Manyatta Singing!

Every Monday and Wednesday night, Leah and I are picked up by friends from church to go to a church member's mindaase (the traditional round Gabra hut, belonging to the woman) for devotions, which consist of singing, a short recorded message, and, on especially happy nights, a cup of chai. Yesterday night's manyatta singing was especially wonderful. ("Manyatta" is Kiswahili for "group of homes".) 

Ado, her older brother Dub (pronounced Doob), and Isako Abudo came to take us. (Isako Abudo, aka tall, skinny Isako is not to be confused with Isako Boru, who is older and larger, or with Abudo; all three, and Dub as well, work at the garage on the mission compound and are very involved in the church. It took me a while to get them straight!) The moon had not yet made an appearance, and so the light of the stars was particularly bright. Honestly, I find that using flashlights, or torches, as everyone calls them here, is almost more disorienting than going without, because when you're trapped in a bubble of light, your eyes have no chance to adjust, and everything outside of that bubble seems menacing. On the other hand, there are numerous thorns and occasional pieces of bone lying everywhere - so I suppose a light is useful for avoiding those!

Last night, we made our way to Olla Duke, to the home of Simpirre, who it turns out is our friend Doke's sister! The town of Kalacha is divided into four olla, called Olla Duke (meaning dust, or sand), Olla Chille (meaning charcoal), Lala Salama ("peaceful sleep" in Kiswahili... maybe a joke, since this is the part of town in which the mosque with its early morning prayer calls is located!), and Olla Ch'ira. Traditionally, olla are mobile villages of about 10-15 families usually linked by kinship, but in a town such as Kalacha, not many people are as nomadic as the Gabra used to all be, preferring to stay settled near a reliable water source. 

There were nine of us in total: Simpirre, two children, Ado, Leah, myself, Dub, Isako Abudo, and Abudo, all clustered in a small circle around the west-facing mindaase entrance. After waiting a while and catching up with one another, we started singing, the men whispering back and forth to decide what song to start off with. My grin grew SO wide as they began with "Tisite Arani Nagete", which Ado had taught us just last week. It was so exciting to be able to join in and sing along, since devotions, singing included, are always carried out entirely in Gabra, occasionally accompanied by a brief, whispered English explanation of the passage read or a song's theme. I was happy enough being able to sing along for just one song, but then the two that followed were none other than the two other songs Ado had just taught me! Coincidence? I think not. No one said anything, but Ado and Dub were both smiling. To top it off, post-prayer and the message, one of the last two songs was "Gana Gana", the fourth and final song in my Gabra worship repertoire. I heard Dub whisper the words to Abudo, who started singing softly as if to test the waters, and then laughed when I joined right in. 

As if it couldn't get any better, when we'd finished, Simpirre emerged from the mindaase with a full thermos of chai, and cups for everyone! Though dark, I definitely heard smiles in everyone's voices as we wished each other "nagayan bula" (goodnight) before heading home. 

I think everyone was extra excited about singing last night, because on Friday, three female missionaries arrived to teach a week-long ethnomusicology conference for the local church, in which they are helping guide participants through the process of writing their own Biblically-based worship songs in the Gabra language and style! I've attended one session so far, and hope to go to more :)

So there you have a taste of manyatta singing! Despite the language barrier, it is so renewing and restful to sit out under the stars in the wind, listening to the sounds of Kalacha at night: mostly goats, sheep, passing lorries, dog fights, the occasional hyena, and near ceaseless wind - the rhythm and quality are so similar to the crashing of waves, it's uncanny, and beautiful. 

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PS: Another reason manyatta singing was so rejuvenating yesterday was because SCHOOL IS BACK IN SESSION! The strike ended last week, and so yesterday was my first day back teaching. Tiring, but very rewarding. The students are wonderful. I'll be sure to post another blog soon filling you in on what I did during the unexpected one month "holiday"!

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Lyrics and Translation to:

"Tisite Aran Nagete"*

Chorus: 

Tisite aran nagete

Borile siuma bariti

Atin Waaqi kiya Waaqa

Waaqayon Waaqa duriti

x 2

V1: 

Sopranos: Atin Waaqa kiya Waaqa

All: Waaqayon Waaqa duriti

V2:

Sopranos: Atin gofta kiya gofta

All: Goftayon gofta duriti

----- Translation -----

Chorus:

You have cared for me up to today

And You are the One who will make tomorrow come

You are my God

God of the past, present, and future

V1:

You are my God

God of the past, present, and future

V2:

"Gofta" means someone who is very strong and powerful - Ado couldn't think of a direct translation

You are my "gofta"

"Gofta" of the past, present, and future

*Original Gabra spelling slightly changed - I omitted silent letters so that what you hear in your head while you read it will be somewhat closer to the actual Gabra words!