He was outcast by his family & ostracized by the community, because he was an albino - a sign of bad luck in Mandinka culture. In 1967, he left Djoliba for Bamako, where he joined the government sponsored Super Rail Band de Bamako (aka Super Rail Band). In 1973, Keita joined the group Les Ambassadeurs. Keita and Les Ambassadeurs fled political unrest in Mali during the mid-1970s for Abidjan, Côte d'Ivoire & changed the group's name to Les Ambassadeurs Internationales. The reputation of Les Ambassadeurs Internationales rose to the international level in the 1970s and in 1977 Keita received a National Order award from the president of Guinea, Sékou Touré.
Keita moved to Paris in 1984 to reach a larger audience. His music combines traditional West African music styles with influences from both Europe and the Americas, while maintaining an overall Islamic style. Musical instruments that are commonly featured in Keita's work include balafon, djembe, guitar, kora, organ, saxophone, and synthesizer.
His latest album, M'Bemba, was released in October 2005.
This 'Bio' is copied from the Salif Keita page. Apparently there is question about the correct spelling of his name (with single or double dotted i).
Bolon
Salif Keïta Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Rien ne peut éprouver la puissance d'Allah / Mon ami et mon confident est parti pour toujours / Quelle solitude que le mienne / Il est parti pour l'éternité / Celui qui perçait le mystère des plantes et des pierres / Ah, le maître vénéré des lettrés musulmans et chrétiens / Le génial et illustre devin du Mali / La bonne renommée est un lourd fardeau à porter!
La danse a commencé / Griots Diabaté et Kouyaté, célébrons l'illustre devin du Mali / Oh, le maître devin d'Afrique qui faisait remède de toute plante / Rois, Musulmans et chrétiens, tous salut ta science des signes / Blancs et Noirs, du nord au sud, lui rendait hommage.
Prononcés le matin ou le soir, mes mots ne sont pas de vaines paroles / Quand vient la saison sèche, Oh, quelle chaleur torride! / Quand viennent les pluis de l'hivernage, quel labeur pour les pauvres paysans!
The song Bolon by Salif Keita deals with themes of loss, loneliness, and the power of Allah. The first stanza mourns the loss of a friend, who was a learned person and a master of the mysteries of plants and stones. The singer is overwhelmed by the solitude that has come with their friend's departure for eternity. The friend was respected by both Muslim and Christian scholars and his reputation seems to have been a burden in itself.
The second stanza is a celebration of the departed friend's life and work. Griots Diabaté and Kouyaté, who are traditional West African storytellers, recount the story of the "illustrious devin" of Mali, who could make remedies out of any plant and whose knowledge of signs was respected by kings, Muslims, and Christians alike. Salif Keita pays tribute to this man who was widely respected across racial and religious lines.
In the final stanza, the singer reflects on the challenges faced by farmers during the dry and wet seasons. The tone remains melancholic as the singer sends a message to their departed friend, expressing their sadness and loneliness.
Overall, Bolon is a moving tribute to a departed friend and a celebration of his life and works as well as a reflection on the challenges of life in Mali.
Line by Line Meaning
Rien ne peut éprouver la puissance d'Allah
Nothing can measure the power of Allah
Mon ami et mon confident est parti pour toujours
My friend and confidant has left forever
Quelle solitude que le mienne
How lonely I am
Il est parti pour l'éternité
He has gone for eternity
Celui qui perçait le mystère des plantes et des pierres
He who unraveled the mystery of plants and stones
Ah, le maître vénéré des lettrés musulmans et chrétiens
Ah, the revered master of Muslim and Christian scholars
Le génial et illustre devin du Mali
The brilliant and illustrious diviner of Mali
La bonne renommée est un lourd fardeau à porter!
Good reputation is a heavy burden to bear!
La danse a commencé
The dance has begun
Griots Diabaté et Kouyaté, célébrons l'illustre devin du Mali
Diabaté and Kouyaté griots, let us celebrate the illustrious diviner of Mali
Oh, le maître devin d'Afrique qui faisait remède de toute plante
Oh, the diviner master of Africa who made medicine from every plant
Rois, Musulmans et chrétiens, tous salut ta science des signes
Kings, Muslims and Christians, all salute your science of signs
Blancs et Noirs, du nord au sud, lui rendait hommage.
Whites and Blacks, from north to south, paid homage to him.
Prononcés le matin ou le soir, mes mots ne sont pas de vaines paroles
Spoken in the morning or in the evening, my words are not empty words
Quand vient la saison sèche, Oh, quelle chaleur torride!
When the dry season comes, oh, what scorching heat!
Quand viennent les pluis de l'hivernage, quel labeur pour les pauvres paysans!
When the rains of the rainy season come, what labor for the poor farmers!
Dites à mon ami combien je suis triste je suis seul sans lui
Tell my friend how sad I am, I am alone without him
Oh, que la solitude me pèse.
Oh, how loneliness weighs me down.
Writer(s): Salif Keita Copyright: Delabel Editions S.a.r.l.
Contributed by Kennedy F. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Flo
Original africa lyrics
https://youtu.be/YOrQjpD4dLY