Senegalese version of Hallelujah
Senegalese version of Hallelujah
Last night, on the BBC Radio 3 world music programme 'World on 3', they played a version (or two) of Hallelujah by Senegalese singer-songwriter Wasis Diop. You can listen to the show again until the next edition is broadcast next Monday night here:http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio3/worldon3/pip/dh9mq/. You can fast forward to the song, which is about 15 minutes in. The song is on Wasis Diop's current album Judu Bék, which is also available on iTunes. Wasis titled the song L'ange Djibril and said that he's changed the lyrics, so now they are about his brother who passed away, but he certainly has a lovely voice.
Re: Senegalese version of Hallelujah
Thanks for this info, madjon. (I knew this would be the place to come to!)
I bought the album just this afternoon, having heard the track being played at HMV Oxford/Bond Street (London - UK). My French is lousy, so I can't tell if he's singing Senegalese-inflected French or, say, Wolof! It'd be great to have the words transliterated or translated. Unfortunately the sites listed on the CD don't have them.
Hope I'm not provoking the prickly Gods of Copyright if I quote the sleeve notes:
'At night, for Tamxarit, we used to disguise. Girls became boys, and boys became girls, the time of an unforgettable night. That night, my brother Djibril, disguised as an angel, whispered something in my ear: <<Never forget to give fresh water to the stranger who comes knocking at our door. Whether it is a spider or a lizard, make sure he can rest in the shadow of our house.>> Travellers never arrive without a reason.'
(By the way, Djibril means Gabriel in Arabic and many other languages.)
Anyway, a great summer album.
I bought the album just this afternoon, having heard the track being played at HMV Oxford/Bond Street (London - UK). My French is lousy, so I can't tell if he's singing Senegalese-inflected French or, say, Wolof! It'd be great to have the words transliterated or translated. Unfortunately the sites listed on the CD don't have them.
Hope I'm not provoking the prickly Gods of Copyright if I quote the sleeve notes:
'At night, for Tamxarit, we used to disguise. Girls became boys, and boys became girls, the time of an unforgettable night. That night, my brother Djibril, disguised as an angel, whispered something in my ear: <<Never forget to give fresh water to the stranger who comes knocking at our door. Whether it is a spider or a lizard, make sure he can rest in the shadow of our house.>> Travellers never arrive without a reason.'
(By the way, Djibril means Gabriel in Arabic and many other languages.)
Anyway, a great summer album.