First, while it is quite simple, it’s unexpected in its last phrase, and so will perhaps benefit best from having a choir sing it the first time used, then have a strong song leader teach it the next time it’s used. So I guess, given that my time is short and I have nothing, really, I will offer my own two cents about use. There isn’t even a note on the UUA Song Information page, which I’d been counting on. I wish I had some links to its original form, some native Swahili speakers/singers, some history of the song as passed down and passed around. What I can’t find is any evidence of it outside of a fairly comprehensive high school (and maybe church choir) market. “Thanks to our teachers,” “Peace to all nations,” etc. I even found the arrangement we use, from Gather, a Roman Catholic hymnal. I have found scores of scores – arrangements for voices, bands, handbells, drum ensembles. What I do know is that everyone, including STJ, attributes this as a Swahili folk hymn. Which is frustrating, because there’s not much I can say otherwise. And I don’t have a lot of time this morning to dig deep into the underground tunnels and hidden rooms of the internet to find a morsel of information about today’s song.
Other days, I know I have the right terms, but nothing comes up easily and I either have to dig deeper into the rabbit hole, or assume there is no there there. There are days when I am sure my ability to come up with the perfect search terms are to blame for my not finding what I seek.
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