For now, here's a little something from the always curiously female-voiced Eddie Okwedy. It's kind of interesting the way a lot of post-war Igbo highlife had that really sweet, mellow tone to it; someone told me it was because they were really trying to cool down after the horror.
Ifeanyi Eddie Okwedy & His Maymores Dance Band - "Rapunu Anyi"
Ifeanyi Eddie Okwedy & His Maymores Dance Band - "Akwa C.T. Onyekwelu"
2 comments:
You continue to amaze folks, Combs. I had never heard of this Okwedy fellow. I had not heard of the Onyekwelu he was mourning in "Akwa". In "Rapunu Anyi", I wonder why he was singing about ending colonialism in Africa in the 1970s--that was more like a 1960s mantra.
I later thought that he was singing about Southern Africa, but he wasn't, for at 1:43, he sang as follows:
rapunu anyi rani anyi e ndi ocha e (3x)
rapunu anyi rani anyi ka anyi biri
unu sili anyi chiba
anyi achibakwa ebe amulu anyi o-- ani africa
anyi achibazie apkiri ekweru unu we bie o
ma chukwu ama kwe
ekpele chukwu 'kwa emesia na anyi nwe mmeri
ho ho ho ho he e
rapunu anyi ala anyi o ka anyi biri
(rough translation)
leave us alone, white people
leave us so that we can live
you asked us to assume the leadership
we assumed the leadership of our land of birth--Africa
we began to rule but covetousness [of our resources] will not let you end it
but God will not allow it
prayers to God are that at the end, victory shall be ours
ho ho ho he e leave our land for us to live
The above sounds like a clarion call to end colonialism, lol. It is amazing how he intermingled both old Anambra and old omo dialects.
Anyway, Combs, I thank you once again for letting us know that we know not all that we thought we knew.
Keep up your great work.
Leoadiele.
Man,
Keep the good work slamming, my brother!
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