Sweet, sweet Fanta Diallo

The story is told that Alpha Blondy (born Seydou Kone in 1953, Cote d'Ivoire) composed the song "sweet Fanta Diallo" to thank the mysterious nurse who had attended faithfully to his mental health needs as a psychiatric patient in an Ivorian hospital.

Well after he was well again, he returned to the hospital to thank Fanta Diallo. No one knew of her or even remembered a nurse named Fanta Diallo as ever having worked there. He left and believing she might have been an angel set about composing the song to thank her anyway. I have had my own Fanta Diallos, many I can't remember; and for those whose composition is not etherial; in case you ever come across this blog, thank you one and all! Here are some my brain can recall:

1. I was a crawling baby when I had wandered on all fours outside of our yard. All my mother remembers from the incident is a very irate man bringing me home. He had found me teetering on a bridge unknowingly facing, as it were, death, a short distance from our home, guessing where i lived he brought me home and gave my mother a piece of his mind for letting me out of her sight.

2. Desmond Bailey, no celestial being, when I had lost all my swimming composure in Sodwana and you swam out to rescue me. I hear you have twins, perhaps more children now, it's been at least 14 years. Thank you

3. The White dude at Barnes and Noble Silverdale. Backing up my bosses Dodge Intrepid very poorly, I stuck the front wheel in the wheel hood of the next car on the parking lot. You brought out packs of iced water and sorted it all out without a scratch to either car. I'm sure the owner of that car has NO IDEA.

4. The Zimbabwean-born White dude who carried my heavy bags at JFK, he came from nowhere, carried them, chatted and with a goodbye he was gone...and for those of you who've been there, JFK is no joke.

5. Leah Freeman-Miller, it's been 17 years, no joke.

6. Pastor Koloko, Amen!! It's been what, 12 years since those words? I remember them like yesterday.

5. Finally all the earth angels, not limited to, God knows, those of you who answer to the name of Soko, Chipeta, Gondwe, Luhanga, Jere, Jones, de Wolf, Anderssen, Combs, Joseph, Chinchen, Brown, Mtali, Maseko, Chingagwe, Quandt, M'baya, Munthali, Banda, Kambale, Msusa, McHugh, VanSkiver, Young, Chisala, Taumbe, Khonje, Morel, McMillan, Mpasu, Mulungo, Steven, Miti, Mitchell, Groening, Phiri, de Leo, Magambi, Chirwa, Khombe, Khomba, Nsanja, Lungu, Agbermodji, Kaiya, Malange, Kasirye, Juma, Musopole, Chiseko, Owor, Matewere, Hawkins, Main, Mtika, Jomba, Malewezi,Dwiggins, Mann, Votroubek, Ries, Richards, Clark, Schertzer, Aldridge, Henry, Tsabedze, Lourens, Bengo, Habib, Kashyap, Osman, Irshad, Safik, Irfan, Chingota, Sabwelera, Nyirenda, Thom, Waz, Vasquez, etc., etc., .......wow, it is true, I AM because WE ARE. May God meet you according to your needs and beyond and may He receive eternal glory. I am amazed that there are so many more names I haven't put down, I understand today the folly of pride, I wouldn't be where I am if God had not used you to bless me in all the ways that you did and continue to. WOW. And yes, folks at my former and present school and my former and present places of work, Hallelujah for you!



Here is the song;

'Sweet sweet Fanta Diallo
ouh! ouh! Fanta Diallo

FANTA walking on the rainbow now!
FANTA shivering in moon light waves
FANTA hogging on the mountain top
FANTA kissing me on the burning rock

Sweet sweet Fanta Diallo
ouh! ouh! Fanta Diallo

One day, one day Fanta flee away
with the sun
one day, one day, Fanta ,melt away
under the sun
one day, Fanta flee away
with the sun
over and over I guess
she melt away under the sun
again and again
I keep on wondering
where she's gone
the last time I saw her,
psychiatric hospital
Now I know that I did you wrong
Yes I love you rainbow
And I love you rainbow ray
please help me rainbow
you got to lead me rainbow'

lyrix: www.dooballoh.com; Alpha Blondy birth and age: www.wikipedia.com; angel -http://imagecache5.art.com