His talent had been recognised and he joined the Tropical Djoli Band in 1980. During that period he was successful with a song he had wrote, « Deni Kéléni ».
In 1984, he was asked to join one of the big orchestras, Balla et ses Balladins created in the 1960s. Unfortunately, problems had already begun for this orchestra and lack of money prevented them from frequent performing. Good contacts with Guinean radio RTG led eventually to the possibility to record a first cassette « L'Oiseau de Sankara ». Since then, he recorded more albums, two of his latest albums were eventually released on CD. Already in 1994, one of his early songs « N'Na Djanssama » was selected for the sampler « Electric & Acoustic Mali » as one of the two Guinean songs on this CD.
ndiwa
Kerfala Kante Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Kosya tèmè firai fama kosya anoufha
Samba...
Ah n'samba dômhara n'naragoroma
Ah fo ahan n'soumbou n'boré yahma wôntan tèmè fama kosya... ya.
Ya kosya chérie fama akosya anoufha
N'samba...
Kosya tèmè firai fama kosya anoufha samba
Ah fo ahan n'soumbou n'boré yahma wôntan tèmè fama kosya.ya
Télékelen n'déma kanouyé n'nyalla
(Kenlé nanmirry lébilaranan)
Téléfilla n'dé man kanouyé feou
(N'ban mirri n'fillalé lanyi bômna)
Télésaba n'dé man n'nyalla
(Sarankanako lé billara n'kônôn)
Télénany n'makanyi n'yalla
(Hinahé deryrrhô...)
Télélélou n'makanouyé feou...
(Almayé kanou lôlôyé samma)
Téléwhôrrô n'ma konouhe n'nyalla
(Ala wôrrôyalé diyaniyé)
Wôrrôfilla n'makanouyé
(Sakorô wôrrôfilla danyi kanouma.)
Télésen ilémi hikanouyé n'yalla
(Tanicasèn billara yirra.)
Kônôdhô ilémi hikanouyé inyalla
(Hikônôraco lé bhèban'na)
Téléten himi kanouyé n'yalla feou...
(Kan'kana fôgné bountoun!.kan'kana fôgné n'kanou nancorô djarraby!!
N'dounwa kanou kô... haaanan...
Ibakaiwalla Gambie silalla
Gambie woulla bara djandjan
Matta djeli sôhlla barraka!
N'débba Hao diyananden bougnalé n'na!
Allah dignamô kabougna farancie.
Ibakaiwalla laguinée silalla
Conakry woulla bara djandjan
Djanèba kebélaka barakka!
Misé diaby kounara n'moussô ka n'de bougnalé... Nhan
Allah dignamô ka n'dé bougna farancie.
Ibakaiwalla Bamako silalla.
Mali woulla bara djandjan!!
Papa mainlènkany djèlèinân!
Himahé sylla djarrabyni n'nilabillarô.Nhan
Alé moussô woulen n'déby hifolla farancie.
Kosya! tèmè fama kosya anoufha samba
Kosya! tèmè firai fama kosya anoufha samba.
Hasanba dhômarra n'naragoroma
Ah fo ahan n'soumbou n'boré yahma wôntan tèmè fama kosya... n'ga
(Kosya 'ya'! yakossya anoufha samba kosya 'ya'! ya'ya' haa noufan samba
Kosya 'ya'! yakossya anoufha samba
Kosya 'ya'! ya'ya'ya haa noufan samba
Kosya 'ya'! yakossya anoufha samba
Kosya 'ya'! ya'ya'ya hann anoufha samba
Kosya 'ya'! yakossya anoufha samba
Kosya 'ya'! ya'ya'ya hann anoufha samba
The song "ndiwa" by Kerfala Kante is a complex song that touches on themes of love, spirituality, and identity. The lyrics are primarily in Mandinka, with some sections in other languages like French and Bambara. The opening lines, "Ya kosya tèmè fama kosya anoufha samba.../Kosya tèmè firai fama kosya anoufha/Samba" are repeated throughout the song and translate to "My love, you are my treasure, my heart and my soul" in English. The next few lines, "Ah n'samba dômhara n'naragoroma/Ah fo ahan n'soumbou n'boré yahma wôntan tèmè fama kosya... ya" roughly translate to "Let us join together, my love, so we can be one, let us embrace and become one..."
The song then shifts to a series of verses that mention different places and people, such as Gambia, Conakry, and Mali. These passages speak to the idea of identity and the connection between people and the land they come from. The chorus is repeated again, with added lines like "Hasanba dhômarra n'naragoroma," which means "we must come together." The song ends with a series of repeated lines that speak to the idea of love and unity.
Overall, the song is complex and touches on multiple themes, but at its core is a message about the power of love and unity to bring people together. The mix of languages and references to different places adds to the idea of interconnectedness and how different people and places are all part of a larger whole.
Line by Line Meaning
Ya kosya tèmè fama kosya anoufha samba...
I love you so much, my darling, that my heart is overflowing with joy...
Kosya tèmè firai fama kosya anoufha Samba...
My heart is filled with love for you, my dear, and it will never fade away...
Ah n'samba dômhara n'naragoroma
Every moment we spend together is precious and unforgettable...
Ah fo ahan n'soumbou n'boré yahma wôntan tèmè fama kosya... ya.
I will always cherish and adore you, my love, until the end of time...
Ya kosya chérie fama akosya anoufha N'samba...
My beloved, we are meant to be together forever, and I will always cherish our time...
