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Maam

from SUBA by Omar Sosa

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Mike Polarny
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about

Maam means ‘grandparent’ in Wolof, the main language of Senegal. Seckou is singing to his grandmother but a woman might sing the same song to her grandfather. ‘Come dance with me, maam,’ he sings. ‘Show me some of your moves. Show me what you’ve got. I promise to take care of you. You’re not going to fall over.’ “The last time I saw my grandma dance was quite a long time ago,” Seckou says. “But dancing is freedom. Your movement doesn’t have to be strong or acrobatic. It’s enough for your heart to dance.” ‘Let’s go forwards,’ he sings, ‘let’s go backwards, let’s go sideways,’ guiding his grandmother’s steps to the clavé of the rhumba beat so beloved of Senegalese people in the 1950s, 1960s and 1970s, when bands like Orchestra Baobab reigned. The arrogance of youth looks at an old person and cannot imagine their fullness as a human being, who once danced, made love, everything. “I condemn that,” says Seckou, “so I’m inviting them in. This is a dance song for all the maams around the world, sung in both Mandinka and Wolof.

lyrics

(Mandinka/Wolof)

Nané djija maam julo kunbeng maam boy
Grandma come and move to the beat.

Nané yé djija maam julo kunbengto maam boy
Grandma come and move to the (down) beat of the song.

Kana yoki yoki na djija mba lou fé m’mama musolu
My grandmas, don’t feel unsteady. Come and move!

Ma maam boy ah Nan gua don gua doman doman wayé maam boy
Grandma, lovely grandma, let’s dance together, step by step together.

Nané yé djija maam julo kunbengto maam boyow
Grandma come and move to the (down) beat of the song.

Kana- sila na gua don mbi samba-ñia léfé
( baba indi jam )
Don’t be afraid, I promise I will show you.
(Elders, bring peace)

Na doman doman ñio fé
kana bori kana sila kana malu

Let’s go step by step
Don’t run, don’t be afraid, don’t be shy

Kana yoki yoki i djija djija maam boy baba natalé

My grandmas, don’t feel unsteady. Keep moving, keep moving! The elders have arrived.

Baba indi jam
Kaïro niota iyé
Baba indi jam
Ahh yeh

Elders bring peace
There is nothing better than peace
Elders bring peace

Manmaké manma Musu nga djija
Kairo niotala wo

Grandpa, Grandma, let’s move
There is nothing better than being at peace

Ta niato muru koma
Bul ragal maam boy
Ta niato muru koma
Ta kara tantan na
mba doman doman néfé

Move forward, move backwards
Don’t be scared grandparents
Let’s go forward and backwards and sideways, step by step
I’m going to move with you step by step.

credits

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

Seckou Keita - kora, lead vocals

Gustavo Ovalles - güiro, cowbell, bongo, backing vocal

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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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