Africa Mourns the passing of great singer, Mory Kanté By Ismaila M.S.Naban. Banjul, The Gambia for Country Music News International Magazine & Radio Show

Africa Mourns the passing of great singer, Mory Kanté

By
Ismaila M.S.Naban. Banjul, The Gambia for Country Music News International Magazine & Radio Show

“Still in shock of this very bad news. #MoryKante
was my brother. We’ve been together since the #RailBand and he was truly
family. “We lost, the world lost a true icon of #culture #mandingo and
#guinéene. This is a huge loss. Rest in peace my brother,” was how the
iconic and golden voice-Singer, Mr. Salif Keita described in his
Official facebook fan page, the passing of his African brother and colleague in
the musical arena, late Mory Kante, who died on 22 May, 2020; sending
shockwaves across the African continent and beyond.

Salif Keita, born on 25 August, 1949, is an afro-pop
singer-cum-songwriter from the West Africa State of Mali. And best known as the
“Golden Voice of Africa”, the musical legend is an Albino, believed
to be a member of the Keita royal family of Mali.

The Conakry Guinean-born 
late Mory Kante was a vocalist and kora–(the 21-string instrument used
extensively in West Africa, played by plucking with the fingers, and combines
features of the lute and a harp)– player born on 29 March, 1950 and died on
Friday, 22 May, 2020 at a hospital in the Guinean capital, Conakry. The passing
into eternity of the African Star-singer, aged 70, was communicated to the
media by his son, Mr. Balla Kanté.

Mory’s demise, according to media reports, was the result
of untreated health problems, as he was said to have been suffering from
“chronic illnesses and often travelled to France for treatment, but that
was no longer possible with the coronavirus”.

“We saw his condition deteriorate rapidly, but I was
still surprised because he’d been through much worse times before,” his
son Balla was quoted in the media as saying.

Meanwhile, anyone who is familiar with the internationally-known
music icon, would still recall his famous hit song in 1987 called “Yé
ké yé ké”
, which was said to have reached Number-one in the European
nations of Belgium, Finland, the Netherlands, and Spain. The album, ‘Akwaba
Beach’
which contained “Yé ké yé ké”, was regarded
as the best-selling African record of its time.

Born of mixed Malian and Guinean descent in West Africa,
the late musician was brought up in the Mandinka griot tradition in Guinea, and
later sent to Mali at the age of seven (7) years. There, he learned the
traditional musical instrument Kora, and eventually rose to international fame,
with a lovely singing voice.

A quick glance at his life story indicates that in 1971,
Kanté became a member of the Rail Band, in which Salif Keita (named earlier in
this piece), was a singer; but the latter left the band in 1973, leaving Kanté
as the singer.

The scintillating song-“Yé ké yé ké”, was
also ascribed as “European Number-one” in 1988, gaining considerable
prestige as the “first-ever African single to sell over one million
copies”.

An Internet search had it that: “Kanté received
unexpected fame again in 1994 when the German techno duo Hardfloor created a
dance remix of “Yéké Yéké.” He also appeared in 2006 as
vocalist on British DJ Darren Tate’s release, “Narama”.

“On 16 October 2001, Mory Kanté was nominated
Goodwill Ambassador of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United
Nations (FAO).

“Kanté was among Africa’s top musicians – including
Tiken Jah Fakoly, Amadou & Mariam and the rapper Didier Awadi–that banded
together for the recording of “Africa Stop Ebola,” a song
offering sound advice aimed at raising awareness in the wake of the Ebola
crisis.

“The song, released in November 2014, transcended
public service announcements and sold 250,000 copies with all proceeds going to
medical charity Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF).”

Many Africans across the continent have received Kante’s
demise with shock, and fans continued to eulogise him. Among his albums are: Courougnegne
(1981); N’Diarabi (1982); A Paris (1984); Nongo Village (1993); Best Of (2002);
La Guinéenne (2012); and N’diarabi (2017).

Lyrics

Bi sounkouroun lou la donkégna, ah, ah

Bi sounkouroun lou la donkégna, ah, ah

I madji I ma yélé

I kanan n’bila nara ro

N’bo n’bolo bila

Kanfalani yana sara le ila

Yékéké nimo yé ké yé ké

Yékéké nimo yé ké yé ké

Bi kamberen lou la donkégna, ah, ah

Bi kamberen lou la donkégna, ah, ah

I madji I ma yélo

I kanan n’bila nara ro

N’bo n’bolo bila

Gnin kisse gbela sara le ila

Yékéké nimo yé ké yé ké

Ké woyé boli lalé, N’na doni kassi kan, Woyé boli lalé
(Eh! Eh!)

Ké woyé boli lalé, N’na doni kassi kan, Woyé boli lalé
(Eh! Eh!)

I kanan n’bila doni kassi kan

Woyé boli lalé (Wo dén té soron)

Nyé n’ta soron akono

Mi ma ta I yonfé (Wo dén té soron lonkéléna)

Sini Mory la diyandé

Timba bara wouloukounta

Souba ma kata I yala

Ah sara le ila

Yékéké nimo yé ké yé ké

Yékéké nimo yé ké yé ké (Djely mousso ni kédjou to wara
bo)

Yékéké nimo yé ké yé ké (M’ba mofila téma yan féou)

Yékéké nimo yé ké yé ké

Bi kamberen lou la donkégna, ah, ah

Bi sounkouroun lou la donkégna, ah, ah

I madji I ma yélo

I kanan n’bila nara ro

N’bo n’bolo bila

Kanfalani yana sara le ila

Yékéké nimo yé ké yé ké

Yékéké nimo yé ké yé ké

Ké woyé boli lalé, N’na doni kassi kan, Woyé boli lalé
(Eh! Eh!)

Ké woyé boli lalé, N’na doni kassi kan, Woyé boli lalé
(Eh! Eh!)

Ké woyé boli lalé, N’na doni kassi kan, Woyé boli lalé
(Eh! Eh!)

Ké woyé boli lalé, N’na doni kassi kan, Woyé boli lalé
(Eh! Eh!)

I kanan n’bila doni kassi kan, Woyé boli lalé (Wo dén té
soron)

I kanan n’bila doni kassi kan, Woyé boli lalé (Wo dén té
soron)

Nyé n’ta sorona kono, mi ma ta I yonfé (Wo dén té soron
lonkéléna)

Nyé n’ta sorona kono, mi ma ta I yonfé (Wo dén té soron
lonkéléna)

Sini Mory la diyandé, Timba bara wouloukounta, souba ma
kata I yala

Ah sara le ila

Yékéké nimo yé ké yé ké

Yékéké nimo yé ké yé ké

Yékéké nimo yé ké yé ké

Yékéké nimo yé ké yé ké

Yékéké nimo yé ké yé ké

Source: LyricFind

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