**About the Rorogwela lullaby**

Hear the song

Listen to the original recording on Spotify:

Other streaming options:

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A translation of the song

Translated by Celsus Talifilu

Baegu

Sasi sasi ae taro taro amu
Ko tratado tratado boroi tika oli oe lau
Tika gwao oe lau koro inomaena

Sasi sasi ae na ga koro mi koro
mada maena mada ni ada I dai
I dai tabesau I tebetai nau mouri
Tabe tu wane initoa te he rofia

Sasi sasi ae kwa dao mata ole
Rowelae e lea kwa dao mata biru
Na rowelae e lea kwa dao mata luma
Rowelae e lea sasi sasi ae
Angi angi boro ti ka oli oe lau

Iaia rofia ro aro aro
Nau No na wela wane ku adedite amu

Sasi sasi ae ko taro taro amu
Ga koro mi koro da maena fasi koro
Koro inomae na ka sasi sasi ae

ahre aro ha teai roro roroa
tea roa roa roai roa

English

Little brother, little brother stop crying, stop crying
Even though you cry, I'll still carry you
Who else will take care of you, we're now two orphans.

Little brother, little brother our mom & dad
Have died & now live on the island of the dead
From the island of the dead they still watch over us
Like royalty, taking care of us with all the wisdom of such a place.

Little brother, little brother, even in the garden
This lullaby continues in the different parts of the garden,
And even in each house visited, this lullaby seems endless,
Lullaby, little brother, little brother,
Even if you cry and cry, who else will carry you.

Oh, oh, my heavens, calm down, calm down now,
I'm just a child, what can I do with you?

Little brother, little brother, stop crying,
Our mother and father have died
Both of us are now orphans, little brother, little brother

Ah-ray oh ha tea-ah-i lull-lulla
Tea roa roa ro-ah-i roa.

Timeline

1969

Hugo Zemp, an ethnomusicologist, records Afunakwa singing the traditional Baegu lullaby (Rorogwela) in Fulinui, North East Malaita, Solomon Islands.

Hugo’s trip to the Baegu area is overseen by Saverio Talifilu, the Headman of East Baegu.

1973

Hugo’s recordings in Malaita are released on vinyl as part of the UNESCO Collection Musical Sources series.

Unesco Collection Fataleka and Baegu Music Solomon Islands Album Cover

1987

Afunakwa dies in the year following the cyclone which hit the Solomons (cyclone Namu) in 1986.

1990

Hugo’s recordings are re-released in 1990 on CD.

Smithsonian Folkways CD Cover - Solomon Islands Music

1992

Deep Forest release ‘Sweet Lullaby’ which samples the ‘Rorogwela’ recording.

1995

Jan Garbarek, a Norwegian saxophonist, releases a cover of the ‘Rorogwela’ song, called ‘Pygmy Lullaby’ on the album ‘Visible World’.

1995

Hugo Zemp publishes an article in the 1996 Yearbook for Traditional Music outlining his perspectives on Deep Forest’s use of the sample and their failure to acknowledge the song’s true origins.

Cover page of Yearbook of Traditional Music Volume 28

2000

Steven Feld, an ethnomusicologist, publishes ‘A Sweet Lullaby for World Music’ which explores Deep Forest’s use of the sample and Jan Gabarek’s use of the song.

Cover page of Steven Feld's article 'A Sweet Lullaby for World Music'.

2005

Matt Harding puts out a video called ‘Where the Hell is Matt 2005’ which features him dancing in different places across the world to a remix of ‘Sweet Lullaby’ — it goes viral.

2007

Norwegian journalist Marit Lie travels to the Solomon Islands to produce a documentary examining the origins of the Rorogwela recording. During the production, the investigation becomes focused on the son of a woman also named Afunakwa, who asserted that his mother had sung the song. It later emerged that this woman was not the Afunakwa who performed the original recording. The documentary does not appear to have been widely released.

DVD cover of the documentary 'The Voice from the Deep Forest'

2007

Matt Harding makes his first trip to Malaita aiming to find Afunakwa’s relatives. He reaches Auki, the capital of Malaita. Posts YouTube video Where the Hell is Afunakwa?.

Image of Matt Harding YouTube video 'Where the hell is Afunakwa?'

2011

Matt Harding returns to Malaita, reaches Kalafasia and connects with Clement and Tony (grandsons of Afunakwa). Discusses the idea of finding a way to donate back to the community.

2018

Matt Singmin and Jonathan Jenkins — the team behind Searching for Afunakwa — make their initial journey to the Solomons, where they meets Tony, Clement, Claudius and Celsus. The idea for the foundation is conceived.