LALO KEBA DRAMÉ - Kelefa - Salya

"Kelefa Ba" is one of the best known kora songs, the song all beginners learn first, and it is in this tradition of narratives about great leaders.
Kelefa Sanneh was from the old Mandingo capital of Kabu, in what is now Guinea, and the song, said to be written by his own jali, Madi Wuleng, tells of his death in a battle on the north bank of the Gambia River in the mid-1800's. The song, like all jali narratives, tells only scattered parts of the story, but the piece is so familiar to its village audiences that the excitement is in the way new ideas are introduced or parts of the action described. Kelefa had come to Niumi at the request of the local king, Demba Sonko, who realized that Kelefa had little chance of surviving a battle where the enemy had been preparing for him and tried to send him away on an errand. Kelefa returned too soon, went into battle, and was killed.
The kora is in the most common tuning, known as Tomoraba. It is very similar to the European scale but the tempering differs in the third and seventh, which are lower than the European, and the second and sixth which are slightly higher.
This is one of the best known and most frequently played of all kora pieces, and here it is an instrumental solo. Amadu bases his Kelefa on three themes, each one of which has a separate title and significance: Kelefa Saane, which is the first piece a kora student learns to play; Kuruntu Kelefa (introduced after four and a half minutes of this track), a processional piece, played when the musician walks behind his patron; and Jato (introduced after six minutes), which Amadu usually plays to accompany spoken recitation. All three are in Tomora Ba tuning.
Kelefa Saane is one of the most popular of the Mandinka heroes. He was a warrior prince (nyancho) from Badora in present-day Guinea-Bissau. When he was young he was sold into slavery for a misdemeanour and hence became known as 'the slave of the Maanes' (cf. the reference in A2), but later he was able to buy back his freedom. Like all true warior princes, he refused to live by anything but fighting, and soon set off for Niumi on the north bank of the Gambia river in order to assist King Demba Sonko in his war against Jokadu. After a number of adventures on the way, Kelefa eventually joined the King, for whom the war then took a favourable turn. Jokadu diviners, however, advised their people that Kelefa could only be killed by an albino with a silver bullet; Kelefa was then shot while lying under a tree.
This tune is said to have been composed by Koriyang Musa, who was personal musician to Kelefa. He was also the son of Jali Madi Wuleng, the 'inventor' of the kora. Kelefa Saane is supposedly the first piece ever composed specifically for the instrument.
Tomoraba tuning.
These two pieces are often played together. They commemorate Kelefa Sanneh, a famous mercenary who fought in a 19th-century war between the kingdoms of Nyomi and Jokadu on the north bank of the Gambia River. "Kelefaba" is traditionally the first piece that the beginning Kora student learns. "Kuruntu Kelefa" ("Trailing Kelefa") describes the galloping of horses.
Kelefaba
Mindolo banta, Kelefa la mindolo banta, = The millet beer is gone, Kelefa's millet beer is gone.
Kelefaba la mindolo banta = Great Kelefa's millet beer is gone.
Kuruntu Kelefa
Mansa jalo kuma fo baga le, Kari siya jama, a kela man siya (repeat) =The king's jali (says) Those who talk a lot are many, but thow who act are few.
Knight.
On one particularly puzzling feature of the Kelefa story Innes notes that Kelefa is referred to as "Jola Kelefa," implying that his ethnic lineage is Jola rather than Mandinka. He reasons that the surname Saane, recognized by all as Mandinka, may have once been a Jola name, assimilated by the Mandinka when they came to the area. When I enquired about this same point in 1970, one of the jalolu with whom I was studying explained that jola in Mandinka means "payer"-one who pays, or in this case, repays. Thus Jola Kelefa may be interpreted to mean "Kelefa the Avenger."
Duran states that "there is some evidence from the oral tradition that Kelefa [Baa] was the first piece composed for the kora" (p. 17). This is often heard, but it must be discounted, since Kelefa lived in the mid-19th century and the kora was well enough known to be described (18 strings) and named (korro) already in the 18th century by Mungo Park (1969: 213). It is quite true that in western Gambia, Kelefa Baa is the first piece played by beginning students, and it is quite possible that it was known before Kelefa's time under another name.
"Faringbulo" was the first piece of music that nine of the jalis [of the twenty interviewed] learned to play, "Lambango" was the first tune for four others. "Kelefaba" and "Jakaa" were learned first by two other jalis. In addition, ten of the jalis said they learned to play songs in a set order. Yet no two jalis listed the songs in the same order.

[@karamobakote288]

Merci beaucoup je suis très content

[@mohamadouthiam5058]

Je suis wolof mais j,aime la culture mandingue

[@MNdoma]

Une communauté très raffinée et pacifique.

