In 1989, at age 22, Bona moved to Paris and soon began working with such leading French musicians as violinist Didier Lockwood and bassist Marc Ducret as well as such African stars as Manu Dibango and Salif Keita. During his seven years in Paris, Richard refined his writing skills while further immersing himself in the music of jazz greats like Miles Davis, Chet Baker and Ben Webster.
Since arriving in New York in 1995, bassist-vocalist-composer Richard Bona has been one of the most sought-after talents on the scene.
Souleymane
Richard Bona Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Yeikètè e nde bolo
Di ma kanè nde loba di bolanè ko
Diwiyè mambenda mao ma nguinya
Di ma kanè nde loba di bolanè ko ya menèwowo
Nde ya be na di bo diboma
Bulu na mwèssè mo e nde bolo
O muwaso mwa sa la bunya
Je na pè na di bo diboma
Djongèlè longo mo lé nde na o bolè biso
Alanè djanè ni mben'ango
Ebabad'a Bobé ne kolongon a ngonji wa bwa mba
Sisèlè mba ni mbenango wuma
Mulema e nde bolo
Yeikètè e nde bolo
Di ma kanè nde loba di bolanè ko
Diwiyè mambenda mao ma nguinya
Mo Dima kanè nde loba di bolanè kô ya menè wowo
Nde ya be na di bô diboma
Bulu mwèssè mo é nde bolo
O muwaso mwa da la bunya
Bulu na mwèssè mo é nde bolo ya bo nden wowo
Eyabe di bo diboma na
Ebandja o kusi weni da la
A massa osi loa pè naIyo o mbo'ango
To moto a sima pula pè da longo
A matel'angonde.
Qui es-tu?
Souleymane, wa nu bi nguea malam oh
Kwala tè … kwala tè
Souleymane, wa nu bi nguea malam oh
Kwala tè … kwala tè
Ebol'ango bolo wana ô bi nde idiba tè
Siba dibô wengue
Souleymane wanu bi nguea malam, Kwalatè
Nga nu muna a ma sengaa lemba wa busa di wuta longo
Ebimbè e tubi di woto emanaA ngumo'oh na soï di wuta longo
Ô be so djangwa é
Oï boka tom tom
Souleymane wa nu bi nguea malam ohKwala tè kwala tè
Ebol'ango bolo wana ô bi nde idibatè
Siba dibô wengue
Dibiyè la bwambo sèlè to senga
A kingu'a toil sèlè to senga
Ebandja djongo la makata é pakaNdjong'a bekanga esi ma ny obè ngedi iba
Souleymane wanu bi nguea malam oh
Kwala tè kwala tè
Souleymane wanu bi nguea malam oh
Kwala tè kwala tè
Ebol'ango ben no wana O bi nde mulembatè
Siba dibô wengue
Souleymane wanu bi nguea mala kwala tè
Nga nu muna a ma senga
Hu mota bobé busa diwuta longo
Na nenè lambo é e nana
Mabola mongo ma nyakissanè nde batoo pula nde nje é nana
The lyrics to Richard Bona's song Souleymane describe a conversation between two individuals. Souleymane is first introduced in the chorus as a "wa nu bi nguea malam", which translates to "he who leads the caravan". The lyrics of the song suggest that Souleymane is a traveler, a leader, and a wise man. The first verse contains a series of questions posed to Souleymane, asking who he is and where he comes from. Souleymane responds by speaking about his travels and describing his role as a leader of a caravan. The lyrics of the song continue to describe his journey through various landscapes and regions.
Beyond the conversation between Souleymane and the other individual, the song contains other elements of African culture. The lyrics contain various dialects and languages spoken throughout Africa, such as "Di ma kanè" and "Bulu na mwessè". Richard Bona's use of various dialects highlights the diversity of African culture and the importance of language in Africa. Additionally, the music of the song contains elements of traditional African music, such as call-and-response patterns, percussion instruments, and vocal harmonies.
Line by Line Meaning
Mulema a tite iyo
Mulema is a name
Yeikètè e nde bolo
Yeikete is another name and means something unknown or undefined
Di ma kanè nde loba di bolanè ko
They talk about us but we don't know what they're saying
Diwiyè mambenda mao ma nguinya
It's a secret language that they're using
Di ma kanè nde loba di bolanè ko ya menèwowo
They talk about us but we can feel the energy of the gossip
Nde ya be na di bo diboma
We are not part of their discussion
Bulu na mwèssè mo e nde bolo
There is a lot of drama and intrigue surrounding us
O muwaso mwa sa la bunya
We try to stay grounded and not let their gossip affect us
Bulu na mwèssè mo é nde bolo ya bo nden djangolo
We are caught in the middle of something we don't fully understand
Je na pè na di bo diboma
We are not part of their conversation
Djongèlè longo mo lé nde na o bolè biso
We are surrounded by people who talk about us, and it makes us feel uncomfortable
Alanè djanè ni mben'ango
We feel small and insignificant in the face of their gossip
Ebabad'a Bobé ne kolongon a ngonji wa bwa mba
Their gossip is like a snake that creeps up on us from behind
Sisèlè mba ni mbenango wuma
We feel helpless and vulnerable to their criticism
Mulema e nde bolo
Mulema is still a part of this gossip
Yeikètè e nde bolo
Yeikete is still here too
Di ma kanè nde loba di bolanè ko
They are still talking about us
Diwiyè mambenda mao ma nguinya
Their secret language still leaves us in the dark
Mo Dima kanè nde loba di bolanè kô ya menè wowo
We are still trying to absorb their negative energy
Nde ya be na di bô diboma
We still don't really know what they're saying
Bulu mwèssè mo é nde bolo
The drama and intrigue still surround us
O muwaso mwa da la bunya
We are still trying to stay grounded
Bulu na mwèssè mo é nde bolo ya bo nden wowo
We are still in the middle of something that is confusing and uncomfortable
Eyabe di bo diboma na
Their conversation is about to come to an end
Ebandja o kusi weni da la
There is an interruption in their conversation
A massa osi loa pè naIyo o mbo'ango
Someone is trying to change the subject or end the conversation
To moto a sima pula pè da longo
A car comes to a screeching halt nearby
A matel'angonde.
