Oko,
You are a Poet ! I would also congratulate you for the nice poem on " Nawet 
". As Rene correctly said, your poem " when Nawet comes " covered  the 
symbols, culture, songs, people and the environment that was characteristic 
of a typical Nawet season in Banjul. You refered to patterns of human 
activities and the symbolic structures that give such activities 
significance. You forgot a popular song which was sang in Nawet

" Mam Yalla  sor-till  mbuss-mi,  Gorr gi  tegal  tama  gi ".  I will also 
remind you about " Pa Machine ( Bokis ) & Ndengs " at Bond road.

We got most of the  " Laangeh "  for the Mbarr ri njulies   at the  Tan-ba 
swamps at Bond road in half die

I am always impressed with your postings, because you remind us about our 
culture. I was laughing throughout when I was reading your mail, because you 
touch most of the funny things we did during " Nawet ".

" When nawet comes- it is around circumcision time
  It is the time that all the good singers come out in the Mbarr ri njulies
  Singing songd\s like
  1.Batcha Ni Mbarr
  2.Lambo-Njie
  3.Nak Yi Nyule yeah Joala,Tey ngen nan and
  4.Kanarra gui ngengal, etc and Tara rass nyarass !
   famous singers like Koto Ebou conteh, Mbye Sarr Hagan, Ousman Saine Hill 
Street,
  Charlie Boy, Churchill Ngom, Kaliba joof and Koto Sawalo Faal. "

Yes Oko, you are right ! These were the most popular " Kassak singers " at 
that time. In fact you gave me the inspiration to think, which scales should 
march the following songs. I will start searching for the scales in all the 
chromatics. Thanks for the good inspiration !


( I would hear the voice of Foday-Ba      singing:      "Bakari-Sai Bata 
Min do ni sera shi" )

Foday-Ba was often at our house in Fayen, because Ya Ansu regularly kept 
food for him as " Zakat ".

( Hah-Toh Solo and YoYo "Sahat Banku" )

I will never forget ( Hah -Toh solo ), because he gave me a mark on my leg 
when he threw a fire wood on me. I was together with Bala Jahumpa when he 
irritated him and ran away. He threw his fire wood towards Bala and missed 
him, but it came direct on my leg.
I was also attacked one time by " Fine boy ( Larry Nyeh ) at Dobson st. and 
we flew over the fences of Secken, Janneh Kunda, Sarren, Crayol Kunda, 
Chamen and then into Fayen, where I was saved by all the youths of Fayen. He 
then ran away, when stones went on him from all angles.
Thanks once again, for reminding us about our childhood days.

ISSA DINGLEE-WASA DANGLAR !

Elhaj Shabazz



----- Original Message ----- 
From: "oko drammeh" <[log in to unmask]>
To: <[log in to unmask]>
Sent: Saturday, August 04, 2007 4:18 PM
Subject: When Nawet comes/ dedicated Rene Elhaji mustapha Faye


