{"id":52934,"date":"2024-02-12T19:51:44","date_gmt":"2024-02-12T19:51:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/gambia\/?p=52934"},"modified":"2024-02-12T17:14:05","modified_gmt":"2024-02-12T17:14:05","slug":"madan-fiesta-celebrate-by-salif-keita","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/gambia\/all-news\/madan-fiesta-celebrate-by-salif-keita","title":{"rendered":"Madan (fiesta\/celebrate) by Salif Keita"},"content":{"rendered":"

Africa-Press – Gambia. <\/strong><\/span>It was July last year, under the vast, open skies of Santorini, friends from every corner of the globe came together. It was for Larry, a dear friend at Cambridge, and his radiant bride. Their love story was to be celebrated in the lap of Greece\u2019s most cherished gem, where history whispers through the wind, mingling with the fragrance of the sea. Among this gathering of joy, laughter, and the clinking of glasses, one song seemed to capture the essence of our celebration \u2013 Salif Keita\u2019s Madan. Day in and day out, for a whole week, it became our anthem.<\/b><\/p>\n

George, a friend whose spirit is as free as the wind, found himself moved by Madan each time it played. His joy was infectious, reminding us that some songs have the power to touch souls anew, no matter how many times they echo in the air. Watching him spark a mischief alit in my eyes, I leaned in to share a secret that felt almost too wondrous to be true. This song, which had us all swaying and stepping to its rhythm, was, in fact, a tribute to the unsung heroes of the earth \u2013 the farmers. Just like millions worldwide on TikTok who sang the song without grasping its meaning, the look of astonishment on his face was a picture I wished I could frame.<\/p>\n

Madan, meaning, to celebrate or fiesta is a celebration wrapped in melodies, speaking of relaxation, joy, and the fiesta that follows the harvest, referred to as \u201ckungchaamaro\u0300\u201d or \u201cte\u0301re\u0301to\u201d in Gambian Mandinka dialect. The song sang in Bambara Mandinka dialect is an ode to the time when the earth yields its bounty. Salif, with a heart as vast as the fields, sings to the \u201cke\u0301le\u0301 mansa baalu\u201d \u2013 the great warrior kings, who toil in the sun, turning the soil and nurturing life. The song\u2019s lyrics beckon these heroes:<\/p>\n

Kho lamma dongo le\u0300, (X3)<\/p>\n

Sing lamma dongo le\u0300 (X3)<\/p>\n

Aye\u0301 dabakuru naliyaa<\/p>\n

Hinna\u0300 na hinna nara sah<\/p>\n

Hinna na felleh nariya<\/p>\n

Hinna na inna nara<\/p>\n

These lines, woven with the vibrancy of life, call out: Where is the celebration, the joyous dancing, and the revelry that your triumphs deserve? The harvest is home, and with it, happiness, tranquility, and joy has arrived (hinna na or hinoo nata in Gambian Mandinka) As the song weaves its narrative, Keita tells of the lush abundance all around. Bananas and the abundance of crops have ripened (ah se\u0300nene\u0300 neh, banana saita), a testament to the farmers\u2019 resilience and hard work. He joke with them, a light-hearted tease about the frogs in the fields, now that the hard work is done\u2014no more worries of frogs leaping at their legs in the watered furrows, \u201dtori\u0301e\u0300 (or toto in Gambian Mandinka) taali\u0301 marre\u0300, sene kella, tori\u0301e taali mala \u201d Salif\u2019s voice, a guiding light, then calls everyone to the dance floor of life, urging: beh ye\u0300 kono dong dong, beh ye\u0300 kono dong dong dong-beh sing na\u0300 dong dong, beh sing na dong dong dong.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s an invitation to shake off the weariness, to celebrate the fruits of labour with every part of your being. \u201cKerre kerre,\u201d(katta nang katta nang) he beckons\u2014come closer, dance with joy, and let the world see the splendour of your achievements.<\/p>\n

In sharing the story behind Madan, a song that reached number 1 in Billboard charts in 31 different countries around the world when it was released in 2002, our celebration deepened, becoming a bridge between worlds. Salif, through his art, does not merely create music; he weaves stories, connecting us to the earth and to each other.<\/p>\n

The song is a reminder that in every grain of harvested peanut or rice, in every ripe banana or vegetable, there is a story of struggle, perseverance, and ultimately, triumph. It\u2019s a call to not only celebrate the harvest but to honour those who make it possible\u2014the farmers, the Greatest Warrior Kings, who, with their \u201cdabaguru\u201d (daboh), ensure that life, in all its forms, continues to dance. Madan is more than a song. It\u2019s a tribute to the cycle of life, to the hands that feed us, and to the joy that follows a season of hard work. In the rhythm of Madan, we find the heartbeat of the earth, a beat that binds us all, reminding us of the beauty of life and the endless reasons we have to celebrate it.<\/p>\n

