Savage Sweetness: The Magical Music of “Shithole” Countries

(The Magical Music of “Shithole” Countries that Our President and Other Clueless Americans Have Not Heard and Never Should)

I was so saddened when I heard what the President called the places of the world where beautiful people of color live I withdrew from the poisonous political discourse and returned to an antidote that never fails me: Music. For over a week I’ve only been listening to the music of places Trump’s cold-hearted America hates- the Middle East, Haiti, Africa, Latin-America, the Caribbean and even Asia. In fact, I went on a mad spree of buying the most obscure and esoteric songs from these cultures I could find and I am richer for it. After all, I come from a “shithole” country too, where people still defecate in fields, millions live in poverty and right-wing zealots rape, murder and plunder women and minorities. But that's not all they have.

Trump’s America has never heard the wild sensuality of Fela Kuti’s trumpet and his trippy jams, nor watched him prancing on stage like a beautiful animal, bathed in sweat, surrounded by a troupe of ecstatic musicians and Nigerian women dancers in primal heat. They haven’t been lifted by Miriam Makeba nor swayed by the scintillating surf guitar of King Sunny Ade. The sweet, pale ghost of Salif Keita in joyous harmony with dark Mandinka women has never penetrated their hearts and made them cry or laugh in delight.

They haven’t seen the young Baba Maal at Joe’s Pub, regal like a prince, a slender black shadow in the blue light, setting free a constellation of flamingos into the night with his song. The lost tapes of mad, sultry love songs from 70’s female Somali singers have not rocked their worlds. Cheb Khaled’s seething, intoxicating dance grooves are not meant for their awkward bodies and the enchanted wailings of the devastatingly beautiful Asmahan would be a wasted treasure on them. Meringue, Mamba, Kreyol and Cumbia, Afro-pop and Rai, Jazz and Tuareg blues, every music is lost on them except the trash and bile of Kid Rock and Ted Nugent.

I laugh at anyone who thinks that Haiti or Nigeria, Mali or Algeria, South Africa or El Salvador or any other country where people of color live and dance is a shithole. These places are so sacred Trump’s America should kiss their ground if they were allowed to land.

We should hold more closely and passionately the cultures that were insulted. We should listen to their music and eat their food and wear their clothes and inhale their fragrance and love their people. Every nation has its share of rogues and murderers and idiots. Millions of idiots in our own country elected this President. But most of the people who were so casually demonized are gorgeous and generous and hardworking and inspiring. Their ancient civilizations are a deep and complex repository of wisdom, culture and mythology. And their tragedies and triumphs, wealth and spirituality are the bedrock of humanity.

Without these countries and their gifts to us, America would be Death Valley, a bone-dry emptiness devoid of music or color or taste, a vast stretch of jagged and cruel whiteness, a wilderness of sorrow from the slaughter that made this nation possible. There would be no jazz, blues, salsa, rock n roll, funk or hip-hop. The food would suck too, as would life itself. In fact, we should be fucking begging people from these countries to come settle in the USA so some of their magic and grace rubs off on us and enriches our hollow and empty culture.

So, I made a playlist of songs old and new, broken and brilliant, obscure and famous, exhilarating and devastating, male and female from countries Trump hates. I will post 10 of them as links in the comments section in the coming days. You might know them or not. Please listen to them. Get into the music and the worlds it opens up. Come closer to the people. And share some of your own songs.

And if you send me a FB message, I will email you “Savage Sweetness,” my list of 50 songs to blow your mind and make your heart sing. We need to do this because It is people from these countries who give America its SOUL. And now one madman and his ignorant followers are threatening to kill that soul.

And we can’t let them.

(Photo of Somali singer Maryam Marsal by Elizabeth Brumley)

Uzuri wa Savage: Muziki wa Kichawi wa Nchi za "Shithole

(Muziki wa Kichawi wa "Nchi za Shithole" ambazo Rais Wetu na Wamarekani Wengine Wasio na Wasiokuwa Wasikijisikia na Hawapaswi Kamwe)

Nilikuwa na kusikitishwa sana nikisikia kile Rais alichoita mahali pa ulimwengu ambako watu wazuri wa rangi wanaishi nilitoka kwenye hotuba ya kisiasa yenye uovu na kurudi kwenye dawa ambazo hazikanikani kamwe: Muziki. Kwa zaidi ya wiki nimekuwa nikisikiliza muziki wa mahali ambapo Amerika ya baridi ya Turu huchukia - Mashariki ya Kati, Haiti, Afrika, Kilatini-Amerika, Caribbean na hata Asia. Kwa hakika, nilikwenda kwa uchawi wa kununua nyimbo zenye wazi na za esoteric kutoka kwa tamaduni hizi ambazo ningeweza kupata na mimi ni tajiri kwa hilo. Baada ya yote, nimekuja kutoka nchi ya "shithole" pia, ambapo watu bado wanajitokeza katika mashamba, mamilioni ya watu wanaishi katika umasikini na ubakaji wa wizi wa wizi wa haki, kuua na kuibia wanawake na wachache. Lakini sio wote wanao.

