s effortless virtuosity and rhythmic punch….
First up is ‘Mawan Na Ndong Len’, which opens with Jean Bikoko saying, ‘these days there are no longer any real friends’. This theme, however, is not developed in the rest of the song. In between guitar riffs Jean Bikoko repeats the question, ‘what am I going to do since I’ve come to this meeting?’ Assiko has always been, first and foremost, dance music, and this track is a good example of how Jean Bikoko got his fans on their feet. Before Jean Bikoko came on the scene the Bassa danced the Assiko with their elbows and their torso, with individual dancers taking turns in front of the musicians. Jean Bikoko was the first Assiko musician to tour with a group of dancers who put on an ‘Assiko show’; a show that featured a new style of dancing that shifted the dancer’s center of gravity south to the hips and buttocks. Jean Bikoko’s dancers were also the first to wear the ‘pagne’-the wraparound skirt-with a rolled waistband, an innovation that accentuated the rocking of the hips....
Jean Bikoko Aladin’s music continues to influence a new generation of Assiko artists, from the Paris based Assiko player Kristo Numpuby and the Douala based Yvette Bassoga, to the successful ‘crossover’ Bassa singer Blick Bassy. But perhaps even more than his guitar playing it is his showmanship that has changed Assiko music. Today, Assiko dance performances are a mainstay of Cameroonian cultural festivals, and specialized Assiko clubs in Douala and Yaoundé feature very popular acrobatic Assiko dance troupes. (To get an idea of the modern Assiko dance show check out the videos of the Olivier de Clovis Assiko group on Youtube)."...
****
FEATURED EXAMPLES
These examples are presented in chronological order based on their posting date on YouTube with the oldest dated examples given first.
Example #1: Jean Bikoko Di Yana
C Hopson, Uploaded on Feb 16, 2009
Best African Dance Cameroon Basaa
-snip-
Here are two comments from that video's discussion thread:
Didier J. MARY, 2014 • Shared to African Music Forum
"Assiko Godfather Jean Bikoko Aladin (R.I.P)
Music & dance from the Bassa people around Douala #cameroon
Note the way the guitar is played..."
**
magnan007, 2010
"R.I.P Jean Bikoko Aladdin!!!
Un grand de la musique camerounaise.
Merci pour ton génie.
Google Translate from French to English:
R.I.P Jean Bikoko Aladin !!!
A great Cameroonian music [musician].
Thank you for your genius."
****
Example #2: JEAN BIKOKO ALADIN
MrBidjoo, Uploaded on Sep 28, 2010
Le pape de l'assiko, première vidéo extraite d'une longue serie. une production SUN CITY PRODUCTIONS BRUXELLES. sunctyproductions@yahoo.fr
Google Translate from French to English:
The Pope of assiko first video taken from a long series. production SUN CITY PRODUCTIONS BRUSSELS. sunctyproductions@yahoo.fr
-snip-
Here's one comment from that example's discussion thread:
SylvieLaCamer, 2014
"awesome genius, mastery, and grace of this most fascinating dance and music of the bassa people in cameroon. it leaves one speechless."
****
Example #3: Jean Bikoko Aladin - Concert le cinquantenaire de l'indépendance du Cameroun
moanang, Uploaded on May 21, 2010
Jean Bikoko Aladin, chanteur, guitariste du rythme assiko, Bikoko grand promoteur de la culture du pays bassa au Cameroun
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Example #4: bikoko aladin
pol paolo, Uploaded on Oct 15, 2010
-snip-
Here's one comment from that example's discussion thread (with an English translation from Google Translate):
Franklin Nyamsi, 2013
"Mon ami, le doyen Jean Bikoko Aladin, nous apprend ici en langue basaa que "masé ma nola béé", "la joie ne tue pas". L'Ancien vénérable distingue donc la joie, profonde communion avec l'absolu, du contentement, qui n'est que la crispation éphémère du plaisir dans l'instant présent. La joie, selon le Pape de l'Assiko, est un mode de vie, une connaissance adéquate de soi et du monde qui produit la plénitude, grâce à la fréquentation assidue de l'idéal. Près de la mort même, la joie triomphe!"
