Catchy Songs in Senegal

What is it about jingles that get stuck in your brain?

If anyone says, “Ay,ay,ay,ay”, I immediately think of the politically incorrect Frito Bandito song.

And if they say, “Gimme a break, gimmie a break….” Suddenly I want a Kit Kat bar.

And Disney has some really catchy ones too: Cruella De Vil, I Wan’na Be Like You, and Under the Sea. It seems that a whole generation can sing those songs word for word. And if anyone starts even a bit of it, the whole thing runs through your mind.

I was on a boat in Senegal with about six other Americans and we passed a small resort named Akuna Matata. Our Senegalese friend told us that it is a Swahili phrase. He actually said, “It means,”- and then he paused.

I know exactly the words that were passing through the minds of each and every one of us. “It means no worries for the rest of your days. It’s a problem free philosophy.”

But we were silent. Because we didn’t want to interrupt our friend. And we were all probably aware that it would be strange to burst into song on the boat at that moment.

He explained that it was a phrase meaning a very relaxed lifestyle, one in which a person is free of concerns.

One of our number then asked, “Have you ever heard of a movie called The Lion King?”

No, he had not.

We’re better off without all those things in our brain. The trip was good. I was lovin’ it… not MacDonald’s, but Senegal. The best part of wakin’ up was …not Folgers, but, some nice tea and chocolate.  NationWide wasn’t on my side, but some good friends were.

Also, the one thing I bought for myself in Senegal: a bracelet, which I found out was made of warthog tusk.

“When I was a young warthog!”