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Che Che Kule
Category:
Game Song (Ghana, West Africa)
Source: Multiple music
Books
Che Che Kule
Che Che Kufi sa
Kufi sa langa
Langa te Langa
Kum adende
Kum adende
Kum
Che Che Kule (also written as “Je Je Kule”
) is one
of the few traditional West African game songs that is generally known to children
living in the United States. This
song has been included in various folk music books for children, has been
recorded by various artists, and has been included in some elementary school
vocal music curriculums as representative of West African children’s music.
Some books say that this Ghanaian game song was
traditionally performed as a touch your head, touch your shoulder game like the
African American game song “Head and shoulders, knees, and toes".
However, a man from Ghana whose name I have forgotten told me that
“Kofi” is an Akan (Ghanaian) word that means “male born on Friday” and
“langa” means a person of low status, “an unclean person”.
According to this Ghanaian man (who is from the Ewe ethnic group), “Che
Che Kule” is sung while playing a hide & go seek game.
One person is chosen to be Kofi, the langa.
Kofi chases other people and, by touching them, he would make them
unclean too. I’m not sure if the
definition for “langa” is correct or if either explanation of this game is
correct. However, “Kofi” does
mean “male born on Friday” (the name for a female born on Friday is “Afua”).
A famous person with the name “Kofi” is Kofi Annan, the current
United Nation’s Secretary General. Mr Annan is from Ghana, West Africa.
See “J. J. Kukalay” in CocoJams’s African American pages for an American
version of this song.
Have you ever played a game that included this song?
Let us know how you played it! Contact
CocoJams today!
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