Achikadidi
Traditional Ma'di Music of Southern Sudan and Northern Uganda

• Musicians
• Cover Art
• Album Tracks
• Enhanced CD
• Audio Sample
• Production Credits
• How to Order

Musicians

• Ijjo John Stephen
• Christopher Awiyo Melikiore
• Alfred Joseph Mondri
• Joe Julius Vuchiri Maire
• Remis Oboma Silvestro

Album Track List

1. "Kinya udii (New Year Has Come)"
   A wish for a happy New Year's and the resolution to relax more.
2. "Maata `bara (My Brother/My Father's Son)"
   A welcoming song for a brother or close friend performed during New Years, Christmas, and other holidays when families traditionally reunite in celebration.
3. "Alia nyeya (Alia, Please Come to Me [Because I'm Alone])"
   A love song performed exclusively by men at social dances inviting the women they like to dance.
4. "Zangwa na ingwa (Where is the Bride?)"
   This song touches upon the cultural traditions of gifts-of-introduction and "bride price" facilitating marriage and indicating seriousness of commitment, respect, and the ability to support a family.
5. "Ale ma'du izi (I Want to Marry)"
   Highlights the age-old issue of young love and parental consent when a boy, desiring to marry a girl, tries to persuade his father.
6. "Alia maamvoti (My Sweetheart)"
   A love song involving kasurubee, a fine paid to the woman's family by the man, if the couple run off together or if a pregnancy occurs out of wedlock.
7. "Nyaasi ga a'du taya (What is in Your Heart?)"
   With humor, jest, and lyrics having a double meaning alluding to witches, men sing this song to women inquiring of the nature of their hearts.
8. "Ojja (War)"
   This "storytelling" song rooted in the British Colonial Era of Sudan, updated to reference Arabic Moslems who now control that country, praises Ma'di leaders trying to overcome foreign control.
9. "Kalendo"
   Titled from a man's name, this upbeat yet emotional song is a favorite of Ma'di militiamen who fought in the 1980s in Sudan's civil war. It describes the weariness of war and the desire to return to a life of farming.
10. "Oriku (Don't Worry)"
    Social dances sometimes go from dusk to dawn with this song being the last one sung as the sun rises. The song's sentiment- don't worry about what happens today, because there will always be another tomorrow.

Enhanced CD

Usable with both Windows and Macintosh operating systems, the enhanced component of the CD includes the traditional story "The Friendship Between Hare, Lia, and Leopard," a video of the song "Kalendo," as well as maps, song translations with associated cultural notes, and photographs designed to provide a broader context for Ma'di music and culture.

• The traditional story "The Friendship Between Hare, Lia, and Leopard" will be of particular relevance to many in war-torn Sudan and Uganda, as it stresses the need of orphans to rely on one another for survival.
• A video clip for the song "Kalendo" features musicians recording the song in the studio, includes interviews with the two musicians, and features photographs made in the United States and the Ma'di region in Africa.
• A "Song Lyrics/Cultural Notes" section features English translations of song lyrics, information on the cultural meanings of each song, details on instrument construction, and photographs from the Ma'di region in Africa.
• Animated maps illustrate the regions and communities in southern Sudan and northern Uganda that are significant to Ma'di culture.
• A slide show features 20 images and captions that illustrate the everyday life, struggles, and landmarks of the Ma'di people.

Audio Sample

• "Kalendo"

Production Credits

Musicians/singers:

• Ijjo John Stephen (odii, drums, congas, guitar, cowbell, keyboard, whistle)
• Remis Oboma Silvestro, also called "Chuka", (adungu, odii, whistle)
• Alfred Joseph Mondri, also called "Kisumu", (adungu, rhythm drums)
• Joe Julius Vuchiri Maire (adungu)
• Christopher Awiyo Melikiore (rattles, shakers)
• All sang. Songs are in the Ma'di language. Traditional story told by Ijjo John Stephen and Remis Oboma Silvestro

Acknowledgements:

• The Ma'di community from southern Sudan and northern Uganda now
  residing in North Dakota, USA
• The National Endowment for the Arts
• James Delehanty

Executive Producer:

• North Dakota Council on the Arts

Producers:

• Troyd Geist, North Dakota Council on the Arts
• David Swenson, Makoche Recording Company

Media:

• Photography: Christopher Awiyo Melikiore, Ben Draciri, Remis Oboma Silvestro, Birgitta Grosskinsky, Troyd Geist, Vincent Langdon-Morris of CRS Sudan, Africa Focus - University of Wisconsin-Madison Libraries/African Studies Program (photography)
• Art design, enhanced CD design and content: Troyd Geist, Ben Nemenoff
• Video: David Swenson
• Mastering enhanced portion: Mike Frohlich, David Swenson
• Graphics: Ben Nemenoff
• Maps: Library of Congress

CD production, editing, mixing, and mastering completed at Makoche Recording Studios by David Swenson with the assistance of Ijjo John Stephen, Remis Oboma Silvestro, and Troyd Geist

Funded by the North Dakota Council on the Arts and the National Endowment for the Arts.

© 2003 North Dakota Council on the Arts

How to Order

• Price: $15.95 (add 6% sales tax for ND residents) plus $3.00 shipping.
• Mail check or money order to: North Dakota Council on the Arts, 1600 Century Drive, Suite 6, Bismarck, ND 58503
• or call 701-328-7590
• or e-mail comserv@nd.gov