AMAKA (THE CONCEPT OF A FAMILY)
Abeeyo abeeno nze nina kyendese
Abeeyo abeeno nze nina kyendese
Yita ne mulirwana muyitte asembere
Nabaana balete nabo kambabulirire
Waliwo kyenalabye eyo mukizinga esese
Ensi yo etabuse nkugambye wetuse
Omusaja yalese embuzzi kumukolo ajiwase
Omukyala yakubye bba kata omutwe agwase
Abantu balina empisa ezikunjubuse
Emitayimbwa ejali jizimba kati jebagula babise
Egwanga elyali elyawamu lisensebuse
Abaali abamagezi bawuguse
Abaali abekitibwa baseguse
Amaka gagwawo
Nga abaana kubazadde bawaguse amaka gagwawo
Nga ebigambo ebikuvamu sibyakawowo amaka gagwawo
Nabakulembeze baffe bawukuse amaka gagwawo
Verse 1 Translation
My beloved here and my beloved there I have a message for you
My beloved here and my beloved there I have a message for you
Call your neighbor too to come near
Bring the children too they need to bare witness
There is something so strange that I saw on Ssese Island
The world is running crazy as we speak
In the village court was man accused of bestiality
In another case a woman had split the husbands head open
The people no longer have the morals that shined
The iron bars that used to build houses are now tools for robbery
The ancient country that used to be one is now divided
The men who were fountains of wisdom are now unreliable
The men who used to command respect are now most corrupt
(As the concept of a family slowly melts away)
The children no longer heed the advice of their parents
(As the concept of a family slowly melts away)
When the words leaving your lips no longer have charm or flavor
(As the concept of a family slowly melts away)
It is sad that our leaders too have become gluttons with greed!
Empissa zo mumaka nazono zigwawo
Tudeyo kumpisa ezabakasangwawo
Ekisinze okututa kwekukopera
Gubula asala nga omutto ate yawabula
Nfudde mama jajange anzala
Ababula edda gwe ogoberera
Kibakikyamu abaami okupaala
Notalabirira mabujje go zala
Abakyala no namwe mbanenya
Mungu akuwa atya oluzalo ate nosula
Amaka gagwawo
Verse 2 Translation
What is happening is that the norms of a family are fading
Can we go back to the norms of our ancestors?
What is killing our society the most is the propagation of selfishness
It is a conundrum when infants behave better than their elders
Those who have been lost for a long time why follow
It is also extremely wrong for men to walk away from responsibility
Not taking care of the children you have fathered
To our women the heavens give us children to nurture
It is a tragedy to abandon them.
(As the concept of a family slowly melts away)
(As the concept of a family slowly melts away)
Around the fireplace under the beautiful night sky filled with stars
There were oohs and aahs as an African family would gather to feast, dance, chant and sing
They would learn from the old men and women, grey haired we called them the elders
(Amaka gagwawo/As the concept of a family slowly melts away)
They told stories of our ancestry poetry in adventure, virtue respect for fellow men through legends
An African version of a university was the fireplace community symbiotic co- existence was shining through the beauty of our diversity
We learned how to share from our mothers
Learned how to gather and hunt from our fathers
We were told to have compassion for others, strangers, travellers and the sick
“My sons, protect nature and the wild but most importantly open your fist and shake hands, reach out to each other with an open palm”
Our forefathers knew that to build a strong society
You had to start the smallest unit of a family
Where the quintessential African values were your sisters, your brothers were all part of an extended family
Keep the family together