> To Rene and Elhaj Shabazz Mustapha faye
>
>  Better late than never !
>
>  This is the Poem ! Funny but REAL.
>
>  WHEN NAWEET COMES
>
>  When natweet comes It is wild-life times for the youths
>  We go out hunting exotic birds and rear reptiles, Barr and Santo kerteng 
> at K.R.A
>  K.R.A, Kombo Rural Area was Serekunda, Bakau-kunku including Dippa kunda 
> sacred pond
>  We all would know the name of each bird and each fruit,
>  And each sacred place visited by saints like the one near Saro called Pa 
> Tormi-ndoye
>  Where we go out to havest coconut leaves for our summer club mbarrs and 
> Njulie mbarr
>  Here we drink fresh juice from from baby coconuts while avoiding 
> Mbotti-KoKo as we climb
>  We sing songs of Naweet on every occation
>  When Naweet comes!
>
>  Each TABA tree is a spiritual fort for dwelling like Kanurang taba in 
> Dasemali-Jokadu
>  When I would spend my holidays sometimes with Duto Fofana and Abou Demba 
> and
>  in Aldreda where Kawsu Jatta and Jalamang and Kebba Jatta tought me
>  to wrestle, to hunt, to find bee wax and to know the treasures of the 
> forest
>  When Naweet comes most boys in Banjul would go up country for family 
> values.
>  When Naweet comes!.
>
>  Each tabanani was untouched, each big tree has a living monster legend 
> tale
>  The worrior youths would climb the top of these and share the harvest to 
> the brave
>  Yapats don't go to this, we fish, we farm and we play, no solimas are 
> allowed
>  When naweet comes we live on greens, fruits, vegetables, there is plenty 
> for all
>  When Naweet comes!
>
>  When naweet comes my brother Pindo
>  makes the best catapolts and bird traps for catching canaries and kumba 
> ting-ting birds
>  at bushy half-die park filled with lenge-arte, and guarded by PA YIRIM 
> K.B.
>  We would make the the best hunting tools for naweet,
>  The best catapolts from the finest hibiscus flower plants from
>  Beautifully flowered christian homes like the house of Teacher Chuch of 
> Leman
>  and at Oumadi Jara's compound where Mrs Chapma's lkived at Dingare, Hagan 
> street
>  When Naweet comes!
>
>
>  When naweet comes and on wiss wi-sal mornings eating my porrage
>  I would hear the thunder and the lighting penerates my moms cracked 
> wooden window
>  I would hear the voice of Foday-Ba
>  singing:
>  "Bakari-Sai Bata
>  Min do ni sera shi"
>
>  My brother would make me a Fita because of my minor age of 10 years old
>  I would use the red or black elastic string tied around my fingers to 
> strike on anything
>  My elastic fitas were made of bicycle tire schreeds
>  My bullets were orange peels and green flocx mango peels
>  My brother used metal bulong bullets for killing birds and reptiles 
> accompanied with the best whistling tunes from the famous indian films of 
> Mangala, Ziele and Albe-la
>  When Naweet comes!
>
>  When naweet comes we would go out catching Kiling-KorK birds of Naweet
>  Kiling-kork only come out during Naweet, never in the dry season.
>  we would be initiated into naweet by the singing a song to the prayer 
> bird Nyama-flo
>  we would sing with deep passion these few words
>
>  "Nyama.flo-Nyama-flo
>  Bindal ma chi sa tere bi",
>
>  And in a flick of the eye
>  words are written on your finger nails with vanila white.text in sacred 
> symbols
>
>  We can now go to the fields and to Tan -ba, swamps at half die salty 
> lakes
>  Not fearing of any MANKA-NE, ripping cornfields, sweet potato farms and 
> catching mudfish like nyama-tong tong and helping helping fishermen to 
> unload thier catch for tips
>
>  When naweet comes- it is around circumcision time
>  It is thew time that all the good singers come out in the Mbarr ri 
> njulies
>  Singing songd\s like
>  1.Batcha Ni Mbarr
>  2.Lambo-Njie
>  3.Nak Yi Nyule yeah Joala,Tey ngen nan and
>  4.Kanarra gui ngengal, etc and Tara rass nyarass !
>   famous singers like Koto Ebou conteh, Mbye Sarr Hagan, Ousman Saine Hill 
> Street,
>  Charlie Boy, Churchill Ngom, Kaliba joof and Koto Sawalo Faal.
>
>  We are formed in groups, telling tales of wonder and sacred stories
>  with each story told in presence of solimas is unfriendly to spirit of 
> Burreh and Mam.
>  When Naweet comes!
>
>  When Naweet comes from the Darra to the Njulie Lale'
>  We take oath to tell daytimes folk tales and stories to the gods and 
> spirits
>  Before sories are told about secret societies One need to make an oath
>  We take the oath that these sacred story are not for my living mother and 
> not for my father,
>  But for the wild dogs that dwell in the deep forest where the sun set in 
> red
>  The day is dark and the night is roaring with nawet thunder
>  When Naweet comes!
>
>  When nawet comes the Serere tribe would come down to banjul for six moons
>  we would fight the serers in the streeets and learn to wrestle with them
>  The Jolas would return to Foni, Cassamace and Bissau
>  The almoudis are back to Futa, Street free life is swallowed by naweet
>  When Naweet comes !
>
>  With the Sereres bringing kordo-mata, mati-mangi for firewood, dry fish, 
> wrestlers, snails,
>  baobad seeds and Dakandeh, the also brougt jujus for school, Tare Baireh 
> and love potions,
>  the Serere would sample for us tents and also sample the cats fish, 
> chereh and Neni-ngunja
>  This was for adults but for us kids we would play in pond with todds and 
> tadpoles.
>  With their boats and colouful rows the Serers presence was a symbol of 
> Naweet
>  When Naweet comes you can see koto Babou Chebu and Cherno Wadda
>  at Half die with new arrivals dancing Ndolim and mbollor trans dances, 
> Njamm and Ndupa.
>  When Naweet comes!
>
>  When nawet comes we celebrate mango season
>  when mangoes becomes a basket for Nyari- Koparr
>  chelewerr dust and storm would split the eveing gatherings as rain pour 
> on naked heads
>  At meirel & Prom waterfall,runnuig pass Hah-Toh Solo and YoYo "Sahat 
> Banku" for fun
>  kids come in numbers to celebrate the rain, boys and girls play apart
>  Girls play Padi-Nyedi, and the boys play football and Jal bi jalan
>
>
>  When Naweet comes to end the birds would mirgate to dry lands sand we 
> sing for then when they leave us graciously
>  And we sing this song for them " Picha ya nga noraani, noorani"
>
>  And they fade away Majestically into the sky of heaven to far distant 
> lands
>
>  When Naweet comes!
>
>  Oko Drammeh
>  Cultural Poetry
>
>
>
>
>
>  P/S Please excuse the typos,just incase !
>
>
>
>
> ---------------------------------
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