A Kipsigi song from Kenya. The old man is appealing to his clan, the Kapmorosek, after his son has been murdered and his cattle stolen in a raid by a rival clan.
Send a message to the Kapmorosek,
Tell them I am not as in past years:
If Death Were Not There
An Acoli dirge from Uganda. The ceremony of Yokko Pala, in which a widow chooses a new husband, is held three or four months after the Guru Lyel, the feast held in honour of the deceased. See also Close To Her Husband.
If death were not there,
Where would the inheritor get things?
Close To Her Husband
An Acoli lament from Uganda. According to Acoli custom, a feast called Guru Lyel is held many months after the funeral of the deceased.
She used to sit
Close to her husband
A Man With a Hat On
A ChiTumbuka girls’ song from Malawi, containing some amusing satire on western dress.
A man with a hat on, I say no:
How should I know he is bald,
Nyagumbe Refuses
A Chopi song from southern Mozambique. It may be sung at weddings but has also a more general popularity. The argument of the song is that the bride must learn to acknowledge her love for Nyagumbe.
BRIDE: Nyagumbe!
Nyagumbe!
Why do you refuse?
I Heard a Bell
A ChiLomwe girls’ song from Malawi, popular as a pounding song (sung by women using mortar and pestle to pound grain to flour). The bell is a bicycle bell.
I heard a bell ngili-ngili at the corner:
I thought it was my boyfriend, the son of Chipo,
