![]() ![]() Recordings of his own voice now help those closest to him mourn. Small devoted himself to alleviating the grief of others. They have a hard time even imagining that he is gone and have been coming to see for themselves if it is true," says his wife, Lariba Mbabila, 54. No one really believes yet that he has died. He was peaceful and just, and always willing to help any one. Small - whose personal mantra was "be patient"- proved among the too few rural musicians who overcome geographic, linguistic and economic barriers to earn the right to play before a global audience. He sang in Frafra (also known as Farefari) - a language with only around 300,000 speakers and spoken by fewer than 2% of the citizens even within Ghana. Like many from the north, Small never benefited from the post-colonial consolation prize of English-language skills. Small was born less than 25 miles from the Burkina Faso border, a two-day's drive and a world away from the modernity of the coastal capital, Accra. If someone was sad, he wouldn't stop singing until he made them laugh and smile," says Basiru. "He was a gentle soul who lived for people to be happy. ![]() The song jests about how we all - rich or poor - enter and leave this world with nothing, not even the clothing on our back. His song 'Naked' was a hit- a classic- in the community," says local taxi driver, Sammi Baisuru, 52. He sang, he danced, he duckwalked - and he was excited about plans for his first trip abroad this summer, to perform at Peter Gabriel's WOMAD Festival in England. Small actually came to prefer this one-name moniker- reclaiming it from its derogatory connotations. The name also referred to the "small" money people donated for serenades. Small was relatively short – standing approximately 5' 6'' – and that's how he got his nickname. It was there on the outskirts of Ghana's northern hub, Tamale, beneath the midday sun, that I experienced one of the most powerful musical performances of my lifetime - the men encircling me and kicking up dust as they sang and danced. The band arrived in procession, unhurriedly gyrating and zig-zagging their way toward me and continuing without pause when they arrived. Small and his comrades were playing before even coming into sight. Then in the distance I heard faint music. and I began to fear that the trio wouldn't show. I set up and awaited the group at the assigned time and place- a gravel plot amid former farmland slated for development near Small's home. "Small," as he was widely known, played a homemade kologo (a 2-string lute)- with dog tags attached to the end for rattles. ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |