Month: October 2011

Somali-language anti-piracy song from last year

/ Eamon / 1 Comment

Obviously you read Jeffrey Gettleman’s story in the NY Times Magazine last week, “Taken by Pirates.” Perhaps you were curious about the music video he mentioned, put together by the Somali community in the UK to ask for the release of Rachel and Paul Chandler.

Abdiwali and some others at Universal TV then turned to Abdi Shire Jama, who was a freelance interpreter in London and a talented songwriter. Jama thought a music video would help spread the word, so he produced a song called “Release the Couple,” soon broadcast on Universal and YouTube. It begins with a Somali kid with a British accent saying, “I hope this message gets to the people who are responsible for holding Rachel and Paul Chandler.” Then, after a burst of synthetic drums and some squeaky Somali music, five Somali singers break into song.

“Our people fled their homes. . . . The host countries did not look at the color of our skins. . . . We need to show our debt to them, for it is the donkey who does not acknowledge the debt.”

Well, here’s the song. Interesting stuff.

Hat-tip AK.

Dangriga, Belize: Photos from before the digital age

/ Eamon / 4 Comments

Before I published my last post, about Aurelio Martinez’s “new” album, I wrote my Belizean-American-San Franciscan (last modifier should really come first) friend, director Ezra J. Stanley, to see if he had some good pics from the Garifuna community where he has family roots.

Well, I didn’t get a response before my post went up, but boy was it worth the wait. It is with humility that I share Ezra’s beautiful photos of children in Dangriga, Belize: Ezra, I’m not worthy! These are some real gems from a visit he paid in 1999 — which, I remind you, was long before the vintage look became so annoyingly popular in photography. Copyright Ezra J. Stanley, all rights reserved. Enjoy.

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Music break: How did I sleep on Aurelio Martinez’s new album?

/ Eamon / 2 Comments

It’s already been a few months, apparently. Aurelio Martinez is an Honduran Garifuna musician who brought his people’s sounds to international ears in a big way, starting with his 2004 album Garifuna Soul. For his 2011 album, Laru Beya, he traveled to Senegal to record some tracks with Youssou N’Dour and other artists, which gives the songs I’ve listened to so far (still getting through the album) a broader feel — this is worldly Garifuna. (Interesting in itself because Martinez has said that part of the reason Garifuna culture has survived so long is because of its insularity in the past.)

The music is, in short, fantastic. One of the most stirring songs I’ve heard so far is “Wamada,” Martinez’s intense, soulful requiem for Andy Palicio, the famous Garifuna musician who passed away in 2008. Have a listen.