[@khadijatoufadiga5910]

Merci beaucoup de nous avoir faire découvrir notre histoire

[@zecculture]

@@khadijatoufadiga5910 je vous en prie

[@maremeseye6163]

Masha Allah le meilleur de sa génératio

[@mbayetoure8288]

QUAND JE SUIS TROP STRAISSÉ J'ÉCOUTE LA MUSIQUE MANDING POUR AVOIR DE ÉNERGIE

[@lamindrammeh5002]

Nice music

[@user-mx6he2ir3d]

I love KELEFA A REAL WARRIOR OF KAABU

[@Alieu-lk2si]

Thanks for promoting our culture

[@modoubeyai4954]

Papa may the almighty Allah grant you the highest place in jannatul Amen

[@lamineba8067]

Ndeysane lalo keba Abaraka diali

[@ekbojang5682]

What a good job collection of this great kora. Musician well. Done may Allah. Bless you .

[@bacarsani2887]

Só bacar Sani nascido e criado em Guiné Bissau e atualmente vivo em Portugal com a minha família.. adoro houvir a história de cansala?

[@medrajaly8190]

Màsh Allah Grand père

[@mohamadouthiam5058]

Et j'aime Lalo Keba Drameh

[@MNdoma]

Avec le président leopold sedar Senghor les élèves étaient bercés par ces sonorités en sujet avec une méthode pédagogique appelée CLAD. Du CI au CE2 les cours commençaient par des notes de koras de ce monumental artiste. Les sonorités en sujet c'est à dire sans les paroles. Toute la génération de 1974 à 1978 connaît ce programme au Sénégal. Senghor lui était doté d'une intelligence et d'un goût raffiné des choses.

[@mohamadouthiam5058]

Beautiful

[@seediasandeng2706]

Interesting I love my culture♥

[@koringba1171]

Hey zecc am koring ba 11 from the live chat. Kelefa's place of death is called Jokadu Baria. His grave is still recognizable today.

[@zecculture]

Hello my brother … Thabks for the information . Bâtis is the place mentionner in the song by Lalo Keba

[@koringba1171]

@@zecculture ouais, comme je l'ai dit, ce n'est pas loin de mon lieu de naissance "badibu kerewan", juste une rivière entre badibu et jokadu. il n'est pas loin non plus de niumi berending. Ils sont tous dans la région de la rive nord de la Gambie.

[@toureabou7324]

J’ai besoin d’un contact dans votre pays si je veux visiter Merci de me répondre Pck il y’a trop liens avc vous je pense sauf si je me trompe mais je veux visiter Votre façon de parler est plus ou moins pareil que nous en terme d’accents Je pense pas que c’est un hasard Si les peuples du mandingue ne sont plus en contact voir des gens avc le même accent que nous m’étonne J’ai l’impression que les Dioulas dans les pays anglophones parle comme nous J’ai croisé un Libérien aussi qui avait plus ou moins le même accent

[@kutubosillah2932]

That’s great

[@africaguigui8047]

Eu sou da Guine Bissau, conheço este aldeia onde o kelefa sane foi nascido Badora Brikama e também conheço alguns familiares de Mãe dele, ele e o meu amigo se chama Alfuseny Nanky, até agora eu falo com ele atualmente ele sta na capital Bissau..

[@zecculture]

Fico feliz em conhecer alguém que conhece a cidade natal de Kelefa. Gostaria de visitar Gabou um dia. Sou fascinado pela história de Gabou. Obrigado por este belo testemunho, e transmita as minhas saudações a Alfuseny e a toda a sua família. MAIS UMA VEZ OBRIGADO PELO SEU COMENTÁRIO (Não falo português, traduzo no google tradutor)

[@africaguigui8047]

@@zecculture de nada estamos junto irmão, falaremos um dia se deus quiser. Fico muito feliz, você faz excelente trabalho. força e coragem, e te desejo saúde e longa vida para que deus te abençoe

[@SyAly-ss2qf]

❤❤❤

[@clefaa5792]

Kéléfa

[@schoolaboy]

Abaraka ❤️🙏

[@jallowmamadou596]

Je vous salut

[@hamadiniang3610]

j'aimerai la video avec lespersonnages.

[@bacarsani2887]

Ntó Mu bacar Sani ló..te..Ndesan Nhantchol banta?

[@AlChabbaz93.]

Nianthiolou mang bang 😂❤

[@AlChabbaz93.]

Ining baara Nianthio❤

[@assanedrame3445]

machala frère j'aimerais avoir ton numéro si possible vous êtes entraîn de faire un travail extraordinaire

[@zecculture]

Alhadji Socé Djité [phone]

[@mohamadouthiam5058]

From Miami Florida we are following you yes this beautiful I am wolof of cayor but the Mandingo culture touch my heart j,aime la culture Soce et le kora de Lalo Keba est la seule musique que j,ecoute

[@mohamadouthiam5058]

Tu fais du beau travail je t,appelerau

[@mohamadouthiam5058]

❤❤❤❤