User:Moongateclimber/Sandbox

The spanish word chévere is a colloquial neologism used in Latin America to express appreciation, i.e., as a synonym of "good", "nice", "excellent" and other such praises (roughly comparable to the use of cool in english slang).

The origin of the word is found in Nigerian efik language, where chévere (or chébere) has the general meaning of "strong", "good", although it may also mean "thick-headed"

originario de la lengua Efik introducido en Cuba a comienzos del siglo XIX por inmigrantes africanos provenientes de Nigeria.

Los Efik, que llegaron a Cuba como esclavos, fundaron posteriormente la sociedad Abakuá, y luego tendrían gran influencia en la música cubana de los siglos XIX y XX.

En su lengua original, el término chévere o chébere significa valiente, el más fuerte, o simplemente cabeza dura, insolente. En la música cubana, en general en el bolero y el son, y especialmente en temas de Rolando Laserie, Celina & Reutilio, Beny Moré, Tito Puente y Bebo Valdés la palabra cambia su significado, y con el paso de los años la palabra fue tomando la figura y fuerza de todo lo relacionado a bueno, agradable, estupendo, excelente, gracioso, elegante, etc. Gracias a la influencia musical cubana en el resto del continente, el término pasa a ser usado en diferentes países del Caribe, Centroamérica y México, y con especial énfasis en Venezuela y algunas regiones de Perú, Colombia y Ecuador.

Hay varias versiones populares con respecto al nacimiento del vocablo. Se cree que "chévere" fue una deformación del nombre del General Jacques François De Chevert, debido a su elegancia.

Otra creencia popular es que es una modificación de la marca Chevrolet como sinónimo de elegancia y buena calidad.

En el Diccionario del habla actual de Venezuela se explica que es un “coloquio aplicado a una persona, cosa o situación buena, excelente o agradable”. También se agrega que es la “fórmula para contestar a un saludo, con la que la persona indica que se encuentra bien en todo sentido”.

Una de las frases más usadas, entre las derivadas de esta palabra, es: “¡Qué chévere!”, aunque en Venezuela también se ha mezclado con las frutas para reforzar su significado: “chévere cambur”, por ejemplo.

En El salvador existe una radio que lleva como nombre radio La chevere y en su programacion regular esta la musica grupera. es una de las radios mas escuchadas de ese pais y fuera de sus fronteras a través del internet

Enlaces externos

 * así hablamos
 * La sociedad secreta Abakuá
 * La sociedad secreta Abakuá: los Ñañigos

Bongo flava is a nickname for Tanzanian hip hop music. The genre developed in the 1990s, mainly as a derivative of American hip hop, with additional influences from reggae, Rhythm and blues, afrobeat, dancehall, and traditional Tanzanian styles such as taarab and dansi, a combination that forms a unique style of music. . Lyrics are usually in swahili or english.

The name "bongo flava" is a corruption of "bongo flavour", where "bongo" is the plural form of the swahili word ubongo, meaning "brain", and is a common nickname used to refer to Dar es Salaam, the city where the genre originated. In the bongo flava, the metaphor of "brains" may additionally refer to the cunning and street smarts of the mselah (see below).

Popularity
Today, bongo flava is the most popular musical style amongst the Tanzanian youth, something that is also reflected in the vast number of TV and radio programs dedicated to this genre as well as the sales figures of bongo flava albums. Outside of its historical home of Tanzania, Bongo Flava has become a resoundingly popular sound in neighboring, culturally related countries such as Kenya and Uganda. Bongo flava has even found a home outside of the African continent; the most popular artists in the genre have recently begin to address Western markets and the self-proclaimed "best internet station for Bongo Flava," Bongo Radio, happens to be based out of Chicago, Illinois.

Despite the popularity of bongo flava and the large number of well-known artists throughout Tanzania, copying of music is widespread and most artists are unable to make a living selling their music. They must alternatively rely on income from live performances to support themselves.

Characteristics
While bongo flava is clearly related to American hip hop, but it is also clearly distinguished from its Western counterpart. As the bongoflava.com website puts it, "these guys don't need to copy their brothers in America, but have a sure clear sense of who they are and what sound it is they’re making". The sound "has its roots in the rap, R&B and hip hop coming from America but from the beginning these styles have been pulled apart and put back together with African hands".

The typical bongo flava artist identifies with the mselah, meaning a smart juvenile who is free from the prejudices of the society, but at the same time is committed and honest. It is in this sense that, for example, members of the hip hop crew Afande Sele call themselves watu pori, i.e., "men of the savannah" (meaning ineducated, free men). A sort of manifesto of mselah ideology is given by the song Mselah Jela by bongo flava singer Juma Nature, who defines the mselah, amongst other things, as a "honest person of sincere heart". Following the tradition of western hip hop (as represented by the pioneering hip hop group Afrika Bambaataa), bongo flava lyrics usually tackle social and political issues such poverty, political corruption, superstition, and HIV/AIDS, often with a more or less explicit educational intent, an approach that is sometimes referred to as "edutainment". Afande Sele, for example, have written songs that are intended to teach prevention of malaria and HIV.

Notable artists
A pioneer of Tanzanian hip hop is Mr. II (also known as Sugu or 2-Proud), that in 1985 released the first bongo flava hit single, Ni Mimi ("Its' me"). Mr. II is still active (his last recording, Coming of Age, was released in 2007). The first Tanzanian hip hop crew, Kwanza Music, began in 1993; they originally sung in english, but eventually switched to swahili. In the late 1990s, one of the most popular bongo flava groups was the Hard Blasters; one of the former members of the group, Profesa Jay, is currently one of Tanzania's most popular hip hop artists.

Among today's most popular bongo flava artists there are Juma Nature and Afande Sele. Some groups are very popular in their ethnic group; examples include the maasai X Plastaz (who developed their own sub-genre known as "massai hip hop") and Mr. Ebbo. Other popular names are Gangwe Mobb, Lady Jaydee, T.i.D., Wagozi Wa Kaya, Dully Sykes, Biz-man and Daz Baba.

Discography

 * Bongo Flava - Swahili Rap from Tanzania, Out Here Records (compilation of popular bongo flava hits)