The Mythological Africans AFRI Grant is still accepting applications from unpublished African writers aged 55 and over. AFRI fellows will receive up to $300 to review and retell 2-3 folktales from their people. The results will be published in an anthology.
Applications close June 30th!
In this week’s episode, we get a mouthful of Àkàrà-related folklore starting with Nigerian Nobel Laureate Wole Soyinka’s fond memories from his autobiography “Ake: The Years of Childhood”. Listen to the end to learn two fun and cool facts about Acarajé the Afro-Brazil equivalent of Àkàrà!
In this Yoruba wedding song, Àkàrà is used as a metaphor for the good things of life – and what is better than living long enough to see your children well married?
A Preta do Acarajé or The Black Beauty Who Sells Acarajé is an immensely popular folk song by Dorival Caymmi a Brazilian singer-songwriter, actor, artist and founder of Brazil’s Bossa Nova movement. It has been performed by superstars like Carmen Miranda, Maria Bethania and Gal Costa.
Meanwhile, if this episode has awakened an Ijapa-like hunger for Àkàrà in you, check out these recipes:
How to make Àkàrà (Nigerian Edition)
How To Make The Best Nigerian Àkàrà (In case you are not sure)
How to Make Accra Beans (Cameroon Edition)
And if you must have them all,
References
da Costa Lima, Vivaldo. "The ethno-scenology and ethnoculinary of the acarajé." VIBRANT-Vibrant Virtual Brazilian Anthropology 7.2 (2010): 236-248.
Harris, Jessica B.. The Africa Cookbook: Tastes of a Continent. United Kingdom, Simon & Schuster, 1998. p86
Kubik, Gerhard. "Alo: Yoruba story songs (Excerpts from material collected in Nigeria)." African Music: Journal of the International Library of African Music 4.2 (1968): 10-32.
Ogunbiyi, Maryam, Omoniyi Afolabi, and Michael R. Anderson. "The Influence of Yoruba Religion and Gastronomy on the Yoruba Diaspora of Cuba and Brazil: A Transnational Analysis." University of Texas at Austin (2016).
Omoniyi, Bolaji Omotayo. "Symbolic Representations Of Yoruba Culture In Selected Indigenous Wedding Music Among Ekiti People Of South-West, Nigeria." Journal Of Nigerian Music Education (Jonmed) 14 (2022).
Owomoyela, Oyekan. Yoruba Trickster Tales. United Kingdom, University of Nebraska Press, 1997. pp 41-46
Soyinka, Wole. Aké: the years of childhood. Vintage, 1989. pp 153 - 154
Sound Effects
A Preta Do Acarajé, performed by Carmen Miranda and Dorival Caymmi. Lyrics and essay about the song.
Àkàrà - Acarajé