Article Excerpt: "Kola Nut In African Traditional Marriages" by Kweku Darko Ankrah And YouTube Video From Sierra Leone "Put Kola " by Arkman

Edited by Azizi Powell

This pancocojams post provides an excerpt from an online article about the ceremonial use of kola nuts in West Africa.

This post also showcases the YouTube video "Put Kola" by Sierra Leonean singer Arkman.

Selected comments from this video's discussion thread are also included in this post.

The content of this post is presented for cultural, entertainment, and aesthetic purposes.

All copyrights remain with their owners.
for his mus
Thanks to Kweku Darko Arkman for this article, and all others who are quoted in this post. Thanks also to Arkman for his music and thanks to the publisher of this video on YouTube.

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ARTICLE EXCERPT ABOUT KOLA NUTS
From http://www.griotsrepublic.com/kola-nut-african-traditional-marriages/ KOLA NUT IN AFRICAN TRADITIONAL MARRIAGES [by] KWEKU DARKO ANKRAHJUNE 6, 2017
..." Chewed for extra energy, identified with local deities and taken as an aphrodisiac, the Kola nut has been a major part of the fabric of African life for centuries. Apart from its importance in the social life and religious customs of people in the tropics of West Africa, in every traditional gathering, Kola nuts are highly esteemed channels of blessings. It is used during ceremonies related to marriage, child naming, installation of Chiefs, funeral and sacrifices made to the various deities in Africa.

Igbo proverb: Onye wetara oji, wetara ndu.
English translation: He who brings kola nut, brings life.

[...]

Uses of Kola nut in Marriage and Weddings
As earlier noted, Kola nut is used as a masticatory stimulant by Africans and has numerous uses in social, religious, ritual and ceremonial functions. When it is given as a gift, Kola nut indicates respect and gratitude. Those who chew Kola together show to the world that they love and trust one another. Anthropologist Susan Drucker-Brown avers that among the Mamprusi people of Northern Ghana, a gift of kola is utilized to initiate an on-going relationship in which the recipient may be expected to a future request from the donor. She explains that Kola is also associated with courtship, and Mamprusi “marriages are established by a distribution of Kola which passes through the king or chief.”

To understand the role of Kola nut in traditional African marriage, it is very important to demystify the concept of presentations (payments in marriage) and the typology marriages in African societies which have been transported into global arena under the aegis of modernity. In all the societies that Kola is used in their marriage rites, there is ample evidence that in the past that society practiced some form of “capture” marriage.

In this form of marriage, a suitor tricks a woman he intends to marry into his or his friend`s house, and forcefully seize her into his family compound for safe-keeping amidst screaming and struggle. Alternatively, the suitor will seize the woman he wants to marry whenever he comes face-to-face with her. The seized maiden is kept in the man`s family house for a day. Depending on whether that society is acephalous or centralized, the suitor and a member of his family (father or uncle) goes to the chief`s house or the maiden`s family house to announce their act of capturing the maiden, and to assure them of her safety. Some cash and gifts of Kola are given to the King or the maiden`s family. In a society where the King plays an important role in the marriage, such as the Mamprusi, the King, upon receiving gifts from the man`s family, use some of the money to invite the maiden`s family into his palace to accept cash and gifts from the suitor`s family. The Kola given this way is called, gift of message Kola, and it symbolizes peaceful notification of the maiden`s whereabouts, the suitor`s intentions and reaction of the maiden`s family to the suit. When the message Kola is accepted it is presumed that the match is approved, but if it is rejected then it means the family of the prospective bride intends to regain their daughter from the “capturer.” The message Kola does not legitimize marriage even when it is accepted.

The second presentation of Kola is made to the maiden`s family to express remorsefulness for capturing the maiden, and this is called pardon Kola. The Pardon Kola, received from the suitor`s family by the King, is given to the maiden or the bride`s family or the father. In a non-centralized society, the suitor`s family gives the Pardon Kola straight to the maiden`s or the bride`s family. The Kola is chewed immediately by the members of the would-be bride`s family to signify their acceptance. Drucker-Brown contends that the acceptance of the Pardon Kola signifies that the loss of the maiden in her natal home will cause grief, public renunciation of her family`s claim to their daughter and at the same time it ensures children she may bear obtain protection from her agnatic ancestors. However, in the case of divorce, Pardon Kola and the gift of money are non-refundable.

This ancient capture typology of marriage had fallen into disuse as a result of modernity and Christian religion. But the time-honoured use of Kola nut as a symbolic object to ensure its socio-religious and juridical legitimacy has maintained its effectiveness in the traditional marriages of certain African ethnic groups such as Yoruba, Hausa, Igbo, Mamprusi, Dagomba and many others. Thus, global marriages of Africans in the diaspora with links to any of the African societies which used to practice Capture marriage had witnessed the proliferation of Kola nut usages in the global weddings and marriages.