-snip-
"My friend, Dean Jean Bikoko Aladdin tells us here that language Basaa "Masé my nola Bee", "joy does not kill." The Old venerable thus distinguishes joy, profound communion with the absolute contentment, which is only ephemeral clenching pleasure in the moment. Joy, according to the Pope the Assiko, is a way of life, an adequate knowledge of self and the world that produces fullness, through regular attendance of the ideal. Near death itself, the triumph joy!"
****
Example #5: JEAN BIKOKO en live
thoms903 Published on Sep 20, 2013
Jean Bikoko de cameroun
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Example #6: Jean Bikoko Aladin - bayamblag (likalo - Productions lyde 1986)
RealC38 Published on Nov 22, 2013
Guitare, auteur, compositeur: Jean Bikoko Aladin
Bass: Abou Bass
Claviers: Erick
-snip--
from the screen shot of the album cover: Likalo =message
****
Example #7: Jean BIKOKO Aladin - Kena me Dokta
Camer-italie Diasporatv, Published on Dec 1, 2014
Né en 1939 à Eséka, une petite ville de la forêt équatoriale au Centre du Cameroun, Jean Bikoko Aladin tombe amoureux de la guitare en écoutant des virtuoses de la commune forestière de Bonepoupa comme Henri Hiag, Massing et surtout Albert Dikoumé considéré comme l’un des précurseurs de l’assiko contemporain.
Devenu la vedette de l’assiko, Jean Bikoko Aladin & ses Hetlers sont invités dans plusieurs pays d’Afrique et participent à nombre de manifestations officielles dont le Festival Culturel Panafricain d’Alger en 1969, l’année de la sortie de son 33T Wanda ntet, et le Festival des Arts Nègres de Lagos en 1977.
Source:afrisson.com
Google Translate from French to English:
Born in 1939 in Eséka, a small town in the equatorial forest in central Cameroon, Jean Bikoko Aladdin falls in love with the guitar by listening virtuoso forest town Bonepoupa as Henry Hiag, Massing and especially Albert Dikoume considered one precursors of contemporary assiko.
Became the star of the assiko, Jean Bikoko Aladdin & his Hetlers are invited in several African countries and participate in many official events including the Pan-African Cultural Festival of Algiers in 1969, the year of the release of his 33 rpm Wanda NTET and the Black Arts Festival in Lagos in 1977.
Source: afrisson.com
This post showcases a Gospel video from Cameroons, West Africa which features the song "Benlow" by Bro Pad and what I believe are seven additional songs that are led by that vocalist and separated from each other by very brief chords. Information about Bro Pad that I could add to this post would be greatly appreciated.
This post also includes a transcription of these songs which I made from from subtitles in the video as well as from listening to the video as the subtitles weren't complete. Additions and corrections and explanations of some of the Cameroon English words in the song would also be greatly appreciated.
After the transcriptions, my transcription into Standard English of some of the lyrics to these songs, and some questions that I really hope that people familiar with Cameroonian English will answer.
The content of this post is presented for cultural, religious, and aesthetic purposes.
All copyrights remain with their owners.
****
SHOWCASE VIDEO: BORN TO WIN (BEN LOW)
Ser. N. Uploaded on Jun 27, 2011
CAMEROONIAN PRAISE TO PRAISE
Bro Pad: Benlow
****
TRANSCRIPTIONS
[The words in brackets are instructions as to how those lines are sung]
FIRST SONG WITH SUBTITLES*: BENLOW (1:12)
Soloist: People dem dey ask me
Group: say
Soloist: Na wetti de make me glad?
I go tell dem
Group: say
Group: I get God weh di never ever fail.
All or call & response with soloist first
I go benlow for Jesus
I go benlow for Jesus
I go chakara for Satan
I go chakara for Satan
I go benlow for Jesus
I go chakara for Satan
Soloist: You go benlow for who?
Group: I go benlow for Jesus
Soloist: [I go ben]*
Group: I go chakara for Satan
Soloist: Chakara for Satan
Group: I go benlow for Jesus
Soloist: I say I go ben. I go ben
Group: I go chakara for Satan
Soloist: Every day. Every day
*improvise words such as this
[Repeat a number of times]
Chorus:
Soloist: I say benlow
And see what the Lord will do.
