Kamulangu
Kamulangu is a Luba folk song sung in the Tshiluba language. It has an associated traditional dance.
Summary
Kamulangu is sung in the Tshiluba language.[1] The song (and its dance) is about the birth of a child who unifies the tribes of a region and brings an end to a drought.[2] The word kamulangu translates as "fecundity" or "pregnancy".[3] The central lyrics are as follows:[4]
| Kamulangu wa kamulangu'ee, kamulangu |
| Kamulagu matumba dikumi'ee, |
| Kamulangu, matumbee, wayiyoyi wee |
| Bukwa bisambee vwakunwayi nuvwa kumona |
| Mudi Mikombu wabanya mpeta ya bena Maweja, |
| Wa ndomba, kamulangu'ee lele, kamulangu |
| Wa ndomba, kamulangu'ee lele, kamulangu |
History
Kamulangu began as a song of praise for a tribal chief named Kamulangu, but then was used in children's theatre before being appropriated as a popular Christmas song. During Mobutu Sese Seko's rule over the Congo it was sung in praise of him,[5] and its dance achieved national popularity.[6]
In the late 1960s the musical genre Soukous emerged in the Congo. Congolese musicians noted the likeness of Soukous dances to traditional movements, so they began recording traditional songs to Soukous rhythms, among them Kamulangu.[7] In 1970 guitarist Nico Kasanda wrote a variant of the song,[1] recorded it with his band, Orchestre African Fiesta Sukisa, and released it to much success in Kinshasa. Tabu Ley Rochereau and his Orchestre Afrisa International released their own popular version two years later.[8]
Citations
- Mpisi 2003, p. 298.
- Smith, Dinitia (16 March 1997). "Lively Lessons In African Tradition". The New York Times. Retrieved 25 December 2017.
- Dagan 1993, pp. 145, 213.
- Kadima Kadiangandu 2005, p. 201.
- Crane 1992, p. 198.
- Crane 1971, p. 114.
- Africa Special Report 1970, p. 210.
- Mukala & Malonga 2004, p. 198.
References
- Africa Special Report. Washington, D.C.: Institute of African American Relations. 1970. OCLC 1777618.
- Crane, Louis (1971). The Land and People of the Congo. Lippincott. ISBN 9780397311729.
- Crane, Louis (1992). Africa. Regional Studies (illustrated ed.). Globe Book Company. ISBN 9780835904131.
- Dagan, Esther A. (1993). Drums: The Heartbeat of Africa. Galerie Amrad African Art Publications. ISBN 9780969308195.
- Kadima Kadiangandu, Joachim (2005). Schemata of Forgiveness for Democracy in Congo-Kinshasa (translated ed.). University Press of the South. ISBN 9781931948203.
- Mpisi, Jean (2003). Tabu Ley "Rochereau": innovateur de la musique africaine (in French). L'Harmattan. ISBN 9782747557351.
- Mukala, Kadima Nzuji; Malonga, Alpha Noël (2004). Itinéraires et convergences des musiques traditionnelles et modernes d'Afrique (in French). Festival Panafricain de Musique. ISBN 9782747575843.