This is a really popular song right now in Mali.
Here's the link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MiSVRWIIKuk&feature=related
It's in Fulfulde and features Peuhl women. I hear it all the time in village-- people play it on their cell phones, women sing it in rhythm with their pounding when they pound millet with their giant mortar and pestles. It's pretty freakin' awesome. My favorite is the "Walay, mido yidi ma!" Walay is also my new fave expression in Fulfulde, it means 'oh my!' and is derived from 'walay Allah!' meaning 'oh my God!' People say it all the time, as in "walay, that kid is in trouble," or "walay, that outfit is fabulous." "Walay, mido yidi ma" means "oh my God, I like/love/want you." Hilarious. Side note: in Fulfulde, they have very specific and very general verbs. For example, there is a verb that just means "to draw water from the well." There is a specific verb for harvesting millet versus harvesting rice. But to like, to love, and to want are all the same verb. And that can be an important distinction. But it doesn't exist in Fulfulde. Walay, I love this language and all its ridiculousness. :)
3 comments:
i love you and all of your ridiculousness.
and have i mentioned lately that i miss you? i can't believe though that you've already been there for 5 mos.
oh my! :)
Love the language lesson. What does Abande mean?
Absolutely no idea what abande means...I've asked around in village but no one can explain it. C'est la vie in Mali :)
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