What is the origin of Funga Alafia?
The dance originated in Liberia or Sierra Leone. The first performance of a version of Fanga in the United States may have been by Asadata Dafora in 1943; Marcia Ethel Heard believes that Pearl Primus hid Dafora’s influence on her work.
Is Alafia a Yoruba word?
“For many, the Yoruba term “alafia” (also spelled alaafia) is used to mean “inner-peace” and said as a greeting like the use of the Kemetic word “hotep” and the Arabic word “salaam.” The indigenous Yoruba word for good health is ilera.
What does Funga mean in Nigeria?
The words Funga Alafia directly mean hello, welcome. The word Funga is primarily the word for the welcome dance and the word Alafia is specifically a greeting such as health or peace. The balafon is similar to a xylophone.
What country is Funga Alafia?
Liberian
Funga is a Liberian dance of hospitality that welcomes visitors to your home.
What does ashe mean African?
the power to make things happen
Ase or ashe (from Yoruba àṣẹ) is a Yoruba philosophical concept through which the Yoruba of Nigeria conceive the power to make things happen and produce change.
What does Funga Alafia mean in English?
In the United States, the colloquial meaning that is usually given to the words “Funga Alafia” is “We welcome you” (or some other words that include the word “welcome”. In the United States, the word “ashe” is sometimes interpreted as “amen”.
How do you say ase in African?
Asè is pronounced “ah-shay”; also spelled ashe. West African, Yoruba words have mupltiple meanings: Asè is generally defined as “the power to make things happen” or “so let it be” and also refers to the spiritual life force that flows through things.
What does ASE mean spiritually?
Ase is the divine force, energy, and power incarnate in the world. Olodumare gives ase to everything, including inanimate objects. Ashe is the power behind all things in the universe. It enables people to find balance in life. The orishas are bearers of ashe.