Group: Benlow. Benlow. Benlow
Benlow. Benlow. Benlow
Benlow. Benlow. Benlow
Benlow. Benlow. Benlow
And see what the Lord will do.
[Repeat with soloist singing Benlow Benlow Benlow etc].
And group ending with “And see what the Lord will do.]
Soloist: Benlow, Benlow, Benlow, Benlow, brother
I say benlow, and see what the Lord will do.
[another voice: And see what the Lord will do].
[repeat same verse]
I say Benlow etc [chorus]
Soloist: Benlow, Benlow, Benlow, Benlow, sister
I say benlow, and see what the Lord will do.
[another voice: And see what the Lord will do].
[repeat same verse]
Oh I say Benlow etc. [chorus]
Soloist: Benlow benlow benlow benlow, benlow
and see what the Lord will do
Cut your coat according to your size.
I say benlow and see what the Lord will do.
I say Benlow etc [chorus]
Soloist: Soloist: Benlow, Benlow, Benlow, Benlow, mothers
I say benlow, and see what the Lord will do.
[another voice: Benlow mothers eh].
[repeat same verse]
I say Benlow etc [chorus]
Soloist: Benlow, Benlow, Benlow, Benlow, children
I say benlow, and see what the Lord will do.
[another voice: And see what the Lord will do].
[repeat same verse]
I say Benlow etc [chorus]
****
SECOND SONG: SEND ME JESUS (6:04)
Soloist singing alone: Send me Jesus, send me Jesus,
Send me Jesus
I will go.
[repeat]
Group: [repeats this verse with the soloist adding responding words]
Soloist: Send me Jesus etc.
Soloist: Send me Jesus, send me Jesus
[another solo voice: Send me Jesus]
Soloist: Send me Jesus oh, I will go.
Group: [repeats this verse with the soloist adding responding words]
Soloist: Send me send me,
Oh I will go.
****
THIRD SONG: WHO IS ON THE LORD’S SIDE (7:09]
Soloist: Who is on the Lord’s side
I want to know
Group: I am on the Lord’s side
Soloist: Who is on the Lord’s side
I want to know
Group: I am on the Lord’s side
Soloist: I want to know [or sing other improvised words]
Group: I am on the Lord’s side and the Lord is by my side.
Soloist: Everyday by my side
Group: As long as I live
Soloist: I live
Group: As long as I live
I am on the Lord’s side
Soloist: I ask again
Who is on the Lord’s side [continue with the word given above]
[Repeat again]
****
FOURTH SONG (8:53)
Soloist: Na you make me I well oh
Na you make me I fine oh
My solution deh for your hand oh
Na you I go follow
[another voice] Na you I go follow
Group: Na you make me I well oh
Soloist: Well oh well oh well oh
Group: Na you make me I fine oh
Soloist: Fine oh
Group: My solution deh for your hand oh
Soloist: It is for your hand
Group: Na you I go follow
Soloist: Yes, I’ll follow you.
Soloist: Na you make me I well oh
Every day in my life oh
Na you di give me power
[another voice] Power na you give me oh
My solution deh for your hand oh
Na you I go follow
[another voice] I said na you I go follow
Group: Na you make me I well oh
Soloist: Well oh well oh well oh
Group: Na you make me I fine oh
Soloist: Fine oh
Group: My solution deh for your hand oh
Soloist: It is for your hand
Group: Na you I go follow
Soloist: Yes, I’ll follow you.
Soloist: Na you make me I well oh
[another voice improvising words after each line]
Na you make me I fine oh
My solution deh for your hand oh
Na you I go follow
[another voice] Na you I go follow
****
FIFTH SONG (10:15)
Chorus
Soloist: Lift Him up
Group: Higher
Soloist: Lift Him up
Group: Higher
Soloist: Lift Him up
Group: Higher
Soloist: So
Group: The Lord is good
I will lift Him up higher.
Group: Everywhere I go
I will lift Him up higher.
The Lord is good
I will lift Him up higher
Everywhere I go
I will lift Him up higher.