AlaSan Ceesay is a Cambridge University scholar, entrepreneur & British Army Veteran of Afghanistan with special assistance by Mr Natta Massa, Bellevue, Nabraska, USA<\/p>\n

For More News And Analysis About Gambia<\/a> Follow Africa-Press<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Africa-Press – Gambia. It was July last year, under the vast, open skies of Santorini, friends from every corner of the globe came together. It was for Larry, a dear friend at Cambridge, and his radiant bride. Their love story was to be celebrated in the lap of Greece\u2019s most cherished gem, where history whispers […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":84,"featured_media":52933,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2,4],"tags":[2355,2361,260],"class_list":["post-52934","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-all-news","category-culture-and-art","tag-africa-press","tag-africa-press-gambia","tag-gambia"],"yoast_head":"\nMadan (fiesta\/celebrate) by Salif Keita - Gambia<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"It was July last year, under the vast, open skies of Santorini, friends from every corner of the globe came together. ...\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/gambia\/all-news\/madan-fiesta-celebrate-by-salif-keita\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Madan (fiesta\/celebrate) by Salif Keita\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"It was July last year, under the vast, open skies of Santorini, friends from every corner of the globe came together. ...\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/gambia\/all-news\/madan-fiesta-celebrate-by-salif-keita\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Gambia\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/AfricaPressTunisiaa\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2024-02-12T19:51:44+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/static.africa-press.net\/gambia\/sites\/19\/2024\/02\/sm_1707744770.222801.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1280\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"720\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"cfeditoren\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"cfeditoren\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"4 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/gambia\/all-news\/madan-fiesta-celebrate-by-salif-keita#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/gambia\/all-news\/madan-fiesta-celebrate-by-salif-keita\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"cfeditoren\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/gambia\/#\/schema\/person\/068c7ab4e9634ae78ec5d54ec46598bb\"},\"headline\":\"Madan (fiesta\/celebrate) by Salif Keita\",\"datePublished\":\"2024-02-12T19:51:44+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/gambia\/all-news\/madan-fiesta-celebrate-by-salif-keita\"},\"wordCount\":786,\"commentCount\":0,\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/gambia\/all-news\/madan-fiesta-celebrate-by-salif-keita#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/static.africa-press.net\/gambia\/sites\/19\/2024\/02\/sm_1707744770.222801.jpg\",\"keywords\":[\"Africa Press\",\"Africa Press-Gambia\",\"Gambia\"],\"articleSection\":[\"all news\",\"culture and art\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/gambia\/all-news\/madan-fiesta-celebrate-by-salif-keita#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/gambia\/all-news\/madan-fiesta-celebrate-by-salif-keita\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/gambia\/all-news\/madan-fiesta-celebrate-by-salif-keita\",\"name\":\"Madan (fiesta\/celebrate) by Salif Keita - Gambia\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/gambia\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/gambia\/all-news\/madan-fiesta-celebrate-by-salif-keita#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/gambia\/all-news\/madan-fiesta-celebrate-by-salif-keita#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/static.africa-press.net\/gambia\/sites\/19\/2024\/02\/sm_1707744770.222801.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2024-02-12T19:51:44+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/gambia\/#\/schema\/person\/068c7ab4e9634ae78ec5d54ec46598bb\"},\"description\":\"It was July last year, under the vast, open skies of Santorini, friends from every corner of the globe came together. ...\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/gambia\/all-news\/madan-fiesta-celebrate-by-salif-keita#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/gambia\/all-news\/madan-fiesta-celebrate-by-salif-keita\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/gambia\/all-news\/madan-fiesta-celebrate-by-salif-keita#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/static.africa-press.net\/gambia\/sites\/19\/2024\/02\/sm_1707744770.222801.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/static.africa-press.net\/gambia\/sites\/19\/2024\/02\/sm_1707744770.222801.jpg\",\"width\":1280,\"height\":720,\"caption\":\"Madan (fiesta\/celebrate) by Salif Keita\"},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/gambia\/all-news\/madan-fiesta-celebrate-by-salif-keita#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/gambia\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Madan (fiesta\/celebrate) by Salif Keita\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/gambia\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/gambia\/\",\"name\":\"Gambia\",\"description\":\"Just another Africa News Agency Sites site\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/gambia\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/gambia\/#\/schema\/person\/068c7ab4e9634ae78ec5d54ec46598bb\",\"name\":\"cfeditoren\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/gambia\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/7417380fa9e23b5c57fdbfdaf3fdf92ee478f759a084addda5faa3732853e74a?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/7417380fa9e23b5c57fdbfdaf3fdf92ee478f759a084addda5faa3732853e74a?