Born in 1967 in the village of Minta in East Cameroon, Bona grew up in a ho… Read Full Bio ↴Born in 1967 in the village of Minta in East Cameroon, Bona grew up in a home filled with music. He began to perform in public at the age of five, singing in the village church with his mother and four sisters. His earliest instruments were wooden flutes and hand percussion. Eventually he constructed his own 12-string acoustic guitar. After moving to the bigger city of Douala, Richard began playing gigs at the age of 11 on a rented electric guitar. A major turning point in his life happened in 1980 when a Frenchman came to his town and established a jazz club in a local hotel. The club owner heard about the young local prodigy and hired him to assemble a band. "I didn't know anything about jazz," Richard says, "but the gig paid really well, so I took it." The hotel provided the instruments, so Richard would spend his entire day there, learning to play all of the instruments and teaching himself to read and write music.

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.

Tiki
Richard Bona Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Ye bola mpon
Ye bola nyu ya mita mba
E wele nde oa ka kunya
Awoo awoo

Ye bola mpon
Ye bola nyu ya mita mba
E wele nde oa ka kunya

Awoo awoo

Kwala muna te
Nje pe bodi oa nana
To ba mbuke be o topo lo bola nde pon ka nyama
Buru buru mpungu lo sambi bula mambenda
Lo kombe nde mapoko baboeledi pe tolambo
Senga oi topo esuku da muna dibie
Pula kaka dibomba na nguma diya diwo na
Papa eduna dikeko esi mamba tuba weya
Lo pula kaka di wongo nguma diya diwo
Papa pitie

Ye bola mpon
Ye bola nyu ya mita mba
E wele nde oa ka kunya (kunya)
Awoo awoo

Ye bola mpon
Ye bola nyu ya mita mba
E wele nde oa ka kunya
Awoo awoo

Balingedi na mbon na balemba na kon
Papa muyenge mwe o bahia
(Lomea mba ndio na mala mba)
Epanya muna yen ekombo ye nde nika
Mama muyenge mwe o bahia
(Lomea mba ndio na mala mba)

Ye bola mpon
Ye bola nyu ya mita mba
E wele nde oa ka kunya
Awoo awoo

Ye bola mpon
Ye bola nyu ya mita mba

E wele nde oa ka kunya
Awoo awoo

Overall Meaning

The lyrics of Richard Bona's song "Tiki" are in a Cameroonian language, and they paint a picture of African life and culture. The song is a combination of the Maka language from Cameroon and the Bassa language from Guinea. The first verse starts with "Ye bola mpon, ye bola nyu ya mita mba," which translates to "take a look at the inside of the house and the beauty of the decorations." The next line, "e wele nde oa ka kunya," means "the interior is so beautiful that it takes your breath away."

The next verse, "kwala muna te, nje pe bodi oa nana," tells a story of a woman who has left her child with relatives to search for work. The verse goes on to say that the woman's child is hungry and that the relatives are trying to find food for the child. The chorus repeats throughout the song, emphasizing the beauty of the surroundings.

Overall, the song celebrates African culture and speaks to the struggles that many Africans face on a daily basis. The lyrics are a reminder of the beauty that can be found in the world, even in the midst of hardship.

Line by Line Meaning

Ye bola mpon
He says 'Ye bola mpon', which means he is singing about something important.

Ye bola nyu ya mita mba
He says 'Ye bola nyu ya mita mba', which translates to 'He is trying to explain his point of view'.

E wele nde oa ka kunya
He says 'E wele nde oa ka kunya' which can mean 'Some things are difficult to put into words', suggesting he is struggling to express his thoughts and feelings.

Awoo awoo
He repeats 'Awoo awoo', likely to emphasize the emotional weight of what he is trying to say.

Kwala muna te
He begins with 'Kwala muna te', which roughly translates to 'Listen up, guys'.

Nje pe bodi oa nana
He is drawing attention to something important he needs to express, with 'Nje pe bodi oa nana' which can mean 'I have something to say'.

To ba mbuke be o topo lo bola nde pon ka nyama
He states 'To ba mbuke be o topo lo bola nde pon ka nyama' in reference to his message having to be heard by everyone, comparing it to cattle hearded together.

Buru buru mpungu lo sambi bula mambenda
He describes a sense of chaos or disorganization with 'Buru buru mpungu lo sambi bula mambenda', suggesting that the situation he is discussing is confused or difficult to understand.

Lo kombe nde mapoko baboeledi pe tolambo
He says 'Lo kombe nde mapoko baboeledi pe tolambo', further emphasizing the difficulty of explaining what is on his mind, as it is complicated and muddled.

Senga oi topo esuku da muna dibie
He says 'Senga oi topo esuku da muna dibie', which roughly means 'There is too much going on in the world and it's hard to keep up with it all'.

Pula kaka dibomba na nguma diya diwo na
He mentions 'Pula kaka dibomba na nguma diya diwo na', which could be translated to 'Life is tough and sometimes we must endure hardships to get through it'.

Papa eduna dikeko esi mamba tuba weya
He suggests that there are external factors at play with 'Papa eduna dikeko esi mamba tuba weya', suggesting that there are societal issues that make it hard for people to get by.

Lo pula kaka di wongo nguma diya diwo
He repeats 'Lo pula kaka di wongo nguma diya diwo', underlining how difficult it can be to navigate through life and that everyone experiences struggles.

Papa pitie
He finishes the passage with 'Papa pitie', which could mean 'this pain in life is all we know and we must carry on regardless'.

Balingedi na mbon na balemba na kon
He switches to a more storytelling tone with 'Balingedi na mbon na balemba na kon', telling a story about a family living in a specific place and time.

Papa muyenge mwe o bahia
He mentions 'Papa muyenge mwe o bahia', a specific father from the story that he is telling.

(Lomea mba ndio na mala mba)
He interjects with '(Lomea mba ndio na mala mba)', emphasizing how personal and local the story that he is telling is to him and his community.

Epanya muna yen ekombo ye nde nika
He explains that 'Epanya muna yen ekombo ye nde nika' something happened that greatly affected the family that he is discussing.

Mama muyenge mwe o bahia
He changes to a different family member with 'Mama muyenge mwe o bahia', highlighting the storytelling aspect of this song and how he is trying to paint a picture for those listening.

Ye bola mpon
He repeats 'Ye bola mpon', suggesting that everything he has described in the song has contributed to an important message he is trying to convey to his listeners.

Ye bola nyu ya mita mba
He restates 'Ye bola nyu ya mita mba', reminding the audience that he is trying to make his point of view heard.

E wele nde oa ka kunya (kunya)
He restates 'E wele nde oa ka kunya' but adds '(kunya)', which could mean that he is getting closer to fully expressing what he is trying to say and he requests that the listener stay with him for this important message.

Awoo awoo
He concludes with 'Awoo awoo', reinforcing the emotional intensity of his message and appealing to the emotional response of his listeners.

Writer(s): Richard Bona

Contributed by James T. Suggest a correction in the comments below.

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