"Be Mankan" is a west African phrase
which means "People are never equal". Ali Farke Toure and Toumani Diabate recorded it
as an ancient Mande song, and played it as a waltz.
Toumani says, in the liner notes to the album, "The proverb at
the centre of the song says something like, 'It is the blessings that
make the tears fall.' It means that if you think of someone you love, of someone
in whom you've invested your hope, and that person dies, then you'll cry for
sure. Why? Because there was hope. Because that person was dear to you. And
tears fall because of the blessings." Hope is the strange word here
because it implies 'unrequited' and the idea that 'people are never equal'
resonates through it. One of the huge lessons I learned early on in life was
that, 'not everyone you try to like will like you back,' and whether you are in
West Africa or South East Scotland it
resonates true, even though we keep trying, which makes the unconditional love
of a parent all the more special. Nine months and a day after this picture (above) was
taken I was born - goodness, married on the Saturday, pregnant on the Sunday
and then she taught me I was equal to anyone; but best of all she taught me to waltz...
