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Gniri Balma

from SUBA by Omar Sosa

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about

Gniri means ‘dance’ in Balanta (the language of the Balanta people), and Balma means ‘balaphon’. Gniri Balma is ‘the dance of the balaphon’. The Balanta people are a major presence in Seckou’s homeland of Casamance, yet in general a minor presence in the rest of Senegal. They’ve long been a source of fascination for him. Their main instrument is the balaphon, the wood-block xylophone that’s a distant ancestor of the piano. Like most African peoples, the Balanta have an elaborate suite of rituals and dances relating to male circumcision, but unlike most, Balanta men can be circumcised at a later age. It usually happens when a man is about to take on a major responsibility in life, such as getting married, or becoming a father, or becoming the head of a family. The men are taken out into the bush where they’re given important life lessons by an elder, who’s accompanied by a balaphon player. During the ritual, they perform a very unusual one-legged dance. ‘The big dance (don-ba in Mandinka) has come,’ Seckou sings. ‘The man-dance has come. If you can’t move your leg, you can use your hands; if you can’t use your hands, your heart can dance.’ The first melody was originally composed by Omar, but like most of the songs on this album, the final result is the fruit of close collaboration. Sung in Balanta and Mandinka.

lyrics

(Balanta)
Ba Gniirna Ba Gniirna Ba Gniirna
Mbongborg Ndaang ma yé
Let’s dance, Let’s dance, Let’s dance
to the big rhythm of the warriors

(Balanta)
Alanto nu Gniirna mbagui golé Mbongborg Ndaang ma ye
Bithia ma loussi na
You warrior, when you dance to the big rhythm of the men, be strong. The balanta people have risen.

(Mandinka)
Ah ni singuo manta daba-coun coun kakélé bulolu kakélé
Woto idon don don don idon idon.
If you can’t move your leg, you can use your hands; dance, dance, dance, dance.

(Mandinka)
Nin siguo-lou balanta daba-coun coun kakélé
(Balanta)
Yingkel figné Msilo
If the legs refuse, you can use your hands.
Try to move your legs and your shoulders.

(Mandinka)
Nanan nga donké sin dona nanan nga donké bulu dona
Nanan nga donké Kung dona
Nanan nga donké hakili dona
Come and dance with me: If your legs can’t do it, your head can move. If your head can’t move, surely your heart can dance.

Idon idon idon
Dance, Dance, Dance

(Balanta)
Ba Gniirna Ba Gniirna Ba Gniirna
Mbongborg Ndaang ma yé
Let’s dance, Let’s dance, Let’s dance
to the big rhythm of the warriors

(Mandinka)
Ah idon idon i don i don i don
Dance, Dance, Dance, Dance, Dance

Ah kè Julo lé mata wo
The rhythm of the strong men is playing.

daba-coun coun don bijélé éh
There is a shoulder dancing to it.

(Balanta)
Gétiel Yingkel figné Msilo
Move your leg and your shoulders .
If the legs refuse, you can shake your shoulders

credits

from SUBA, released October 22, 2021
Omar Sosa - piano, synths, percussion, backing vocal

Seckou Keita - kora, lead vocals

Gustavo Ovalles - batá drums, calabash, maracas

Steve Argüelles & Omar Sosa - modular effects

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about

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Omar Sosa Oakland, California

Composer, pianist, and bandleader Omar Sosa’s musical trajectory traces the Diaspora from Africa to Cuba and Brazil; from Central America to Ecuador’s African-descent communities; from San Francisco and New York to his current home base in Barcelona. True to his Afro-Cuban origins, Sosa fashions a spirited vision of uncompromising artistic generosity that embraces humanity at large. ... more

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