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 album, M'Bemba, was released in October 2005.
Iniagige
Salif Keita Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I gnadji tchai i gnadji tchai
I gnadji tchai i gnadji tchai
I gnadji tchai lodõ lodõ baissé
I gnadji tchai i gnadji tchai lodõ
Ho ho hooooI gnadji tchai
I gnadji tchai i gnadji tchai
I gnadji tchai i gnadji tchai
I gnadji tchai i gnadji tchai
I gnadji tchai i gnadji tchai
Lodõ lodõ baissé
I gnadji tchai i gnadji tchai
I gnadji tchai i gnadji tchai
Lodõ Ho ho hoooo
I gnadji tchai
I gnadji tchai lodõ lodõ baissé
I gnadji tchai i gnadji tchai
I gnadji tchai lodõ
Ho ho hoooo
I gnadji tchai
Ho ho hoooo
I gnadji tchai
End
The lyrics to Salif Keita's song "Iniagige" are in Bambara, a West African language widely spoken in Mali, Keita's home country. The repeated line "I gnadji tchai" can be roughly translated to mean "I shake all of creation." This phrase is repeated throughout the song, with occasional variations and additions.
The song begins with the repeated phrase "I gnadji tchai" and the addition of "lodõ lodõ baissé," which means "the earth is shaking." This creates a sense of movement and energy, as if the singer is causing a seismic disruption simply by repeating these words. As the song progresses, there are occasional breaks in the repetition, with other lines added such as "I gnadji tchai lodõ" which seems to emphasize the power of the phrase.
Throughout the song, Keita's vocals range from a hushed whisper to a powerful growl, conveying the intensity of the emotion behind the words. The sparse percussion and occasional guitar riffs support the vocals without distracting from them, creating a hypnotic and mesmerizing effect. The song ends with a final repetition of "I gnadji tchai," bringing it full circle and emphasizing the importance of this phrase.
Line by Line Meaning
I gnadji tchai i gnadji tchai
Repeating the words I gnadji tchai to call for attention and emphasize the message that follows.
I gnadji tchai i gnadji tchai i gnadji tchai
Repeating the call to attention to further emphasize the message that follows.
I gnadji tchai i gnadji tchai i gnadji tchai
Repeating the call to attention once again to emphasize the message that follows.
I gnadji tchai lodõ lodõ baissé
Chanting I gnadji tchai followed by lodõ lodõ baissé to express a feeling of pain or discomfort caused by someone or something else.
I gnadji tchai i gnadji tchai lodõ
Repeating the call to attention followed by the expression of pain or discomfort to emphasize the message that follows.
Ho ho hooooI gnadji tchai
Singing Ho ho hoooo to create a sense of unity and solidarity, followed by I gnadji tchai to call for attention and emphasize the message that follows.
I gnadji tchai i gnadji tchai i gnadji tchai
Repeating the call to attention once again to emphasize the message that follows.
I gnadji tchai i gnadji tchai i gnadji tchai
Repeating the call to attention once again to emphasize the message that follows.
Lodõ lodõ baissé
Again expressing a feeling of pain or discomfort caused by someone or something else.
I gnadji tchai i gnadji tchai
Repeating the call to attention followed by a pause to signify a shift in tone or message.
I gnadji tchai i gnadji tchai
Repeating the call to attention once again to emphasize the new message that follows.
Lodõ lodõ baissé
Again expressing a feeling of pain or discomfort caused by someone or something else.
I gnadji tchai i gnadji tchai
Repeating the call to attention followed by a pause to signify a shift in tone or message.
I gnadji tchai i gnadji tchai
Repeating the call to attention once again to emphasize the new message that follows.
Lodõ Ho ho hoooo
Expressing the feeling of pain or discomfort caused by someone or something else followed by singing Ho ho hoooo to lift spirits and inspire hope for a better future.
I gnadji tchai
Calling for attention and ending the song with the same phrase that began it.
I gnadji tchai lodõ lodõ baissé
Calling for attention and expressing a final message of pain or discomfort caused by someone or something else.
I gnadji tchai i gnadji tchai
Repeating the call to attention once again to emphasize the final message that follows.
I gnadji tchai lodõ
Repeating the call to attention followed by a final expression of pain or discomfort caused by someone or something else.
Ho ho hoooo
Singing Ho ho hoooo to end the song with a sense of unity, hope, and inspiration for a better future.
Writer(s): Salif Keita, Kante Manfila
Contributed by Juliana 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