05 April 2011

"Partir Loin". Music, let’s go!


What if a song helped us more than a political analysis to understand what’s going on at Lampedusa? What are the potentials of a country in which the big rap hits encourage young people to travel? Where mass culture says that it’s necessary to travel far away, leave, evade, as if from a prison, in order to see the world. There are dozens of songs like this. From Morocco to Egypt. But the one that tops the charts is “Partir Loin”, an Algerian song interpreted by rap artists Reda Taliani and 113. We translated it for you.

The first recording was in 2005, but it’s still worth listening to it. First of all because of its irresistible rhythm. Secondly because it helps us understand what is happening at Lampedusa. Reminding us – because we most definitely need it! – that the 20,000 young Tunisians who have landed on the island, whether we like it or not, are not desperate. They aren’t asylum seekers. Nor war refugees. First of all they are young people, who enjoy having challenges and dreams to go for.

Just like us when we go for improbable tours towards the developing countries. We are both looking out for what is different, other and elsewhere. But with one big difference. In Tunisia young people have just experienced revolution, and have learned to their own cost that it is right to rebel. And perhaps without having rationalized it, they began rebelling against the injustice of borders. They want to go to their relatives in Paris, they wish to work for some months, they’re curious to see the northern shores in order to tell their friends about them, they wish to get engaged to Italian women.

They want to travel. The reason why they do it, is their own business. After all traveling isn’t the exclusive right of the wretched of the earth. On the contrary, it’s an unavoidable part of the life of every young person in the global era we’re living in. Except that, for years, our embassies have been forbidding an entire generation in Africa to travel legally with a visa on their passport. Just to pique your curiosity, we have also translated the lyrics of “Partir Loin”, from Arabic to Italian, and also into English now. Listen to it and read the lyrics. Perhaps it will be more helpful than the recycled words used by many old columnists that fill the pages of our newspapers with nonsense, when instead they should consider retirement.

On the shores opposite to ours there is an entire generation, that claims the right to travel. For frivolous reasons even, and therefore all the more irreverent. If they had arrived directly by plane to Paris we wouldn’t even have heard of them. Half of them would probably have already returned back home. For this reason I keep on saying that in the end it’s not a bad thing that Lampedusa is overcrowded. Because all this poses some serious questions in an explosive manner.

Let’s not limit ourselves to asking for a permit of stay for humanitarian reasons. Because in six months the same issue will re-present itself. The point is another. The point is that the regime which criminalises the freedom of movement has to fall, just like the dictatorships on the southern shores of the Mediterranean have fallen. The time is up. Enjoy listening.

PARTIR LOIN
Original version

Ouais gros!!
elle est où Joséphine!
allez laissez-moi de toi!
ah bon c'est comme ça!
ma tɛayyinich!
113 Taliani!
c'est bon!

Écoute

Ya lbabur, ya mon amour
Kharredjni men la misère
(rim-k) partir loin
Fi bladi rani mahgour
Ɛyit, Ɛyit u j'en ai marre
(rim-k) c'est bon
Ma nratich l'occasion
(rim-k)lala
Fi bali ça fait longtemps
Hada nessetni qui je suis
Nkhdem haliha a jour nuit


Ya l-babur, ya mon amour
Kharredjni men la misère
(rim-k)partir loin
Évasion spéciale men l'Algérie l-l'occidental

Moi je suis de Kabylifornie
On fumait 350 benji
Sur les bords de la Corniche
Habsi-ni maɛlich
Rien à perdre, Rim-k le malade mental
plus connu que l-hadj memba
J’voudrais passer le henné à ma bien-aimée
Avant que je taille
Comme Cheb Hasni j’suis sentimental







Partir loin, rien à perdre
C'est Boston ou la Chepa
Laissez-moi de toi
Comme Robinson sur une ile
Mon mouton je l'appellerai Mercredi
Dès que l'avion atterrit, j'applaudis
Comme les chibanis j’vous rends la carte de résidence



Un moment d'évasion,
ya hmar,
lève toi et danse

(Taliani) ça fait plaisir

Ya l-babur, ya mon amour
Kharrejni men la misère
(Rim-k)partir loin
Fi blad-i rani mahgour
Aite aite ou j'en ai marre
(rim-k)c'est bon
Matratésh l'occasion
(rim-k)lalah
Fi lali ça fait longtemps
Hada nessetni qui je suis
Nekhdem haliha a jour et nuit


Ya l-babour ya mon amour
Kharrejni mel la misère
Évasion spéciale men l'Algérie l-l'occidentale


J’reste bledard, débrouillard
J’tannonce emmène-moi loin de la misère
Mon plus fidèle compagnon en route pour l'eldorado
Même en classe éco dirou l’sac a dos
Partir loin sans les cousins
Le plan à l’arrache c'est dur
J’me considère chanceux d'être en vie
Pourvu que ça dure
J'ai grandi qu'avec des voleurs
Du haut toujours les youyous qui résonnent
Dans ma tête être à la quête du bonheur



Taliani :
Yal bledi nti fik el khir
Yeddi-h lli ɛandu zzhar ya
Iɛich lli ɛandu l-ktaf
U tzidi-lu l-ma l-bhar