The Lord is good
I will lift Him up higher
Soloist: Lift Him up
Group: Higher
Soloist: Lift Him up
Group: Higher
Soloist: Lift Him up
Group: Higher
Soloist: So
Group: The Lord is good
I will lift Him up higher.
Group: Everywhere I go
I will lift Him up higher.
The Lord is good
I will lift Him up higher
Everywhere I go
I will lift Him up higher.
The Lord is good
I will lift Him up higher
[Repeat in this same pattern as many times as you wish]
****
SIXTH SONG: LIFT JESUS HIGHER
Soloist: Higher, higher, higher, higher,
higher, higher, higher,
Lift Jesus higher
[Repeat in this same pattern as many times as you wish]
****
SEVENTH SONG: KEEP RIGHT AHEAD (13:20)
Two singers: Keep right ahead and never look behind eh
Group: Keep right ahead and never look behind eh
Two singers: For one holds the plough and keeps looking back…
is not fit for the Kingdom of God eh
Group: For one holds the plough and keeps looking back…
is not fit for the Kingdom of God eh
[Repeat entire verse]
****
EIGHTH SONG: TODAY IS THE DAY (14:28)
Soloist: Today is the day
Group: Amen
Soloist: The day of joy
Group: Amen
Soloist: Today is the day
Group: Amen
Soloist: The day of joy
Group: Amen
Soloist: Sing
Group: Amen, Amen
Soloist: Rejoice
Group: Amen, Amen
Glory be to God
Amen, Amen
[repeat]
*This song that is sung in the beginning of this video:
BORN TO WIN [title guessed from the name of the video]
I am bound for victory
I am bound to win
I am bound for victory
Nobody can stop me.
Someone is smiling my ? everyday.
That man is Jesus that's why I'm happy.
[Repeat the I am bound for victory lines [which probably is that song's chorus]
-snip-
I'd love to know more about that song, particularly the word that is sung where I put a question mark. It sounds like "mother" but I don't think that "mother" was the word that was sung.
****
QUESTIONS ABOUT THESE SONGS
What type of music is the beat of these songs?
**
Am I correct that the Standard American English translation of the first verse of Benlow is:
Soloist: People ask me
Group: [They] say
Soloist: Why are you happy?
I tell them
Group: [You] say
Group: I have a God who will never ever fail.
**
I think that "Benlow" means "Bow down" [and honor God]. Is that right?
**
What does "I go chakara for Satan" mean?
-snip-
UPDATE: December 27, 2018
Thanks to Bright Bright who responded to this question on this video's discussion thread on December 27, 2018. Bright Bright wrote that "chakara" means "scatter" in pidgin English.
Given the response this information, my guess is that the lyrics "I go chakara for Satan" means something like "I sweep away Satan's energy or those who are under Satan's influence."
-end of update-
**
Does "Cut your coat according to your size" mean something like "Don't take on more than you can handle?" If not, what does that line mean?
**
Is the song "Who Is On The Lord's Side" an adaptation of the 1993 African Amerian Gospel song by that same name which was composed by Rev. Timothy Wright http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pqKJADeULIg? If so, it's both interesting and wonderful to see how that song has been reshaped to fit Cameroonian cultural aesthetics.
**
Does the word "na" in the line "Na you make me I well oh" and "Power na you give me oh" mean "now"?
**
Is the word "oh" in those lines just sung for rhythmic effect without any meaning?
**
What does "My solution deh for your hand oh" mean? I think it means something like "I put myself in Your hands" or "I know You will help me". But I'm not sure if I guessed right.
****
Thanks to Bro Pad and the other singers featured in this video. Thanks also to the composer/s of these songs and to the producer and publisher of this video.
This is part of a continuing series on this blog about the custom of spraying money.
This post showcases a video of an Asamba dance group in the Cameroons, West Africa and a video of an Asamba dance group from the Cameroons but in Minneapolis, Minnesota (USA). While there are other interesting aspects of these performance, the focus of this post is on the custom of persons attending the event spraying money on the dancers.
The content of this post is presented for cultural, folkloric, entertainment, and aesthetic reasons.
All copyrights remain with their owners.
Note: "Spraying money" is a Nigerian term for the cultural practice of showering (placing, throwing) money on or toward the head of a bride and a groom and/or other persons at an event.