It must be noted that in global marriages, Kola nut plays two significant roles, as a message Kola and a Pardon Kola. A message Kola is given to the woman`s family and is chewed, making them witnesses to the entire process of the courtship between the suitor and the woman. This process takes place long before the marriage ceremony. On the marriage day, the drink (palm wine or pito/millet drink) is sent from the woman`s family to the man`s family, which is consumed, but the empty tumbler (glass) is filled with money and Pardon Kola. The chewing of the Pardon Kola by the woman`s family makes them and the public observers who attend the ceremony to be witnesses to the marriage. The Kola in the empty tumbler (glass), with the bride`s hand covering it whilst walking in the full glare of the public is seen as a kind of registration of marriage, which is also an insurance in case a dispute about the legitimacy of the marriage arises."

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SHOWCASE VIDEO: ARKMAN PUT KOLA official video



ARKMAN, Published on Nov 10, 2016
-snip-
Here's statistics about this YouTube video as of April 5, 2018 at 10:44 AM EDT:
68,569 views- total number of views

360-total number of likes

19- total number of dislikes

23 - total number of comments

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SELECTED COMMENTS FROM THE DISCUSSION THREAD FOR THIS EMBEDDED VIDEO
Numbers have been assigned to these comments for referencing purposes only.

1. conteh76, 2017
"I taya for listening to Nigerian music finally I can listened to a sierra Leone music that makes sense, good job 👏👏👏"

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2. Shreyas Atre, 2017
"can anyone give the meaning or subtitles in English?"

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REPLY
3. Assiatu Sesay, 2017
"Shreyas Atre( put kola) mean, I want to go and engage you.the whole songs is about, how the lady was there for him when he was nothing. so now that he has become somebody he want to pay her back, but in a good way"
-snip-
In standard American English “I want to go and engage you” = "I want to be engaged to you" ; I want to ask you to marry me.

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REPLY
4. Shreyas Atre, 2017
"Assiatu Sesay Thank you for your kind explanation. Is this song very famous in Sierra Leone?"

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REPLY
5. Augustus Williams, 2017
"Shreyas Atre yeah this song is one of the hottest right now"

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REPLY
6. Hawanatu Pratt, 2017
"Shreyas Atre
it means, Take me to your mum, dad, uncle, auntie, brothers and sisters to engage you!"

**
7. Fatmata Bundu, 2017
"all you said is true very emotional song it makes you think twice I hope every men remembered that when someone been there for you when you don't have nothing please remembered her when you became somebody one day. keep it up Arkman every time I listen to this song it makes me cry. S/L music on the map..Bravo😍😘😗😙"

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8. Denis As, 2017
"finally watin ar bin dea watch for ar don see am proud of my country✋✋"

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9. Mamadou Aliou Diallo, 2018
"I will play this music on my wedding day"

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10. khalil f Conteh, 2018
"Salon music 2 d mark
-snip-
"Salon" (usually [?] given "Salone") is a colloquial referent for "Sierra Leone".

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Mawings - "Send Am Go Dung (Tell You Neighba)" 2016 Sierra Leone party sound file, information, & comments

Edited by Azizi Powell

[Updated with video- April 6, 2018]

This pancocojams post showcases the YouTube sound file & video of "Send Am Go Dung (Tell You Neighba)" by Sierra Leonean singer Mawings.

Selected comments from this sound file's discussion thread are also included in in this post.

In addition, this post presents information about Sierra Leone as well as information about Sierra Leone's Krio language.

The Addendum to this post includes a brief comment about contemporary Sierra Leone music.

The content of this post is presented for cultural, entertainment, and aesthetic purposes.

All copyrights remain with their owners.

Thanks to Mawings for this hit song. Thanks also to all those who are quoted in this post and thanks to the publishers of these YouTube examples.

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SHOWCASE YOUTUBE EXAMPLES:
Example #1: Mawing - Sen Am Go Dong (Official Video)



SLMTV, Published on Feb 19, 2017

Artist: Mawing
Song: Sen Am go Dong
-snip-
1, 087 - total number of views

16-total number of likes

1- total number of dislikes

2 - total number of comments Statistics as of April 6, 2018 at 9:36 AM

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Example #2: Send Am Go Dong (Tell You Neighba) – Mawings [sound file]



232CONNECT, Published on Sep 28, 2016

Send Am Go Dung (Tell You Neighba) - Mawings

Sierra Leone Music 2016

Latest Sierra Leone Music
-snip-
Here's statistics about this YouTube sound file as of April 5, 2018 at 10:44 AM EDT:
425,679 - total number of views

