Growing up as a child in Nigeria was a bitter-sweet experience for me. The memories I cherish the most are those of endless freedom to run around, outside the house of course, with other children my age, play fun games like ‘ten-ten’, chew on some ‘Goody-Goody’ (hard caramel candy), and enjoy the lovely crunch of ‘chin-chin’(fried cookie dough). Hmm, those... Read More ...
As I steal furtive glances across the aisle, watching them fondle, caress, cuddle each other, he is kissing her hand, her cheek, her neck, her lips, she is receiving but not as effusive, I can't help but wonder what their story is.
Because there is obviously a story.
He is older. She is much younger. His hair is straight. Hers is in braids. His hair is grey. Hers is black.
He is white. She is black. He looks Jewish. She looks African but sounds African-American.
I love this song. It has that real blues feel and sound to it. It's romantic; a man can serenade his woman to this as I imagine being serenaded as I listen to it.
The lyrics are clear - lets focus on us, here and now - ' ... slow down for a minute now baby ... turn that TV off for a minute ... we can talk until we crazy ... we can argue and fuss all night ... ... forget about the world ... let's not talk about the war ... don't know what their fighting for ... ... but I propose ... that we go ... to the floor ... and we slow dance.'
I like this song. Buttercup is by the South African group, Freshlyground.
It opens up with the guitar introducing the rhythm, and the piano and the violin provide the right notes in just the right parts. Lead singer, Zolani Mahola, kicks off the first verse and it goes something like, “... I found a little pretty buttercup … I’d like to take you away ... I don’t believe that you would stay ... No way.”
In Allah and indeed on the album Egypt, Youssou N’Dour (Senegal), is espousing tolerance for his religion, a religion that in recent times has come under a lot of adverse and agitative discourse which, he feels, has led to it becoming misunderstood and even misinterpreted at times. He makes the case for Islam, through song and music, using both Senegalese and Egyptian influences, instruments and musicians.
Muslim life in Senegal is centered in Sufism, led by venerated caliphs, saints and sages, Senegalese Sufi marabouts or Islamic religious leaders and teachers that trace their origins back to the Arab world.
