Oct 16, 2007

Lo que dice el Abakuá

Compositor: Juán Mesa
Estilo: Abakuá
Grabación: Los Muñequitos, “Real Rumba”


We yejei ye jeyeye
A a a…
Wejei ye yo yo yo
O yayó o yayó o yayó

Ahora verán señores
Lo que dice el abakuá
(bis)
Akuri ñanga nsene
Akuri enyene ntiniabón Bibí
(bis)
Akuri nandibá
A nandibá fisi e
Aroró pá kuko nanfoko
Aroró pá kuko nanfoko

Jeyeí barió
Jeyí baribá barió
Ekori atán Baroko Índiobane
Ekori atán Baroko numba aroró Ékue
Anabia umón awana nfimba
We we iyá ta mbe yo
Aprosemisén
Moruá fambá akuri so ngó

A, we we iyá ta mbe yo

Coro:
A, we we iyá ta mbe yo a
We we iyá ta mbe yo a
O o o yayo

Obón Tanze y Moruá, Nandibá Mosongo,
Nandibá Mosongo, Nandibá Mosongo

Coro: Obón Tanze y Moruá, Nandibá Mosongo

Solista: Fisi Ékue, fisi Mosongo

Solista: Eribangando nanfokó kumbré, Nandibá Mosongo

Solista: Tié-tié yereká e, Nandibá Mosongo

Solista: Krúkoro Itiá Fondoga e, Nandibá Mosongo

Solista: Nandibá Mosongo, Nandibá, ereré

Solista: Iyambá o erumañere, Ékue efó erumañere

Coro: Iyambá o erumañere

Solista: Ékue efí erumañere

Solista: Ékue efó erumañere

1 comment:

patricio said...

With the help of (mainly) Lydia Cabrera’s books, and trying to translate (more or less) what we have there in abakuá language, we can find many elements of - as very usual in abakuá songs - history and legends about the foundation of the myth. For example :

Akuri ñanga nsene = quiet, stay without moving
Akuri enyene ntiniabón Bibí : Enyene = mujer ; ntiniabón = the original calabaza where Sikán unwilingly caught the fish Tanze ; Bibí = one of the original sacred tribes where the Mistery was shared.
So it could be : « There, in (the bottom of) the Sacred Calabaza that once belonged to the Wife (Sikán), (that later passed to the) Bibí people ».
We can see there a symbolic fact : in many tribes of that region – Eastern Calabar or Western Cameroon (see Robert Farris Thompson or Ivor Miller), the Sacred Mistery always first belonged to women (or to a secret society for women), and then was caught and kept by men, but a reference of initial women’s power on the Secret is always made – in that case : Sikán, who was a princess.

¿Akuri nandibá, nandibá fisi, Aroró pá kuko nanfoko ? = Was the Sacred Voice heard on the riverside or in the (middle – ororó) part where is Bad (and) Death ?

Jeyeí barió = (Let’s) sing
Jeyí baribá barió = (Let’s) talk (and) sing

Ekori atán Baroko Índiobane : Ekori = day(light) ; Otán = first ; Baroko = gathering of chiefs, first original ceremony ; índia Obane = territory of Obane.
So here we may have : « (On) the first day, when the first reunion of men (initiates present to the first brotherhood of the Society) in the Obane territory ».

Ekori atán Baroko numba aroró Ékue : Mumbán = man, men, males ; Ororó = circle, center.
Here we may have : « (On) the first day, when the first reunion of men gathered around (the Sacred skin of) Ékue »

Anabia umón awana nfimba : Nabiaka = gathering of characters ; Umón = river ; awaná = place, here ; fima = invisible spirit.
Here we may have : « That gathering (near) the riverside, where the invisible spirit (voice) laid (in the water)».

Aprosemisén = the Sacred ?
Moruá fambá akuri so ngó = « the Moruá (stays) quietly in the cuarto fambá (like a – or – where is the voice of the) leopard ».

Obón Tanze y Moruá = King Tanze and Moruá ;
Nandibá Mosongo = Sacred Place where Tanze was found.
Fisi Ékue, fisi Mosongo : Fisi = bushes or places near the river, with bushes, where could be made a sacrifice.
So here we may have : « The King Tanze and Moruá, in the Sacred Place, the riverside place among bushes ».

Eribangando = Íreme who was present when Sikán caught the Fish
Nanfokó = Wise
Koúmbre = Wizard knowing the secrets of plants
So here we may have : « The Íreme Eribangando, the wise wizard (was there too) ».

Krúkoro = Men, characters (abakuás)
Itiá Fondoga = Matanzas
So here we may have : « (Hommage – or – I’m singing to) all (abakuá) male members of (the city of) Matanzas »

María Rafaela

Compositor: Desconocido   Estilo: Columbia Grabación: Yoruba Andabo, "El Callejón de los Rumberos" ¡Güiro! ma, ma Bom bom boró...