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"cfeditoren\"}}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO Premium plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Madan (fiesta\/celebrate) by Salif Keita - Gambia","description":"It was July last year, under the vast, open skies of Santorini, friends from every corner of the globe came together. ...","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/gambia\/all-news\/madan-fiesta-celebrate-by-salif-keita","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Madan (fiesta\/celebrate) by Salif Keita","og_description":"It was July last year, under the vast, open skies of Santorini, friends from every corner of the globe came together. ...","og_url":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/gambia\/all-news\/madan-fiesta-celebrate-by-salif-keita","og_site_name":"Gambia","article_publisher":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/AfricaPressTunisiaa","article_published_time":"2024-02-12T19:51:44+00:00","og_image":[{"width":1280,"height":720,"url":"https:\/\/static.africa-press.net\/gambia\/sites\/19\/2024\/02\/sm_1707744770.222801.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"cfeditoren","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"cfeditoren","Est. reading time":"4 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/gambia\/all-news\/madan-fiesta-celebrate-by-salif-keita#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/gambia\/all-news\/madan-fiesta-celebrate-by-salif-keita"},"author":{"name":"cfeditoren","@id":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/gambia\/#\/schema\/person\/068c7ab4e9634ae78ec5d54ec46598bb"},"headline":"Madan (fiesta\/celebrate) by Salif Keita","datePublished":"2024-02-12T19:51:44+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/gambia\/all-news\/madan-fiesta-celebrate-by-salif-keita"},"wordCount":786,"commentCount":0,"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/gambia\/all-news\/madan-fiesta-celebrate-by-salif-keita#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/static.africa-press.net\/gambia\/sites\/19\/2024\/02\/sm_1707744770.222801.jpg","keywords":["Africa Press","Africa Press-Gambia","Gambia"],"articleSection":["all news","culture and art"],"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/gambia\/all-news\/madan-fiesta-celebrate-by-salif-keita#respond"]}]},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/gambia\/all-news\/madan-fiesta-celebrate-by-salif-keita","url":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/gambia\/all-news\/madan-fiesta-celebrate-by-salif-keita","name":"Madan (fiesta\/celebrate) by Salif Keita - Gambia","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/gambia\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/gambia\/all-news\/madan-fiesta-celebrate-by-salif-keita#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/gambia\/all-news\/madan-fiesta-celebrate-by-salif-keita#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/static.africa-press.net\/gambia\/sites\/19\/2024\/02\/sm_1707744770.222801.jpg","datePublished":"2024-02-12T19:51:44+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/gambia\/#\/schema\/person\/068c7ab4e9634ae78ec5d54ec46598bb"},"description":"It was July last year, under the vast, open skies of Santorini, friends from every corner of the globe came together. ...","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/gambia\/all-news\/madan-fiesta-celebrate-by-salif-keita#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/gambia\/all-news\/madan-fiesta-celebrate-by-salif-keita"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/gambia\/all-news\/madan-fiesta-celebrate-by-salif-keita#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/static.africa-press.net\/gambia\/sites\/19\/2024\/02\/sm_1707744770.222801.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/static.africa-press.net\/gambia\/sites\/19\/2024\/02\/sm_1707744770.222801.jpg","width":1280,"height":720,"caption":"Madan (fiesta\/celebrate) by Salif Keita"},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/gambia\/all-news\/madan-fiesta-celebrate-by-salif-keita#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/gambia\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Madan (fiesta\/celebrate) by Salif Keita"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/gambia\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/gambia\/","name":"Gambia","description":"Just another Africa News Agency Sites site","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/gambia\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/gambia\/#\/schema\/person\/068c7ab4e9634ae78ec5d54ec46598bb","name":"cfeditoren","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/gambia\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/7417380fa9e23b5c57fdbfdaf3fdf92ee478f759a084addda5faa3732853e74a?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/7417380fa9e23b5c57fdbfdaf3fdf92ee478f759a084addda5faa3732853e74a?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"cfeditoren"}}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/gambia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/52934","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/gambia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/gambia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/gambia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/84"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/gambia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=52934"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/gambia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/52934\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/gambia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/52933"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/gambia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=52934"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/gambia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=52934"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/gambia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=52934"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}