1.8K -total number of likes

168- total number of dislikes

179 - total number of comments

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EXPLANATION FOR THE SAYING "SEND AM GO DUNG" ("SEND AND GO DOWN"; "SEND DOWN")
I don't think that the saying "send down" ("send and go down") is used that much in the United States. Here's an explanation of that saying from https://idioms.thefreedictionary.com/send+down
"send down
v. Chiefly British
To suspend or dismiss someone from a university: The university sent the students down for stealing supplies. They sent down two of the students for cheating."
-snip-
A somewhat comparable African American Vernacular English phrase for "send and go down" is "kick [him, her, them] to the curb. Here's a definition for that phrase from https://idioms.thefreedictionary.com/kick+him+to+the+curb
"kick (someone or something) to the curb
To discard, abandon, or dismiss someone or something that has become redundant, obsolete, useless, or unwanted. I can't believe that after 20 years of hard work the company would just kick me to the curb like that! I think it's about time we kick this old computer to the curb. I heard Jenny kicked her boyfriend to the curb last night. They must have had an awful fight!
-snip-
That second example is much too proper. Also, it should be noted that I've always seen, heard, or used that phrase with a pronoun and not someone's name/nickname.

"To get rid of" is another American vernacular equivalent for "send down" ["send am go dung".

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INFORMATION ABOUT SIERRA LEONE
From https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sierra_Leone
"Sierra Leone ... officially the Republic of Sierra Leone, is a country in West Africa. It is bordered by Guinea to the northeast, Liberia to the southeast and the Atlantic Ocean to the southwest.

[...]

About sixteen ethnic groups inhabit Sierra Leone, each with its own language and customs. The two largest and most influential are the Temne and the Mende people. The Temne are predominantly found in the north of the country, while the Mende are predominant in the southeast. Comprising a small minority are the Krio people, who are descendants of freed African American and West Indian slaves.

Although the English language is the official language spoken at schools and government administration, the Krio language, an English-based creole, is the most widely spoken language across Sierra Leone and is spoken by 97% of the country's population. The Krio language unites all the different ethnic groups in the country, especially in their trade and social interaction with each other.

Sierra Leone is a Muslim majority country, with the overall Muslim population at 78% of the population,based on 2015 Pew research [10][11][12] , though there is an influential Christian minority of various denominations at about 21% of the population.[9] Sierra Leone is regarded as one of the most religiously tolerant nations in the world. Muslims and Christians collaborate and interact with each other very peacefully. Religious violence is very rare in the country. The major Christian and Muslim holidays are officially public holidays in the country, including Christmas, Easter, Eid al-Fitr and Eid al-Adha."...
-snip-
"Salone" is a colloquial referent for "Sierra Leone".

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INFORMATION ABOUT SIERRA LEONE'S KRIO LANGUAGE
https://www.visitsierraleone.org/background-information/languages/krio-words-and-phrases/
"Krio words and phrases

Krio is the most widely spoken language in Sierra Leone and is native to the Creoles who are freed slaves from Britain, The United States and West Indies. It is mainly derived from English but has influences from other African languages (Yuroba for example), European languages (such as French) and also contains some expressions found in the West Indies.”...
-snip-
That link contains an alphabetized list of some Krio words. Click http://www.sierra-leone.org/Krio/dictionary-a.html for more comprehensive online Krio dictionary.

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SELECTED COMMENTS FROM THE DISCUSSION THREAD FOR THIS EMBEDDED VIDEO
These comments are given without any attempt by me to "translate" the Krio words & phrases into standard American English.

Numbers have been assigned to these comments for referencing purposes only.

2016
1. Idriss Kouyateh
"This is an authentic Sierra Leone beat. I wish we could keep up the authenticity of our cultural background. Excellent effort guys. I praise you."

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2. Icyunv Didi
"Every African party I go to I hear this song !"

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3. Elijah Khomeini
"This music really they sweet me all over!!!!foop foop!!!!!"

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4. Abdulai Koroma
"Real Salone Culture Beats, God Bless our land"

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5. George Ngobeh
"Sierra Leone track of the year."

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6. Vidal Smith
"Classic Sierra Leonean"

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7. Tamba P, Bockarie
"A beautiful party song."

**
8. Memunatu Conteh
"wow!diz song da over do me oooo...😂😂👌👌👌"

**
9. Amadu Fullah
"Na dis kind music we need na Salone instead of dem fet fet b.s. music dem."

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10. Lahai Boima
"Salone music all the way to the map"

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11. MANA BLAZE
"i love dis song"

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12. Leighlye
"We dae sen am go down.....absolutely love this song 😍😍"

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13. Fiston Jalloh
"salon to de fullest this what we call music not de robish kaio and laj talk talk stupid"

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14. Salone Diiva
"💃🏻💃🏻🔥🔥"
-snip-
In response to a question from another commenter, Salone Diiva, wrote that she was from Sierra Leone, but lives in the United Kingdom.