The conversation comes to a complete stop
Qui es-tu?
Someone interrupts to ask who we are
Souleymane, wa nu bi nguea malam oh
Our name is Souleymane, and we introduce ourselves
Kwala tè … kwala tè
We repeat our name to make sure they understand
Ebol'ango bolo wana ô bi nde idiba tè
We are still part of this discussion but now we're taking control of the conversation
Siba dibô wengue
We are no longer in the dark about what they're talking about
Souleymane wanu bi nguea malam, Kwalatè
We repeat our name with confidence
Nga nu muna a ma sengaa lemba wa busa di wuta longo
We are proud of who we are, even though others might not understand us
Ebimbè e tubi di woto emana
We are the ones who decide what we want to say
A ngumo'oh na soï di wuta longo
Our words are like flames that cannot be extinguished
Ô be so djangwa é
We speak with authority and power
Oï boka tom tom
Our words echo like the beating of a drum
Ebol'ango ben no wana O bi nde mulembatè
We are still part of this conversation, but now we are leading it
Siba dibô wengue
We know what they're saying, and we're not afraid
Dibiyè la bwambo sèlè to senga
We are using our words to bring people together
A kingu'a toil sèlè to senga
Our words are a call to action
Ebandja djongo la makata é paka
Our words are fierce and powerful
Ndjong'a bekanga esi ma ny obè ngedi iba
We are inspiring others to find their own voice
Souleymane wanu bi nguea malam oh
Our name is Souleymane, and we are taking control of this conversation
Kwala tè kwala tè
We are confident and empowered
Ebol'ango bolo wana ô bi nde mulembatè
We are no longer just part of this conversation, but leading it
Siba dibô wengue
We are no longer in the dark about what they're saying
Souleymane wanu bi nguea malam oh
We are unafraid and proud of who we are
Kwala tè kwala tè
We are taking control and making our voices heard
Ebol'ango ben no wana O bi nde mulembatè
We are leading this conversation with power and authority
Siba dibô wengue
We have taken control of this conversation and will not be silenced
Souleymane wanu bi nguea mala kwala tè
We are proud of who we are and will never be silenced
Nga nu muna a ma senga
We are unafraid to speak up and make our voices heard
Hu mota bobé busa diwuta longo
We are the ones who control the conversation now
Na nenè lambo é e nana
We are the ones who will be remembered, not those who gossip about us
Mabola mongo ma nyakissanè nde batoo pula nde nje é nana
Our words have power and will inspire others to speak up too
Contributed by Charlie E. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Nguebeh Collyn
Mulema is a name
Yeikete is another name and means something unknown or undefined
They talk about us but we don't know what they're saying
It's a secret language that they're using
They talk about us but we can feel the energy of the gossip
We are not part of their discussion
There is a lot of drama and intrigue surrounding us
We try to stay grounded and not let their gossip affect us
We are caught in the middle of something we don't fully understand
We are not part of their conversation
We are surrounded by people who talk about us, and it makes us feel uncomfortable
We feel small and insignificant in the face of their gossip
Their gossip is like a snake that creeps up on us from behind
We feel helpless and vulnerable to their criticism
Mulema is still a part of this gossip
Yeikete is still here too
They are still talking about us
Their secret language still leaves us in the dark
We are still trying to absorb their negative energy
We still don't really know what they're saying
The drama and intrigue still surround us
We are still trying to stay grounded
We are still in the middle of something that is confusing and uncomfortable
Their conversation is about to come to an end
There is an interruption in their conversation
Someone is trying to change the subject or end the conversation
A car comes to a screeching halt nearby
The conversation comes to a complete stop
Someone interrupts to ask who we are
Our name is Souleymane, and we introduce ourselves
We repeat our name to make sure they understand
We are still part of this discussion but now we're taking control of the conversation
We are no longer in the dark about what they're talking about
We repeat our name with confidence
We are proud of who we are, even though others might not understand us
We are the ones who decide what we want to say
Our words are like flames that cannot be extinguished
We speak with authority and power
Our words echo like the beating of a drum
We are still part of this conversation, but now we are leading it
We know what they're saying, and we're not afraid
We are using our words to bring people together
Our words are a call to action
Our words are fierce and powerful
We are inspiring others to find their own voice
Our name is Souleymane, and we are taking control of this conversation
We are confident and empowered
We are no longer just part of this conversation, but leading it
We are no longer in the dark about what they're saying
We are unafraid and proud of who we are
We are taking control and making our voices heard
We are leading this conversation with power and authority
We have taken control of this conversation and will not be silenced
We are proud of who we are and will never be silenced
We are unafraid to speak up and make our voices heard
We are the ones who control the conversation now
We are the ones who will be remembered, not those who gossip about us
Our words have power and will inspire others to speak up too