Tuesday, March 06, 2007

Salonian Hits: Tutu Party

Click here to see a video of "Tutu Party," one of the most popular songs in Sierra Leone. It's been on the top 10 list for years, and is played at least 4 or 5 times per night at each of Freetown's dance clubs.

The artist, Emmerson, has some really interesting political music that I'll try to track down and link to this site. This song, though, is pure fluff. The lyrics are in Krio, but I'm guessing the video will give you a pretty good sense of what it's about... But just in case, here's a taste of the chorus:

"mek we rub rub bode to bode. if you wan enjoy fine, come tutu pah-ty"

As far as I can tell, this means (roughly):

"let's rub our bodies together. if you want to have a good time, come have an ass party."

(Apologies to any Salonian readers for my atrocious Krio spelling, and an invitation to correct my translation if need be.)