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15. Silas Azik Samuels
"Dope cultural song"

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16. mamoud kargbo
"No place like home. I miss mama Salone"

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REPLY
17. Ahmid
"mamoud kargbo LOL you have my last name"

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REPLY
18. mamoud kargbo
"Nice"

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19. Al-Desmond
"nice big up man dem..."

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20. QueenD
"Salone music too sweet🇸🇱......"

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21. Mohamed Jabbie
"dis na dae original salone👆👍
no copy....nice 1 guys"

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22. dj remeo
"Damnnnnnn i love this music real culture beats.. Respect all the way from Amsterdam"

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23. Roseline J
"this is what am talking about! music like this is just too good. bravo to you guys."

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24. xixbabyparisxix
"SL On Fire Rrrraaaa 🙈🙈🙈🙀🙀🙀😂😂😂😘😘😘😘😘😘👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼"

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25. Lahai Boima
"Tell me neighba say ar da na Australia Salone bobor#"

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26. Peeco Tarr
"My sister from London put me into this song, I love it!💜"

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27. Mohamed Kamara
"God bless our land and our culture"

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28. Alpha Sesay
"more promotion is required to take our rich traditional culture songs across the globe."

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2017
29. Camara Youssouf
"land that we love our sweet sweet sweet Leone"

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30. Aminata Barrie
"BEST SALONE SONG EVER!!!"

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31. Baby mundow
"am Gambiana but i love them borbor"

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32. Junior Conteh
"Heavy track Meaning Tell your neigbours that you are about and if they try you will send them down."

**
33. Myriam Kamara
"A Salone na so you saby play fine music... ? E well me safe dé sain a go down"

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34. Debbie Caulker
"Proudly Sierra Leone... nice song for bachelor's eve lol. me love this song like crazy."

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35. Billy Kay
"Uplifting song makes you feel good and want to party, party.."

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36. Amidu Turay
"I'm proud to be Sierra Leonean"

**
37. Joseph Kamara
"I love this song!!! Imake ah membah mi country Sweet Salone"

**
38. Ayouba Barry
"proper African music one love"

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39. Letto Alade
"🇸🇱🇸🇱🇸🇱🇸🇱🇸🇱🇸🇱🇸🇱🇸🇱❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️ I'm Liberian but this song is one of my favorite song"

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40. Diane Terry
"Sen na go dun... Lv this tune ❤"

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41. Kadidjatou T. Jallo
"oo mama salone I missed you kalusha in Germany"

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2018
42. Rashid Bangura
"Culture 101!!! This song brings me close to Home!! Salon sweet!!!"

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43. John Quansah
"Serious beats here.big up ."

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44. Adonis Sheriff Kamara
"Hmmmm pure Sierra Leone song omg I miss my country"

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45. Toure Ibrahima
"Great ! sweet mama sierra leonean music"

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46. Mohamed Bangura
"Na so music for sweet"

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47. Comfort Sambolah
"We dey send am go dong 😂😂 SL FOR LIFE"

**
48. Tyrell Robinson
"I love how this aspect west african culture relates so much to my caribbean culture. The sound of the music and their dialect is so simmilar to ours. We held on to much from the motherland even tho we think we never did. Send am guh dung yasssss🌍this sounds so simmilar to calypso"

**
49. Ray Samura
"SALONE HIGH LIFE MUSIC"

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50. Robbie Selph
"Going to Sierra Leone in May and so excited!!! So love listening to this music. My oldest granddaughter is there now in Peace Corps and has been for over a year. She loves it and loves the people there so much....so I can't wait! Love this music."

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ADDENDUM- COMMENT ABOUT CONTEMPORARY SIERRA LEONE MUSIC
From https://awoko.org/2017/10/13/sierra-leone-entertainment-moves-to-revamp-salone-music/ Sierra Leone Entertainment: Moves to revamp Salone music
"2007 was the golden age of Sierra Leone music… It was everywhere, in clubs, pubs, public transports, parties and every nook and crane of Sierra Leone until the tempo became dampened and the Nigerians took over. Nigeria songs became so dominant to a extent that Sierra Leone music started losing its own identity.

Sierra Leone songs started sounding like Nigerian songs; with the same composition, the same Afro-beats, same Nigeria pidgin lyrics and rhythm. However, stakeholders in the industry had deem it necessary to resuscitate Sierra Leone music in the public domain more than how it was in its golden days. Hence, stakeholders in the entertainment and promotion industry are now intending to introduce a Sierra Leone Entertainment Guild and also to sign a Communique between the DJs Union requesting for a 90 days Salone Music Campaign in all Radios and Entertainment Centre.
Friday October 13, 2017."

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