A note to my niece, Rain Carla:
Hello Little Miss Rain! I thought of you yesterday during Global Studies class. We learned about African music and rhythm and instruments and singing, things I know you like. Some of the students and staff formed a band with these instruments: bells, wood block, clapping hands, rattles, and drums. Did you know your own hands can be instruments? Now that you are almost 18 months old, I bet you are an expert clapper! After hearing and learning about different sounds and rhythms made by these instruments, we were taught how to sing a verse of the African National Anthem:
Nko-si Si-ke-le-li A-fri-ka
Ma-lu-pha-ka-nyi-swu pho-ndo lwa-you
Yi-zwa i-mi-tha-nda zo ye-thu
Nko-si Si-ke-le-la
Thi-na lu sa-pho-lwa yo
I don’t have the full translation, but it starts, “Lord, Bless Africa” and the rest of the words are very pretty. Unlike English, every consonant is pronounced. It was hard to learn the words but it was a very beautiful melody… and I finally realized why it was so familiar: IT SOUNDS LIKE ‘ITSY-BITSY SPIDER’!!!! So I bet you never thought I would be able to find a way to connect your favorite song with something I learned in a college class while on my way to the African continent. But I think about you all the time, even when I’m so far away from you, so I guess it’s not so unlikely. I hope you are having a wonderful day today filled with dancing and singing.
Much Love,
Aunt Melinda
Posted by Melinda Baumann 
