Sunday, November 22, 2009

ODD ONE OUT -- PICTURE PERFECT

Is one odder than the next?


stillodd




Camera is a Kodak Z612 Easyshare.  Some Orbs I have collected.  Every Orb, is a good Orb.

Want to join in the fun and creativity?  Go here for information on Picture Perfect / FotoFriday:   http://fotofriday.multiply.com/

Friday, November 20, 2009

SHOSHOLOZA THE DRAKENSBURG BOYS CHOIR

I do not think there are many things that are as powerful and as moving as massed voices.  I came across these young men when searching for music from The Mississippi Mass Choir.  I hope you enjoy it as much as I have.  The first part is showing the parts of the song, the second is the entire Choir singing, the change in energy and power that is felt is overwhelming! You cannot help but smile.  I hope you feel recharged and energized as I did. Heather, consider this an early Happy Birthday from the Homeland.  Enjoy.




(Following entry from the Wikipeida Encyclopedia)

Shosholoza is a traditional Southern African folk song. The song was traditionally sung by all-male work gangs in a call and response style.

The song has been recorded by a variety of artists, including Helmut Lotti, Ladysmith Black Mombazo, PJ Powers, The Glue, Soweto Gospel Choir, and Peter Gabriel,  as well as being a standard of most gumboot bands. The song gained further popularity after South Africa won the 1995 Rugby World Cup, and is a favourite at sport events in South Africa.

The Zulu word Shosholoza means go forward or make way for the next man, and is also reminiscent of the sound made by the steam train (stimela) described in the song. The song has also given its name to Team Shosholoza, the first African challenger for the America's Cup, and to Shosholoza Meyl, the long-distance passenger train service operating in South Africa.

The lyrics of the song vary, as do the transcriptions. Here is one example:

Shosholoza
Ku lezontaba
Stimela siphum' eSouth Africa
Wen' uyabaleka
Wen' uyabaleka
Ku lezontaba
Stimela siphum' eSouth Africa

A rough translation:

Move fast
on those mountains
train from South Africa.
You are running away
on those mountains
train from South Africa.

The original version has the country name Rhodesia instead of South Africa, since this song was sung by migrant labourers from Rhodesia (now Zimbabwe) travelling on the train down to the mines in the Transvaal.