Hi Francis !
Thanks for revisiting a very popular site which seems to to "dig deeper "
everytime we "trip" on some information.
Malaika continues to be the most famous Swahili ballad as the other popular
ones do not evoke the same passion- let alone the continuous controversy
as to who had the first.
In addition to the singers you mentioned- the fair skinned Kenyan from
Mombasa,Kenya- Mona Miller sings one of the first versions with Fadhili.
This verson has four verses - the first two in Swahili and the last two in
English- making it the only version with English lyrics.
When speaking to Mona in the mid-seventies in Dar es Salaam,Tanzania after
she performed at the Simba Grill - the city's only nite spot then with a night
club status- she told me that all their other efforts did not
come close to the popularity of Malaika.
During her performance, Mona got into some Miriam Makeba"bashing" stating
that since Makeba did not get copyrights to the song, she decided to sing one
of Makeba's popular songs -"Pata Pata"
Makeba had two versions of Malaika- one as a solo and the other in a duet
with Harry Belafonte. (Makeba is one of very few people whose Tanzanian
citizenship was revoked after she took dual citizenship from Algeria and
Guinea where she lived with third husband - American Stokely Carmichael).
The coyyright issue has been surfaced now and then by Fadhili who stated
that he got a "raw deal" from all singers who atempted to popularise the
song.
Fadhili also sings in a duet with the famous Indian folklore singer-
Usha Uthup. I heard her singing at a performance at the Nairobi Institute
(formerly the Goan Institute) in the late seventies during their anniversary
celebrations. She has a great voice.
And then there was Rhodesia's (now Zimbabwe)- Dorothy Masuka who popularised
the song in other parts of Africa during her various visits. I had the unique
honor of singing Malaika with Masuka at Lusaka's
Inter-Continental Hotel in 1976 when I together with a group of Tanzanian
journalists were guests of Zambia's first President- Kenneth Kaunda on a
ten-day tour of the country.
I totally agree with Merwyn Lobo that none of the words in the lyrics
come any close to some Konkani words. In this context, I have to congratulate
the goans from Kenya who produced the popular "Jambo Goa" CD. It features
Konkani songs- some "laced" with Swahili "lingo". I look forward to some
similar CDs.
Just a clarification on the Tales of the Unexpected, I am assuming that
the dowry being counted is bride-wealth. Africans and Muslims have
bride-wealth as part of their wedding folklore. It is a gift from the
bride-groom to the father of the bride. In a muslim wedding, the
Sheikh (priest) acts as a courier; whilst with many tribes, it is
measured in the number of cows.
So if a Luo from Kenya like Obama's father got married to a Luo girl, he would
have to give 36 cows to the father of th bride. That was 30 years
ago.
As for the Tanzanian lullaby source, I have never heard of it; however, many
Tanzanians - including some radio announcers feel that the song has its origins
in Tanzania- ostensibly because of the well scripted Swahili lyrics.
Swahili was originally properly spoken on the coastal belt- that is Mombasa,
and Tanga, Dar es Salaam and Zanzibar in Tanzania. Now it is
well spoken throughout Tanzania.
rgds.
Tony Barros.
Union, New Jersey, USA.
