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).
Ignadjidje
Salif Keïta Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
O laka lamma le
O laka lamma le dja
O laka lamma le
Se jolaka lamma le
Se jolaka lamma le
Se jolaka lamma le dja
Se jolaka lamma le
O laka lamma le
O laka lamma le dja
O laka lamma le
Se jolaka lamma le
Se jolaka lamma le
Se jolaka lamma le dja
Se jolaka lamma le
Ay ihe geba geta singurna, yeah
Ilina in a nara sa
Oh, oh
Ili la serna najih neja
Ilina ina nara
Ilina ina nara sa
Ili la serna najih neja
Ilina ina nara
A sid la nemma ra do m'sebbe toggorro no yee
Tama yoo pabba yo
A sid la nemma ra do m'sebbe toggorro no yee m'o
Tama yoo o' pabba ho fago pib'ee
Ori tali ma je'ye
Ori tali ma je'ye
Ori tali ma je'ye
Ori tali ma je'ye
Ori tali ma
The lyrics to Salif Keita's song "Ignadjidje" are primarily in Bambara, a language spoken in Mali, and the song carries a message of hope and perseverance. The repeated refrain of "O laka lamma le" translates to "keep on dancing and singing" and serves as a call to action for listeners to continue on in the face of hardship.
The verses in the song describe the struggles faced by people living in poverty, with lines such as "A sid la nemma ra do m'sebbe toggorro no yee" expressing the difficulty of making ends meet. Yet amidst the hardship, there is also a sense of resilience and determination, with the line "Tama yoo pabba yo" meaning "we will find joy".
The final section of the song, with the repeated "Ori tali ma je'ye", is a call for unity and working together towards a brighter future. Despite the hardships faced by individuals, the song reminds listeners of the importance of coming together as a community.
Line by Line Meaning
O laka lamma le
A call to dance together
O laka lamma le dja
A call to keep dancing
Se jolaka lamma le
Let's dance together
Se jolaka lamma le dja
Keep dancing together
Ay ihe geba geta singurna, yeah
Feeling the rhythm in your body
Ilina in a nara sa
The feeling of joy and freedom
Ili la serna najih neja
The connection between people through dance
A sid la nemma ra do m'sebbe toggorro no yee
Letting go of worries and focusing on the present moment
Tama yoo pabba yo
Feeling the beat of the drum
A sid la nemma ra do m'sebbe toggorro no yee m'o
Fully surrendering to the music
Tama yoo o' pabba ho fago pib'ee
Letting the music take you to a different place
Ori tali ma je'ye
A call to keep dancing and celebrating life
Writer(s): Steve Hillage Copyright: Stage Three Music (Catalogues) Limited
Contributed by Maya O. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@leevids3336
Shout out to Zimbabweans in the 90s this song was popular on TV, even if we didn't understand the language, lots of west/east African songs were played in zim, way before we migrated to UK when zim was affluent.. 1996
@sharonmoyo2281
I’m here , I remember this music .
@medounetcher3978
@@sharonmoyo2281 like me 👏👏🏾
@mosaic_fit
I'm here, I was around 7-8 years old. I remember the video on Afro beat, a village raided by men on horses. There was a boy with a swam of bees on his back if I'm not mistaken...
@gchihota
Ismael Lo
@danielchidaushe1559
This has to be Salif's best song ever! I liked the 'official video' of this song more
@kudakwashegwashavanhu9992
I knew I was going to read a bunch of comments from Zimbabweans here. This song was so powerful for us growing up. Wow
@muliyechuula9098
NEIGHBORS (Zambia) this song was popular here too...still is i guess...
@naselprojects7369
1994 he came to Zim
@timmyzhudanti5268
rega tinyore neshona wangu. yaindityisa zvekuti video yacho ini. i was young ahhhhh