Lyrics

In Saya I tell the story of grasping the reality of death through the experience of losing my mother, MossuKeba Diebate. I wrote this song on the day we buried her. I couldn’t believe we put her in the ground, covered with sand. When my family was walking slowly away from the cemetery, I stopped and turned my head back. That was the moment the melody for Saya came into my mind. We continued straight home, and suddenly I had the urge to play kora. I borrowed my uncle’s kora, and began to sing this song. It was burning to get out. My family came and gathered around me as I played. We were all able to express our emotions in that moment, listening together and remembering my mom.

No matter what, death is unavoidable / in this world we live in / this is the reality / now I believe it / now I know what it means / I’m singing to the Diebates / my Mom, she has passed / let’s be sad and cry / this is all we can do / my Mom, she will never be forgotten