Malaika

Malaika, which means "angel" in Swahili, is the most famous love song in Kenyan pop music, as well as one of the most widely known Swahili songs. Authorship of the song is usually credited to Kenyan musician Fadhili William, but this is disputed;Some sources claim that the song was written by Tanzanian songwriter Adam Salim in Nairobi in 1945-46. Producer Charles Worrod provides yet another version, crediting the song to Grant Charo, William's brother in law (see Ondevo 2006). Anyway, Charo is not known to have confirmed this claim. On the other hand, Fadhili William has always insisted on his authorship of Malaika, even providing a detailed description of the circumstances were he wrote it. in any case, William was the first to record the song, together with his band the Jambo Boys, in 1960.

It was later re-recorded at Equator Sound Studios by the British-born Kenyan music promoter Charles Worrod, who marketed the ballad to eventually becoming an internationally acclaimed song. The song went on to be popularised by international artists such as The Brothers Four, Helmut Lotti, Hep Stars, Rocco Granata, Miriam Makeba, Harry Belafonte, Pete Seeger, Boney M and Angélique Kidjo. The lyrics to the song differ slightly from version to version; the title itself is subject to variation, e.g. to Ewe Malaika or My Angel.

Boney M. version

The version by German band Boney M. is the first single taken from their fifth album Boonoonoonoos (1981). It...
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