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!
