Laaki Ndongo Poem by Sheikh Ahmed Tijan Bah

My mummy traveled a lot on weekends
taking time to visit relatives and friends
as her 'chaat', i always wanted to go with
but i never knew where she was going

'Hana fan ngai dem, ' i'd ask eagerly
hoping she would say Bakoteh

'Demuma Fen, yow demal dara.'
would be her reply as she walks to my brother
knowing that i'm an eavesdropper
she'd say: ' ange ma em de ako teh ba'

straight away i knew she was up to something
but i'd walk away with hopes of one day deciphering
what I thought was a language just for them - special
but fast forward a few years later, i become an uncle

'Ahmed Tijan, Ma nge dem Bakoteh'
my mum said.
but oh, here comes my lil neice, 'dama anda ley'
she said in her own twist of the language

So all of a sudden there was a need
for me to learn the lingo of the elite
my mum and brother, pulled me to the side

'legi suun nyoi wah ak yow te bugon guy ham
laaki ndongo len nyoi laka, denga? '

'Lan moy lolu? ' I asked

'laaki ndongo moy aki la ongo ndo,
an ma, angi ma uda too, abirr ka' said my brother

'an ma, angi ma uda too, ey nde' mum said

'am nga ha, aka la naa? '

aw wa, egi lay aiga na day akila ongo ndo'

so for many people, Laaki Ndong is the language of the street
but for me, it the language of the elders of our house.

Based on the true story of how I learnt to speak Laaki Ndongo