Amerika ya Trump haijawahi kusikia hisia za mwitu wa tarumbeta ya Fela Kuti na jamu zake za trippy, wala kumtazama akipanda hatua kama vile mnyama mzuri, aliyepigwa na jasho, akizungukwa na kundi la wanamuziki wenye furaha na waimbaji wa Nigeria katika joto kali. Hazijainuliwa na Miriam Makeba wala haukupigwa na gitaa ya surf ya kuvutia ya King Sunny Ade. Roho tamu, ya rangi ya Salif Keita kwa ustawi wa furaha na wanawake wa giza Mandinka haijawahi kuingia ndani ya mioyo yao na kuwafanya wakalia au kucheka kwa furaha.

Hawakumwona Baba Maal mdogo katika Pub Joe, regal kama mkuu, kivuli nyeusi kivuli katika mwanga wa bluu, kuweka bure constellation ya flaming usiku na wimbo wake. Kanda zilizopotea za wazimu, nyimbo za kupenda kwa sultry kutoka kwa waimbaji wa wanawake wa Kisomali 70 hazikuvunja ulimwengu wao. Cheb Khaled, kivuli cha dhahabu sio maana ya miili yao isiyokuwa na maombolezo ya enchanted ya Asmahan nzuri sana ambayo ingekuwa hazina iliyopotea juu yao. Meringue, Mamba, Kreyol na Cumbia, Afro-pop na Rai, Jazz na Tuareg blues, kila muziki hupotea kwao ila takataka na bile ya Kid Rock na Ted Nugent.

Ninacheka mtu yeyote ambaye anadhani kwamba Haiti au Nigeria, Mali au Algeria, Afrika Kusini au El Salvador au nchi nyingine yoyote ambapo watu wa rangi wanaishi na ngoma ni shithole. Maeneo haya ni Amerika takatifu ya Trump inapaswa kumbusu ardhi yao ikiwa inaruhusiwa kuingia.

Tunapaswa kushikilia kwa karibu zaidi na kwa tamaa tamaduni ambazo zilishutumiwa. Tunapaswa kusikiliza muziki wao na kula chakula chao na kuvaa nguo zao na kuingiza harufu zao na kupenda watu wao. Kila taifa lina sehemu yake ya nguruwe na wauaji na waasi. Mamilioni ya watu wa kijiji katika nchi yetu wenyewe walichagua Rais huu. Lakini watu wengi ambao walikuwa wamepagawa na kidemokrasia ni mzuri na wenye ukarimu na wenye nguvu na wenye kuchochea. Ustaarabu wao wa zamani ni kumbukumbu ya kina na ngumu ya hekima, utamaduni na mythology. Na mateso yao na ushindi, utajiri na kiroho ni kiti cha ubinadamu.

Bila ya nchi hizi na zawadi zao kwetu, Amerika itakuwa Valley Valley, uhaba wa mfupa usio na muziki au rangi au ladha, unyoosha mkubwa wa upepo mkali na ukatili, jangwa la huzuni kutoka mauaji ambayo ilifanya taifa hili iwezekanavyo. Hakutakuwa na jazz, blues, salsa, mwamba n roll, funk au hip-hop. Chakula kinaweza pia kunyonya, kama maisha yenyewe. Kwa kweli, tunapaswa kuwa fucking kuwaomba watu kutoka nchi hizi kuja kukaa katika Marekani hivyo baadhi ya uchawi wao na neema hutupa sisi na kuimarisha utamaduni wetu tupu na tupu.

Kwa hivyo, nimefanya orodha ya nyimbo za zamani na mpya, zilizovunjika na za kipaji, zisizo wazi na maarufu, zinazovutia na za kuharibu, wanaume na wanawake kutoka nchi Trump huchukia. Nitawasilisha 10 kati yao kama viungo katika sehemu ya maoni katika siku zijazo. Unaweza kuwajua au la. Tafadhali sikilizeni. Ingia kwenye muziki na ulimwengu unafungua. Njoo karibu na watu. Na ushiriki baadhi ya nyimbo zako.

Na kama unanipeleka ujumbe wa FB, nitakupelekea barua pepe "Uzuri wa Savage," orodha yangu ya nyimbo 50 ili kupiga akili yako na kufanya moyo wako uimba. Tunahitaji kufanya hivyo kwa sababu ni watu kutoka nchi hizi ambao hupa Marekani SOUL yake. Na sasa mmoja wa wazimu na wafuasi wake wanaogopa kuua nafsi hiyo. Na hatuwezi kuwaacha. (Picha ya mwimbaji wa Somalia Maryam Marsal na Elizabeth Brumley)