Wednesday 24 December 2008

Jarabe or Diaraby. A mandingo love song.

As kids from Mandingo background, we are made to feel that our language is too stiff to accommodate jokes and triviality. And indeed Mandingo language is too unaccommodating to 'chanting talks'. Especially in the area of expressing love. Young mandinka boys employ all kinds of love verbs and adjective to express their love to a woman of their choice.
This claim is not general to every one, as some men can express themselves in whatever language and at whatever occasion. But the mandinka language and expressions are such that if you don't understand key proverbs and sayings, you may put yourself in a very uncomfortable situation.
Also, may be the difficulty for Mandingo boys to express their love to a women in mandinka can be due to the strict upbringing and cultural values. I am of course talking about my Provence's mandinka society, but i assume all mandinka communities has many things in common. Yet, if one attempt to say for instance to a girl, i Love you in mandinka; it will go as follows: hnla fita ila or Nyhee ikanu leh. This doesn't sound passionate. But in wolof instance, the words flow naturally and passionately, just like French is said to be more romantic than English.
But then the experts in Mandingo language like Janko and the like can reject the claims. They know words that can equally flatter a lady just like wolof can.
Yet Mandingo is not on it own in terms of rigidity, Sarahuleh also tend to be rigid. I remember in our childhood at primary school when we want to express our kid love to the sarahuleh girls, the choice of word is so difficult, it put you off expressing anything 'i love you'.
But expression in words can be handled by the masters of it. I came across a song by Ali Farka And another singer about expression of love in mandinka. here is the link.
http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=3l5KZVte6iY&feature=related ali farka
http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=cdaJeGcNKIg oumou sankareh.
There are many Mandingo love songs, the version are mainly in the Diaraby or jaraby tune. Diarabe mean infatuated or extreme love. Like if you can't go without someone. A love that must work whatever it takes, whether it means cuting ties with ones family or Friends, the love must work. No wonder jaraby is always a hit. Although my curiocity is to satisfy an appropriate Mandingo words to once in a while express my undying love for my wife. I came across diaraby and also someone emailed the jaraby link for me to translate for him. The dialectical differences sometimes make it difficult to have an appropriate word, but then with time i will get the correct translation into English. Mean while, i say to my wife; Hne ikanu leh.

4 comments:

Galena said...

Thank you for this article!

SUNTOU TOURAY said...

Than you too, very nice picture of the little girl. stay bless.

haike said...

thanks for this post, i was searching how you spell it in mandinka, i knew only pronunciation. sad i found it here only! you have such a wonderful language.

picasso said...

This is my understanding, some holes in the translation:

Karila Dirabi,
Karila, a tun be ne fe.
Karila Dirabi,
Karila, a tun be ne fe.

A ba le kan ka na'a furu n ma
Wo fen te ne fe, min tun be ale fe.
A teri le kan ka na'a furu n ma
wo fen te ne fe, min tun be ale fe.
A fa le kan ka na'a furu
wo fen te ne fe, min tun be ale fe.

I kana dimi,
I kana kasi,
I kana hami
wo dirabi koson

I kana dimi,
I kan kasi,
I kana hami
wo dirabi koson

Karila dirabi
Kirala a tun be ne fe
Karila mon cheri
Karila a tun be ne fe

Hami ko bali

My Love,
My love was by my side.
My love,
My love was by my side.

Her mother should have promised her to me (in marriage),
But I didn’t have the wedding dowry, that her new husband has.
Her friend should have promised her to me (in marriage),
But I didn’t have the wedding dowry that her new husband has.
Her Dad should have promised her to me (in marriage),
But I didn’t have the wedding dowry that her new husband has.

Don’t you hurt,
Don’t you cry,
Don’t you worry
Because of your love

My Love,
My love was by my side.
My love,
My love was by my side.

This is not a situation to worry over.

This song refers to a mans girlfriend that was married away to another man in an arranged marriage. She most likely doesn’t know this other person (her new husband), but this man produced the wedding dowry to her family in order to marry her. If the writer of the song had money, he would’ve married her. This song is encouragement for the man to move past this girl and surrender her to the new man because the system of arranged marriages is cultural, and one must persevere over it. This is my best understanding and translation based on living with the Malinke for two years with the Peace Corps.