TRADITIONAL AFRICAN SONG LYRICS A SELECTION OF …

TRADITIONAL AFRICAN SONG LYRICS

A SELECTION OF AVAILABLE TEXTS AND SOURCES

Prepared for the Recentring AfroAsia Research Project, University of Cape Town, September 2016

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

Introduction

7

Source reference details

9

The Rienner Anthology of African Literature

10

The Song of Gimmile

10

The Mwindo Epic

12

Traditional, Love Song

13

Women Writing Africa: The Eastern Region

14

Siti binti Saad, Four Songs

14

Kijiti

15

There Is No Damage

15

With Missive I Am Sending You

16

Do Not Expose a Secret

16

Bibi Pirira Athumani, Two Poems

17

The Stepmother

18

Love Has No Cure

18

Communal song: `Gidmay: Farewell to a Bride'

19

Fatma binti Athman, Two Satirical Poems

21

My Husband Went to Pate

21

The Daughter, the Mother, and the Husband

22

Queen Namunyala, [Funeral Song]

24

The Language of Healers

24

Communal Song

26

One Blanket

26

Songs complaining about husbands and lovers

27

The Impotent One Climbed a Tree

27

The Greedy Husband

28

Three Visekese Songs

28

We Who Do Not Have Men

28

You Who Go to Johannesburg

28

That Woman at Chombe

29

The Irresponsible Husband

29

Communal, Vimbuza Songs

29

Mr. Nyirongo I

30

Mr. Nyirongo II

30

Mother-in-Law

30

Mbuyu Nalumango, Pounding Songs

30

Let Me Try Whether I Can Pound

31

Let Us Pound, Let Us Pound

31

Contents subject to copyright restrictions

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Oh, Grandma

31

I Am Pounding for Mr. John

32

Oh, My Visitors

32

Communal, Nine Lullabies from Zanzibar

32

Don't Cry

32

When My Mother

33

Grow, My Child

33

Chale's Mother Inquired

33

That Canoe Approaching

33

Slave Girl

33

Hush, Child, Hush

34

My Beautiful Child

34

My Bad Child

34

Women Writing Africa: The Northern Region

35

Hafsa Bint Al-Haj Al-Rakuniya, Love Poems

35

One

36

Two

36

Three

36

Four

36

Five

36

Six

37

Communal, Take My Bracelet and Other Songs

37

Song One

37

Song Two

37

Song Three

38

Song Four

38

Song Five

38

Malouma Bint Moktar Ould Meidah, An Artist Who Unsettles: An Interview

38

Interview

39

Fatma Ramadan, Lullaby to a Daughter

39

Rabea Qadiri, Songs of separation and union

40

Dfu' Wedding Songs

41

Song One

41

Song Two

41

Henna Day Wedding Songs

41

Song One

41

Song Two

41

Song Three

41

Song Four

41

Contents subject to copyright restrictions

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Big Day Wedding Songs

41

Song One

41

Song Two

42

Song Three

42

Song Four

42

Hadda N'Ayt Hssain, O, Bride: Berber Wedding Song

42

Women Writing Africa: West Africa and the Sahel

44

B?atrice Djedja, Ma?to, or the Battle of the Sexes

46

Song One

46

Song Two

46

Song Three

46

Communal, The Plump Woman's Song

48

Marriage Song Cycles : Communal, Hausa Songs

49

Song One: Shimbidi, or Opening Day

49

Song Two: Laula

49

Song Three: Ahaiye Yaro, or No Way, Boy

49

Song Four: Mai da Aro, or Returning the Borrowed Bride

50

Song Five: Wanka, or Bathing the Bride

50

Song Six: Bakyaraya ba, or Farewell Song

50

Song Seven: Budar Kai, or Unveiling the Bride's Face

51

Lamentations

51

Afua Siaa (Fofie), Nyaako

51

Communal, Dry Your Tears, Little Orphan Doe

52

Communal, Two Songs for Sunjata

53

One

53

Two

53

Ola Bentsir Adzewa Group, The Warring Hosts

53

Lullabies

55

Samba Tew Tew, Ayo, My Baby

55

Communal, Lullaby

55

Maiden Songs

56

Communal, I'd Like to Stay

56

Circle Songs

56

Communal, Even If You Beat Me

57

Communal, Maidens in a Group

57

Praise Songs

58

Zebuglo of Loho, Praise Song

58

Nawa Kulibali, Nawa's Lament

59

Life in the Cotton Fields

60

Contents subject to copyright restrictions

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Disappointed Love

60

Message to My Family

61

Misfortune and Death

62

I Ask You My Darling

62

Women Writing Africa: The Southern Region

64

Anonymous, Song of the Afflicted

64

Communal, Swazi Wedding Songs

65

Song One

65

Song Two

65

Song Three

65

Song Four

66

Song Five

66

Song Six

66

Song Seven

66

Song Eight

66

Song Nine

67

Communal, Bojale ? Setswana Initiation Songs

67

Complaints by the Initiates

68

Complaints by the Instructors

68

Communal, Intonjane ? Xhosa Initiation Songs

69

Song One: The Girl Has Come of Age

69

Song Two: Come All

69

Song Three: Be of Age Girl

70

Song Four: Today I Think of the Past

70

Song Five: Father of Ntonjane

70

Song Six: Mistress of Lekendlana

70

Song Seven: Yho Yho Father

70

NyaMutango (Ntumba Machai), Mutondo ? Nyemba Initiation Songs

71

Song One

71

Song Two

71

Song Three

71

Song Four

72

Song Five

72

Song Six

72

Words That Circle Words: A Choice of South African Oral Poetry

73

Khamyo

73

Grass Song

74

Song of the Rain

75

Nomagundwane

76

Contents subject to copyright restrictions

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