Story
A bridge between West African Manding griot tradition and Indian classical raga — blending the traditional Manding theme Djeliya with Laage Re Nain through Afro-Raga textures into a reggae groove.
Djeliya is a traditional song from the Manding griot tradition of West Africa — a music carried by griots, the hereditary storytellers and musicians who preserve the history and identity of their people. Laage Re Nain is a traditional Indian classical composition, a song of longing and devotion.
In this collaboration, the two traditions meet through the shared language of Afro-Raga — the musical philosophy developed by YoYo Sitar that finds the deep structural affinities between Indian raga and West African musical forms.
The track builds over a reggae groove that holds space for both traditions without forcing them into each other. Saki brings the West African griot voice and ngoni. Aakash Singh carries the Indian classical vocal tradition. Alexandre Wielemans adds ngoni and djembe. The sitar moves between both worlds, sometimes translating, sometimes creating a third thing that neither tradition alone could reach.
This is the first single from the Evening Rise EP — and the clearest statement of what Afro-Raga means in practice.