Kosya tèmè firai fama kosya anoufha samba Ah samba dômhara n'naragoroma
My love for you will never falter, and every moment we spend together is like a dream come true...
Ah fo ahan n'soumbou n'boré yahma wôntan tèmè fama kosya.ya
I will always love and cherish you until the end of time, my dear...
Télékelen n'déma kanouyé n'nyalla
Our fate is written in the stars, and we are destined to be together...
(Kenlé nanmirry lébilaranan)
(The universe is our witness)...
Téléfilla n'dé man kanouyé feou
We are two halves of the same soul, meant to be united forever...
(N'ban mirri n'fillalé lanyi bômna)
(Our love is stronger than any obstacle)...
Télésaba n'dé man n'nyalla
Our love is divine and written in the stars...
(Sarankanako lé billara n'kônôn)
(Our love is eternal, and nothing can tear us apart)...
Télénany n'makanyi n'yalla
We are two souls who have found each other in this lifetime, and nothing can ever change that...
(Hinahé deryrrhô...)
(Our love is destined to last forever)...
Télélélou n'makanouyé feou...
Our love is pure and true, and we are meant to be together forever...
(Almayé kanou lôlôyé samma)
(Our love is a beautiful and rare gift)...
Téléwhôrrô n'ma konouhe n'nyalla
Our hearts are united, and nothing can ever break the bond we share...
(Ala wôrrôyalé diyaniyé)
(Our love is a flame that will never be extinguished)...
Wôrrôfilla n'makanouyé
Our love is pure and true, and it will stand the test of time...
(Sakorô wôrrôfilla danyi kanouma.)
(Our love is like a diamond, precious and rare)...
Télésen ilémi hikanouyé n'yalla
Our love is inscribed in the stars and woven into the fabric of the universe...
(Tanicasèn billara yirra.)
(Our love is eternal, and it will never fade away)...
Kônôdhô ilémi hikanouyé inyalla
Our love is our destiny, and we were meant to find each other in this lifetime...
(Hikônôraco lé bhèban'na)
(We are two souls that have been brought together by fate)...
Téléten himi kanouyé n'yalla feou...
Our love is a flame that burns brightly, and it will never be extinguished...
(Kan'kana fôgné bountoun!.kan'kana fôgné n'kanou nancorô djarraby!!
(Our love is like fire that cannot be put out)...
N'dounwa kanou kô... haaanan...
Our love is unbreakable, and it will last forever...
Ibakaiwalla Gambie silalla
I crossed the Gambia River...
Gambie woulla bara djandjan
To reach the land of the Mandingo people...
Matta djeli sôhlla barraka!
And there I met a griot who blessed me with his music!
N'débba Hao diyananden bougnalé n'na!
And I danced my heart out all night long!
Allah dignamô kabougna farancie.
God is great, and He has blessed me with this journey to France...
Ibakaiwalla laguinée silalla
I crossed the river in Guinea...
Conakry woulla bara djandjan
To reach the land of the Sosso people...
Djanèba kebélaka barakka!
And there I met Djanèba, who changed my life forever!
Misé diaby kounara n'moussô ka n'de bougnalé... Nhan
We fell in love and danced all night long... Nhan...
Allah dignamô ka n'dé bougna farancie.
God is great, and He has blessed me with the gift of love and music...
Ibakaiwalla Bamako silalla.
I traveled to Bamako...
Mali woulla bara djandjan!!
The land of the Bambara people, who are known for their rich cultural heritage and music!
Papa mainlènkany djèlèinân!
I met Papa Mainlènkany, the greatest Djéliba of all time!
Himahé sylla djarrabyni n'nilabillarô.Nhan
He taught me the secrets of the Kora and the art of storytelling... Nhan...
Alé moussô woulen n'déby hifolla farancie.
And with his blessings, I crossed the ocean to France, where I share our culture and music with the world...
Contributed by Isaac B. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@banadjenadagnon1793
Repose en paix tonton kerfala, Qu'Allah est pitié de ton âme ainsi qu'à tout nos défunts. 😥😭😭
@alikoita6993
Jp
@eliasdams
Je peux m'empêche d'écoute cette music jusqu'à j'ai les frissons a chaque fois une belle chanson 💝 que la terre te soit légère paix a ton âme 🙏🏾
@bocardiallo5895
Reposes en paix Sekouba. Vs faites partie de ses belles voix qui ont porté loin la culture mandingue. La Guinée est une mine d'or...machala
@akovanah9134
Repose en paix, merci pour cette belle héritage que tu nous a laissé,
@fadimaconde8713
Une légende ne meurt jamais qu'Allah te pardonne papa 🙏🙏😭😭
@vivianmarah5876
May your beautiful soul Rest In Perfect peace. I am gonna miss your lovely voice.
@mohamedlaminefofana9380
J'aime beaucoup cette chanson de feu Kerfala kante, je ne me lasserais jamais de l'écouter, que son âme repose en paix et Qu'Allah l'infiniment bon et miséricordieux l'accueil dans son Paradis Eternel.
@bignekante4364
Que ton âme repose en paix vraiment la musique à été un don pour vous l'oiseau de Sankara
@fatimcisse2764
Les meilleurs kerfala kante, sekouba bambino, fode kouyate, mory dejeli kouyate, fode baro, ❤❤❤ amadou sodia ibro diabate sekouba kandia altouma diyara dommage qu'il n'ont pas la reconnaissance qu'ils meritent