Sing along with the lyrics to “Jambo Bwana” from the musical picture book Songs on the Vanilla Trail, Lullabies and Nursery Rhymes from East and Southern Africa. Songs are great tools for learning languages. The song “Jambo Bwana” was composed by Kenyan musician Teddy Kalanda Harrison with the goal of teaching tourists a few words of Swahili. For example, in the second line of the song, “Habari gani?” means “How are you?”
An enchanting collection of 25 traditional songs that pay homage to the rich cultural heritage and multilingual communities of East and Southern Africa. The highly mixed musical styles that are unique to each region demonstrate how these communities welcomed new horizons through contact with others. A wide array of styles—skipping rope songs from Mozambique, lullabies from South Africa, counting songs from Réunion, traditional dance tunes from Madagascar—are all performed exquisitely by men, women, and children in more than a dozen languages and dialects. Vibrant compelling artwork and homegrown instruments, such as the tube zither, kayamb, bobre, segakordeon, and ravanne drums round off this wonderful celebration of history, language, and culture.
Subscribe to our monthly newsletter to stay informed about our new releases and events and for a chance to win our subscriber giveaway. To order books for your library or bookstore, please get in touch with Hornblower Books/University of Toronto Press (Canada, United States) and MMS/BookSource (United Kingdom). For additional information, email info@thesecretmountain.com.
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Song Lyrics: “Jambo Bwana” by Teddy Kalanda Harrison
Sing along with the lyrics to “Jambo Bwana” from the musical picture book Songs on the Vanilla Trail, Lullabies and Nursery Rhymes from East and Southern Africa. Songs are great tools for learning languages. The song “Jambo Bwana” was composed by Kenyan musician Teddy Kalanda Harrison with the goal of teaching tourists a few words of Swahili. For example, in the second line of the song, “Habari gani?” means “How are you?”
“Jambo Bwana” Song Lyrics in Swahili
Jambo, jambo bwana!
Habari gani?
Nzuri sana
Wageni wakaribishwa
Kenya yetu
Hakuna matata
“Jambo Bwana” Song Lyrics in English
Good day, good day, sir!
How are you?
Very well!
Visitors, you are welcome
To our Kenya
Everything’s fine.
“Jambo Bwana” Learning Activities and Exercises
Help students engage with the song lyrics to “Jambo Bwana” with the following prompts. Download our free teaching guide and activities sheets to delve into more songs and topics in the collection Songs on the Vanilla Trail, Lullabies and Nursery Rhymes from East and Southern Africa.
Have you ever heard the phrase “Hakuna matata” before? What do you think it means?
Open to the students. They may have heard it in The Lion King, where it is said to mean “No worries.” It can also mean “Everything’s fine.”
On what occasions might you say, “Hakuna matata”?
Open to the students. For example: “When someone bumps into you by mistake and apologizes.”
Practice: Play the song “Jambo Bwana” and ask the kids to listen carefully for how to pronounce “Habari gani?” and “Nzuri sana.”
Discover Songs on the Vanilla Trail
An enchanting collection of 25 traditional songs that pay homage to the rich cultural heritage and multilingual communities of East and Southern Africa. The highly mixed musical styles that are unique to each region demonstrate how these communities welcomed new horizons through contact with others. A wide array of styles—skipping rope songs from Mozambique, lullabies from South Africa, counting songs from Réunion, traditional dance tunes from Madagascar—are all performed exquisitely by men, women, and children in more than a dozen languages and dialects. Vibrant compelling artwork and homegrown instruments, such as the tube zither, kayamb, bobre, segakordeon, and ravanne drums round off this wonderful celebration of history, language, and culture.
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Subscribe to our monthly newsletter to stay informed about our new releases and events and for a chance to win our subscriber giveaway. To order books for your library or bookstore, please get in touch with Hornblower Books/University of Toronto Press (Canada, United States) and MMS/BookSource (United Kingdom). For additional information, email info@thesecretmountain.com.