Uélé moliba makasi
This traditional Uele River men's rowing song is also sung as a lullaby. People row to the rhythm of the song.
Uélé moliba makasi
Uele! The Current is Very Strong!
Lullaby
Lullaby
(Lingala)
(English)
Olélé olélé moliba makasi (bis)
Luka luka
mboka na yé (bis)
Mboka mboka Kasai.
Eeo ee eeo Benguela aya (bis)
Oya oya
Yakara a
Oya oya
Konguidja a
Oya oya.
Olele ! olele ! The current is very strong
Row! Row!
His country,
His country is the Kasai*.
Eh eho, eh eh eheho, let Benguela** come!
Come! Come!
The courageous one.
Come! Come!
The generous one.
Come! Come!
Notes
*Uele and Kasai are rivers in Congo.
**Benguala is a cold current in the waters off the south west coast of Africa that brings winds with it.
Pronunciation of the vowels
a = ah
e = eh
i = ee
o = oh
u = oo
Comments
You can hear the whole song sung on YouTube with scrolling lyrics.
You can download an mp3 of Ulele moliba makasi from Amazon for a small price or buy the whole cd it's on. You can also hear the song by a class for free online.
Thanks!
Thanks and Acknowledgements
Many thanks to Fabienne Kassogué for contributing this song.
Photo: Original image from Wikipedia - edited by Mama Lisa
Merci beaucoup!
