"Nangape" is the title track on Yaya Diallo's classic 1980 album reissued in 2002. Yaya plays djembe, balafon, dounouba, tama and conga accompanied by Sylvain Leroux on flute. Experiencing the album as a whole is tantamont to a therapeutic session.
west african music yaya d
Story behind the song
Nangapè - This is the story of a six-year-old child. Since his birth the small innocent child had seen human misery. He had experienced hatred, wickedness, selfishness, physical pain, and mental anguish. At the age of six he was afraid to go on living. He sought out an old man who had already saved his life. This man was Nangapè.
“Nangapè,” the child asked, “you are old, what have you done to live so long? What have you eaten to live so long? What did you know when you were young? Could you give me your recipe for life? You must have money to help me. Rummage through your great library of life and give me the book I should read. Give me your magic formula. You play the drum, but help me. You play the balafon, but help me. You sing, but help me. Don’t leave me alone again.”
Nangapè laughed . . . “My child, in life even the one who claims to be the most peaceful must fight. In other words, life is a difficult battle and everyone wants to be victorious.”
The child: “But where is this life? I want to fight it once and for all. I shall kill it to save humanity.”
Nangapè: “Life is the whole universe. Life consists of things visible and invisible, real and unreal; kill it and you destroy everything including the humanity you wish to save. When you grow up, you will understand what I have just told you.”
The child: “How much longer do I have to wait to be grown up. Anyway, it’s not important. I am patient. But while waiting, I ask of life to let me grow.”
Nangapè: “Continue like this and you will not only grow, you will grow to be great.”