Alassane Sy – Ngatamaré
Alassane Sy had an office career until recently, when he decided to go back to his true passion: music. On our first release, Akwaaba wo Africa, we’re featuring one of Alassane’s most bautiful songs, Ngatamaré, which means rain in wolof, Senegal’s dominant language. More generally ngatamaré is synonymous with abundance, and in the song the word refers to Maimouna Sow, a woman who fills her home and friends with her abundance of care and respect.
Rahmane Diallo – Sira
Sira is one of the very first songs I heard when I arrived in Dakar, and it’s still one of my absolute favorites. It is the story of a griot friend of Rahmane’s, who falls in love with this girl, Sira, who comes from a noble family. Her family initially refuses to let the griot take her hand because of the social difference between them, but eventually love prevails. Rahmane wrote this song on the fly, right as his friend shared his grief with him in the studio!