FTX-821 - SORE AM SORE

Playground Games - Kenya

35 Singing games recorded by Father Damian Webb in East Africa in 1972. All the games use traditional tunes but the subjects include dog and bird imitations as well as contemporary, political, religious and the usual sweetheart themes. Others are ritualistic, concerned with ceremonies such as the preparation for initiation circumcision. There is much interesting comparison to be made with English games.

1. SORE AM SORE (Luo) "Am sorry" says the daughter, who gave birth the other day, because her husband has gone to the city of Mombasa with somebody else (Standing in a circle, facing in pairs, then jump round to face the one behind) - 2.01

2. BED KODE (Luo) "Stay with him". About food that is supposed to be cooking, but the fire has gone out. (In a ring - kick one leg up, then jump down and "froggy") - 2.02

3. ELO ELO ELOE? (Kiswahili) "Is a box, is a box, is a gaol?" - Possibly a song about death (Similar to 1) - 1.28

4. TERA ADHIA NE GIWANGA (Luo) A girl asks a boy to take her to a dance (Rhythmic procession with hand-clapping & body- swaying) - 0.49

5. SISI TWA ENDA (Kiswahili) "We're off t0o Nairobi, so farewell to all of you who are left behind" (Rhythmic procession) - 2.23

6. GACHEE (Luo) Description of a car or motor-bike and how it goes (March-dance with stamping & "vigetegele" cries at end) - 2.36

7. WINYO MARE SURE (Luo) "The bird flapping his wings, like this, is like a man running, like this" (March in circle with imitative movements) - 1.50

8. RAMANGURE ONYANGO (Luo) About a man working his shamba and harvesting bell grain (Walking in single file with swaying hips & hand-clapping) - 1.20

9. NGINA NI TWAKUGEITHIA (Kikuyu) In honour of Mama Ngina (The President's wife), how people admire her and long to see her (Simple ring game) - 0.46

10. KENYATTA E RODWAR (Kikuyu) In praise of Mzee Jomo Kenyatta for providing schools enough for all the children (Two lines: 1, 2, 3, stamp, then forward and back) - 0.34

11. KENYATTA WI WITU (Kikuyu) "Kenyatta belongs to us, so do the other leaders, so do our shambas, cows and schools" (Half crouching on ground with others on their backs, thumping them into the ground. At the end of each verse, they change over quickly without losing the rhythm) - 0.43

12. NILIPO MWONA MSLABANI (Kiswahili) Expressing sorrow for Christ because he died for our sins (Lilting circular dance) - 1.03

13. HAMBAI HUI (Kikuyu) Encouraging the girls to work hard, to merit a large dowry for her parents on her wedding day (Circular with twist movements & hand-clapping) - 1.32

14. YA RURUMA (Kikuyu) Of Kenyatta, encouraging people to endure the difficulties which occur after Independence (Seductive dance in circle, in which one goes round visiting the others in turn and doing a snake-like winding solo) - 1.20

15. KAIRITU TWACEMANIA NAWE (Kikuyu) A girl tells how she should behave towards her boy friend (Seductive with lively 123 stamping) - 1.13

16. RIRI NI IRIA (Kikuyu) Song of encouragement to the candidates, both boys & girls, taking part in Circumcision (Circular with solo visiting) - 2.41

17. KURIRA MWERE (Kikuyu) About collecting the brown herb which is used for cooking (Standing still, waving hands in the air & swinging hips) - 1.50

18. KIGONI (Kikuyu) About a sick sheep who will be cured by a brew of illegal beer (As previous) - 0.56

19. PUIKARIRE CHUGWA (Kikuyu) (Played in 2 lines, boys opposite girls. The boy soloist leads his line toward the other, then retires with knees-up style marching) - 1.35

With rattles & triangle

20. YADUNGAJE MAUA (Kiswahili-Somali) "How the flowers prick. I kissed the rose and found it hurt me, so I have left it alone" (Circular dance game using a shuffle-step with a soloist) - 1.15

21. KARANKA MOBASA (Boran) "The road to Mombasa has many lorries on it, but I cannot go there, something stops me" (Circular - similar to the previous) 2.40

22. NDENGE RURA (Kiswahili-Mombasa) "Fly away, bird, fly away with a letter in your beak. When you arrive, place it in his lap. Mine is true-love for you, whereas Zarabu is a crook, she's only asking for money" (Circular with shuffle) - 1.49

23. MWANA WA MAMA (Baluhya) "Child of my mother, dance a little bit and twist a little bit" (Circle moves round the soloist who does the twist and calls out names of others to come into the ring) - 1.51

24. NIKILIA NETE SUMUNI (Kikamba) "I beg for a sixpenny piece for my children, to buy some sisal, so I can weave clothing for them. Men are mean, they do not think of others, only of themselves" (Standing & clapping in a circle) - 0.56

25. RARA NO RARA (Kikuyu) Theme is that two opposing sides refuse to let their "daughters" go to join the other side, demanding that they stay within their own group (Two lines, sometimes boys versus girls, forward and back, linked alternately with arms round necks) - 2.07

26. NOI UKUIYERA MBEMBE (Kikuyu) "Who will come to collect the maize? Our bride is lost, so we will have to get someone else. Susanna (or any other girl present), she will be the bride" (Kikuyu version of the English "Nuts in May" with two sides exchanging girls, with the lines going in and out together, like a concertina) - 1.58

27. RARI RARI (Kikuyu) About a competition in which the two opposing sides agree that the winners will receive a trophy (However there is no contest in the game: the girls, in a circle, put alternate feet into the middle, running on the spot) - 1.44

28. MCHALA BAITURA (Baganda) A call to the lover to go to the market, but he answers that he would rather stay and sing and circle (Clapping & stamping in circle without any circular movement as the words suggest) - 1.41

29. EE MAMA (Congolese) Patriotic song in praise of Kenya's developments and achievements (Clapping & stamping in circle with up-beat rhythm & simple harmonic elements) - 2.18

30. LOBIRO (Kikamba) In praise of poultry on the farm (Similar to previous, with standing & stamping in circle) - 0.51

31. ORBINO (Rwanda) Children rejoicing to be out on the playing field, calling others to come and join them (Large circle moving slowly round with a slight stamp & hand-claps. Solo with responses) - 2.48

32. NYIRIMANADI (Luo) A girl has grown too proud, living in the town, and her parents demand that she be recalled, to live back home in the rural area (Walking in circle with hand- claps) - 1.53

33. NA MAYA (Uganda) "I have to work on the shamba, but I want to go out with my boy-friend" (Rhythmic clapping in circle) - 0.59

34. UMWANYA (Luo) "Please take me home" (Circle dance with both arms swung in and out) - 1.27

35. EBATA (Kikamba) "The duck has said that it is going for a swim, the dog says he is going to sleep" (Initation action song in a ring. They start as birds & end up as dogs) - 1.10

#1-3: Infants, mostly 5-6, but some 7 years old, at Nursery School at Pandpieri, a suburb of Kisumu. #4-8: Girls of mixed ages, St Theresa's (Cathedral) School, Kisumu. #9-16: St Mary's Girls School, Nakuru. Multi-tribal, performed by each class starting with 7 year olds. #17-19: Boys at Mukarara Primary School, Karen. #20-35: Girls at Edelvale O.L. of Charity School, Edelvale Trust, Nairobi. A group of about 20 girls, between 10 and 15. The school is of mixed tribes but is in Kikuyu territory bordering on Masai country.

These recordings were made by Dr.Hugh Tracey in the early fifties for The International Library of African Music and are reproduced here with his permission and that of the Library. First published on Folktrax cassettes 1976.