I think that the custom of spraying money in the Cameroons originated in Nigeria, but I'm not sure about that. I also don't know whether that custom is called "spraying money" in the Cameroons. Nor do I know how common this cultural practice is among people from the Cameroons. Any information about spraying money in the Cameroons would be appreciated. For instance, is this spraying money done at weddings and birthdays in the Cameroons as it is in many regions of Nigeria?
Also, I would appreciate any information about the Asamba dance.
I've attempted but haven't been successful in finding any information online about the Asamba dance.
For instance, is the term "Asamba" a source word for the Brazilian "samba" music & dance? I'm aware that words that are spelled the same or similarly don't necessarily have the same origin or meaning. However, it's interesting that there is no mention of the word "asamba" in this Wikipedia article that identifies a few words from African languages that might be the source of the Brazilian word "samba" (for the Samba music/dance): http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Samba#Etymology. Of course, there need not have been any similarities between how the Brazilian Samba music/dance and the Asamba music/dance were performed or are now performed for the word "asamba" to have been one of the root words or "the" root word for the word "samba". However, I wonder if there has been any comparison of the Cameroonian Asamba music with the historical and present day Brazilian Samba music and dance.
****
FEATURED VIDEO - Asamba Dance, Mile 7- Alamatu, Mankon, Cameroon
Lorolose, Uploaded on Jul 29, 2010
The top performance during the golden jubilee celebrations of the 20th Fo of Mankon, HRH Fo S.A.N. Angwafo III. This is the asamba dance, led by Tse Louis Angwafo with the younger sister, Aliah,on the big drum. The governor of the north west region of Cameroon makes a speech at the ceremony.
-snip-
The custom of money spraying are found at various parts of video (for example starting at 3:28 in this video)
-snip-
Unfortunately, there are only a few comments on this video's viewer comment thread. Here's one of those comments:
musicaddicted001, 2012
"Words do not describe the myriad of emotions, after watching this, I am not Mankon, but of Bassa and bayangi parents, and PROUD of Cameroon, the name mini Africa is well deserved, the richness of culture is stupendous. Tse Louis Angwafo I take my hat of to you. IMPRESSIVE, every action in perfectly in time with music. I wish there was more with an explanation of the significance of the Asamba. More please ..."
-snip-
Here's some information about Mankon, Cameroon from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mankon
"Mankon is a geo-historic community constituting a large part of Bamenda in Cameroon, formed as an amalgamation of about five different ethnic groups. The Mankon fondom (kingdom) represents one of the oldest monarchies of the grassfield people of the Northwest Province. The fondom is ruled by a 'fon' (king) with rights to kinghood acquired by birth. The crowned fon is usually a designated son of the deceased king, a child who was born only during his reign...
The most convenient time to visit the Mankon fondom is during the December and New Year periods when the kingdom has its annual dance, during which the people celebrate and also have the rare occasion of mixing with the fon. Festivities may last a week and it is a great time for cultural display. Such festivities give the Mankon people the opportunity to savor the varied rhythms of African music and to meet expert drummers and musicians of the kingdom."
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Example #2 - Mankon Asamba Dance Group of Minnesota USA
nebaambe,Published on Jul 26, 2012
The Asamba Dance Group is not just another tribal dance group. It is ASAMBA DANCE GROUP. What this means is that you enjoy them the most by letting them play their own music to your ears and dazzle your eyes with their dance. That is what they are all about, that is what they work hard to do.
-snip-
An example of someone "spraying money" on the head of members of this dance company begins at 5:51 in this video.
To date, there are no comments to this post except for my comment alerting the publisher that I've embedded this video & asking for more information about Asamba dance.
-snip-
Click http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MUUVzkVP7GQ for a YouTube video from the Cameroons that is entitled "Shisong 2002 - Samba". The word "Samba" here may be the same as the word "Asamba" in this post's featured video.
**
Also, for another non-Nigerian example of spraying money, click http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7LOTTcub8yo for a video of a dancer being money sprayed at a Liberian wedding.
**
Also click the "spraying money" tag for other pancocojams posts on this subject.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT & THANKS
Congratulations to this dance group for taking the top spot in this event. Thanks also to publisher of this video on YouTube.
