Si Si Dolada(info please)

Subject: Si Si Dolada (African song,info please)
From: greg stephens
Date: 30 Apr 07 - 06:57 AM

There is an African song called "Si Si Dolada"(spelling may vary) currently sung by various a capella community choir type groups. It's a fine song, but nobody has been able to tell me where it comes from, what language it's in or what it means. Anybody got any background on this?

Subject: RE: Si Si Dolada(info please)
From: greg stephens
Date: 01 May 07 - 01:39 AM

Well, this one seems to be proving tricky. There are various other people who have searched for the answer to this question on the internet, but there doesn't seem to be a good answer floating around yet.

Subject: RE: Si Si Dolada(info please)
From: Joe Offer
Date: 01 May 07 - 03:25 AM

Greg, can you give us lyrics, directions to where to find sheet music, anything?
-Joe-

Subject: RE: Si Si Dolada(info please)
From: 8_Pints
Date: 01 May 07 - 04:53 AM

Sue says she got the words and music from Anna Tabush at a Folk Camp.

It is called 'Banaha' and is a round.

Bob vG

Subject: RE: Si Si Dolada(info please)
From: Saro
Date: 01 May 07 - 09:01 AM

I have the words and music of Si Si Si in a book called "How can I keep from Singing" (British Kodaly Academy) which gives it as Congolese. The word Banaha does occur in the song, but it shouldn't be confused with Ban-u-wa, which is in the same book, Ba-nu-wa is cited as Liberian and is a nine part round!

You can sing Si Si Si as a round, or as a two part harmony song or both!!
Best wishes
Saro.

Subject: RE: Si Si Dolada(info please)
From: greg stephens
Date: 01 May 07 - 10:23 AM

It has indeed appeared in many books formal and informal, and has apparently become a staple of the community choir circuit both sides of the Atlantic. But nobody seems to have found out just where it came from, what language it is in, and what it means.
Possibly an instruction to a man to put his banana in a lady's hat, according to one theory. That puts it, if true, in a very familar class of folksongs: the vegetable double-entendre.
    But I'm sure there's a story here, who was the first person who learnt it in Africa, and brought it back to their choir. And did they in fact remember it correctly?
Joe Offer:
It starts
Si si si si dolada(phonetically). That accesses a tantalsiing amount of theories via google, but not enough hard facts.

Subject: RE: Si Si Dolada(info please)
From: GUEST,jessica algar
Date: 21 Nov 12 - 12:43 PM

could some one post the lyrics as ive sang it at school today and realy liked the song but ive forgot the lyrics

Subject: RE: Si Si Dolada(info please)
From: GUEST
Date: 21 Nov 12 - 01:36 PM

SI SI BA NA HA BA NA HA LA KU SI NE DU BA NA HA

Subject: RE: Si Si Dolada(info please)
From: GUEST,Jess
Date: 03 Mar 25 - 07:38 PM

This song became known around the world when a Belgian priest named Father Guido Haazen tried to disseminate music from the Congo abroad with a choir he formed called Les Troubadours du Roi Baudouin. They toured Europe for six months in 1958 and even sang at the World's Fair in Brussels.

"Banaha" is often called "Banaha, Soldiers Song".

Subject: RE: Si Si Dolada(info please)
From: Tattie Bogle
Date: 05 Mar 25 - 02:04 PM

Well, only 18 years on, but this is the info and lyrics I have for it, having sung it in a community singing group some years ago.
The 3 sections each have different tunes, which all harmonise well with each other, so yes, sing it as a round.
If anyone wants the tune, I could transcribe it to standard notation.

BANAHA

Banaha, a Congolese folk song, translates to something a bit silly:
“At the foot of the pineapple tree, Yaku ladles banana into his aunt's red hat”


Sisi sisi dolada
Yaku sine ladu banaha
Sisi sisi dolada
Yaku sine ladu banaha

Banaha banaha
Yaku sine ladu banaha
Banaha banaha
Yaku sine ladu banaha

Ha banaha
Yaku sine ladu banaha
Ha banaha
Yaku sine ladu banaha

Subject: RE: Si Si Dolada(info please)
From: Pappy Fiddle
Date: 09 Mar 25 - 12:13 AM

Si Si Dolada sounds like something in pidgin Spanish. Spain's right across from Africa and there's been a lot of cross polination of the languages. Dolores is a woman's name, meaning sorrows. Dorada means gilded or gold colored, feminine.