Song for Sudan: The Janjaweed Stormed with the Dawn

song for sudan


i asked her to tell me her story
she started by looking away –
gazing back into the darkness when she knelt to pray.
the planes dropped the bombs before daybreak -
the janjaweed stormed with the dawn.
those who could
fled to the forest
to hide till they’d gone.
returning to ruins by moonlight
she found she was orphaned and then -
there they began
their exodus out of
sudan.

her husband, ali, gently warned her
“if worse comes, don’t try to save me.”
you must survive with the children, so hide quietly.
the next day the janjaweed raiders
caught up and took all of the men
she watched herself widowed
while guarding their sleeping children -
then into the infinite star skies
mother and children took flight
through storming sands
they crossed into chad from
sudan

(bridge)
his love for her kept her running
while her love for him kept her calm -
smiling when she says his name.
like a prayer for sudan.

now as i write you her story -
magboula rocks under the tree
no food for the child she cradles – staring at me.
what will it take to remember -
what we said we’d never forget.
never again, is now, once again in sudan.
never again, is now, once again in sudan.
– like a prayer for sudan


[bamanankan background vocals]

let’s pray to get out of the dark.
some people made a plan and dropped a bomb.
let’s take the children and run away.
woman gets scared by a lot of bad things.
woman, let’s hid your children.
fighting, fighting, stop fighting, stop fighting.
people get up from sleeping
oh suda, sudan
it will never happen again
god will not make it happen again
it will never happen again
let’s pray for sudan
never happen again
stop fighting stop fighting
fighting ruins everything.


The song was written anonymously.

The musicians - from Mali, on djembe and arrangements is Moussa Traore. Balla Tounkara is playing the kora and sings the background Bamanakan vocals. Dave Mattacks, who plays with Richard Thompson, is on drums. From Serbia is Mikael Merska on electric bass. Laura Cortese is an American fiddle player, and Adrian Aquirre, from Spain, plays percussion.






source
http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/sudansong/2004/07/23#a8[/I]

the janjaweed stormed with the dawn.
those who could
fled to the forest
to hide till they’d gone.

شكـرا يا كوستـاوى،

بالمناسبـة، مقبولـة دى موش جـدة الصـادق المهـدى؟

Quote: بالمناسبـة، مقبولـة دى موش جـدة الصـادق المهـدى؟

تقصد السيد الصادق المهدي?

Quote: returning to ruins by moonlight she found she was orphaned and then - there they began their exodus out of sudan.

Quote: his love for her kept her running while her love for him kept her calm

Quote: smiling when she says his name

Quote: then into the infinite star skies mother and children took flight through storming sands they crossed into chad from sudan

Thank u Elmuez for the song
It is very sad and moving

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