04 December 2010
"Baba Yetu"
One "hobby" that occasionally distracts me from blogging is Civilization IV, which can tie me up for an entire evening. When the game menu is on the screen, and occasionally during the game, there is a musical theme that plays in the background that I have found pleasant and very intriguing. It wasn't until today that I discovered that piece of music has a name, because it has been nominated for a Grammy - the first time ever that a song made for a video game has been so nominated.
The video above features "Baba Yetu," with visuals of the wonders of the world used in Civ IV. The language of the song is Swahili, and the content is, I believe, the Lord's Prayer. Enjoy.
Addendum: Here's the same music used to accompany a fountain display in Dubai -
Via Oregon Expat.
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Yes, "Baba Yetu" means "Our Father" in Swahili.
ReplyDeleteThat looks like a cool game. So far I am resisting. I'm afraid if I ever start, I may noy be able to stop.
ReplyDeleteIt's a pet peeve, but it has always bothered me that, in general, the Civ games render their "wonders" in as close to the presumed original condition as possible, but the Hagia Sofia ever has the minarets added after the Ottoman conquest.
ReplyDeleteI discovered this music from a different direction, having never heard of the video game but becoming intrigued by the song backing a fantastic choreographed fountain display in Dubai. Check out the video here:
ReplyDeletehttp://oregonexpat.wordpress.com/2010/04/28/dubais-answer-to-the-bellagio-fountain/
There is some wonderful irony in a Swahili translation of a Christian prayer being showcased in a state-of-the-art Muslim production.
Thank you so much, Fletcher. I totally missed this when you posted it last spring. I'll add the info to the post later today (but first I need to do the Sunday crossword... and then there's football...)
ReplyDeleteMy pleasure, Minnesotastan. As for football -- yesterday I enjoyed one of the great benefits of modern technology by using a proxy IP address to fool an ESPN server into thinking I was in the US, thus allowing me to watch the live streaming video of my alma mater clinching its spot in the national college football championship. We live in an amazing world!
ReplyDeleteEnjoy your Sunday.
Funny to read this, after having just alt-tabbed out of an 18-player, marathon-length game with a huge continental map that I've been playing for about three months. Thank you for the musical reference!
ReplyDeleteI hadn't heard the piece before, but I liked this piano version I saw on youtube after watching your video:
ReplyDeletehttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6fY0abDtuIU
It is the lord's prayer..
ReplyDeleteand it won the grammy.