Yal babour ya mon amour
Kharredjni men la misère
(rim-k)partir loin
Fi blad-i rani mahgur
Ɛyit, ɛyit u j'en ai marre
(rim-k) c'est bon
Ma nratich l'occasion
(rim-k) lala
Fi bali ça fait longtemps
Hada nessat-ni qui je suis
Nekhdem ɛli-ha jour et nuit

Ya l-babur ya mon amour
Kharredj-ni mel la misère
Évasion spéciale L'Algérie l'occidentale



Taliani
Yal babour ya mon amour
Kharredj-ni men la misère
Fi blad-i rani mahgur
Ɛyit, ɛyit, j'enai marre
Matratish l'occasion
Arwah arwah c'est le moment
Hada nessetni qui je suis
Nekhdem ɛli-ha jour et nuit


Ya l-babur, ya mon amour
Kharredj-ni men la misère
Fi blad-i rani mahgur
Ɛyit, ɛyit u j'en a i marre
Nsakrifyi u ndir el-dar
U hatta ana nwelli richard
ya ya ya yah


(Rim-k) Algérie Maroc Tunisie

(Taliani) hay wuldi hay wuldi .
Viens je t'emmène viens viens
Laissez-moi de toi
(taliani) Rmel jamais yeghmel

Ouais vive la JSK
Maghreb United
Algérie Maroc Tunisie réunifiés
Maghreb United
Partir loin pour fuir les problèmes qu'on a dans tête mec
Pharell Williams au clavier
Rachid le toulousain aux percus
Maghreb United
Maghreb United
GOING FAR AWAY
English translation

Hey big man!
where is Josephine!
oh, leave me alone!
ah, is that right!
don’t bother me!
113 Taliani!
all right!

Listen up

oh boat, my love
take me out of misery
(rim-k) going far away
in my country I feel humiliated
I’m tired and I’m fed up
(rim-k) that’s right
this time I won’t miss the chance
(rim-k) no no
it’s been long time in my mind
emigration has made me forget who I am
I work on it day and night

Oh boat, my love
take me out of misery
(rim-k) going far away
special evasion from Algeria to the West

I’m from Cabilifornia (playing with the two
words Cabilia, name of Berber region
of Algeria and California)
we used to smoke 250 benji
on the side of the Corniche
arrest me it doesn’t matter
he has nothing to loose Rim-k
the most popular mentally ill of Haj Memba
I wish to decorate my lover with the henna
(allusion to the desire of getting married)
before I cut
like Cheb Hasni (popular singer of the Algerian raï)
I’m a sentimental

Going far away nothing to loose
to Boston or I don’t know where
leave me in peace
like Robinson on an island
I’ll call my mutton Wednesday
and when the airplane lands I’ll clap
like the chibanis (term used to indicate
the old emigrants in France)
I give you back my residency card

A moment of evasion
come one donkey
get up and dance!

(Taliani) with pleasure

Oh boat, my love
take me out of misery
(rim-k) going far away
in my country I feel humiliated
I’m tired and fed up
(rim-k) it’s good
this time I won’t miss the chance
no no
it’s been long time in my mind
emigration has made me forget who I am
I work on it day and night

Oh boat, my love
take me out of misery
(rim-k) going far away
special evasion from Algeria to the West

I remain a villager, resourceful
and I announce you to take me far from misery
my most loyal friend on the road to the Eldorado
even in economy class you put the rucksack
going far away without cousins
to pull out the plan is difficult
I consider myself lucky to be alive
so long as I live
I’ve grown only with thieves
from above the rubber dinghies resound
in my head always in search of happiness


Taliani:
Oh country of mine, you are full of wealth
if the lucky ones take it
those who have the shoulders live
(the “shoulders” refer to graduates of the army
and to their power)
and you add water to the sea
(expression, which means you help the ones
who are already recommended)

Oh boat, my love
take me out of misery
(rim-k) going far away
in my country I feel humiliated
I’m tired and I’m fed up
(rim-k) that’s right
this time I won’t miss the chance
(rim-k) no no
it’s been long time in my mind
emigration has made me forget who I am
I work on it day and night

Oh boat, my love
take me out of misery
(rim-k) going far away
special evasion from Algeria to the West

Taliani:
Oh boat, my love
take me out of misery
in my country I feel humiliated
I’m tired and I’m fed up
this time I won’t miss the chance
go go time is up
emigration has made me forget who I am
I work on it day and night

Oh boat, my love
take me out of misery
in my country I feel humiliated
I’m tired and I’m fed up
I’ll sacrifice myself and I’ll build myself a home
and I’ll also become a rich man
ya ya ya yah

(Rim-k) Algeria Morocco Tunisia

(Taliani) hey boy boy
come I’ll take you come come
leave me in peace
(Taliani) the sand won’t grow old

Yes, viva Jsk (a Cabilian football team)
Maghreb unite
Going far away to escape the problems
that we have in our head, boy
Pharell Williams on the keyboard
Rachid from Toulouse at the drums
Maghreb unite
Maghreb unite

translated by Alexandra D'Onofrio