''A Vava Inouva'' is the successful 1991 album by
Idir, a
Kabyle singer. It contains a big international hit in the title track, which was also his debut single. It also contains other very important hits by him such as "Azwaw", "Zwit Rwit" (the origin for
Khaled's "
El harba wine), "Ssendu" and "Cfiy"
Song: "A Vava Inouva"
"A Vava Inouva", is the title track from the album. It was originally "A Baba-inu Ba" alternatively A baba inuba meaning "Ô mon père Inuba" (Oh, my father Inuba), and is a fine example of
Kabyle music.
"A Vava Inouva" was a
lullaby
A lullaby (), or cradle song, is a soothing song or piece of music that is usually played for (or sung to) children (for adults see music and sleep). The purposes of lullabies vary. In some societies they are used to pass down cultural knowledg ...
composed by Idir and Ben Mohamed (real name Mohamed Benhamadouche) and was written for Nouara, a singer on Radio Algiers. However upon non acceptance by Nouara, Idir decided to interpret the song himself accompanied by the singer Mila
The lullaby song was an immediate success, making it arguably the best-known song in the
Kabyle language
Kabyle () or Kabylian (; native name: ''Taqbaylit'' , ) is a Berber language spoken by the Kabyle people in the north and northeast of Algeria. It is spoken primarily in Kabylia, east of the capital Algiers and in Algiers itself, but also by va ...
internationally and a great commercial success.
Many other versions exist such as the 1999 version with
Karen Matheson
Karen Matheson OBE (born 11 February 1963) is a Scottish folk singer who frequently sings in Gaelic. She is the lead singer of the group Capercaillie and was a member of Dan Ar Braz's group L'Héritage des Celtes, with whom she often sang lea ...
a singer with a great repertoire of
Scottish Gaelic, Gaelic songs. That version appeared in Idir's album ''Identités''.
"A Vava Inouva", which was originally released in 1976, has also been since translated into several languages, including
Arabic
Arabic (, ' ; , ' or ) is a Semitic language spoken primarily across the Arab world.Semitic languages: an international handbook / edited by Stefan Weninger; in collaboration with Geoffrey Khan, Michael P. Streck, Janet C. E.Watson; Walter ...
,
Spanish
Spanish might refer to:
* Items from or related to Spain:
**Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain
**Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many Latin American countries
**Spanish cuisine
Other places
* Spanish, Ontario, Can ...
,
French,
Greek
Greek may refer to:
Greece
Anything of, from, or related to Greece, a country in Southern Europe:
*Greeks, an ethnic group.
*Greek language, a branch of the Indo-European language family.
**Proto-Greek language, the assumed last common ancestor ...
and others. David Jisse and Dominique Marge released as a duo the French version "Ouvre-moi vite la porte".
Yiannis Katevas released a Greek version as "An ginotane" (in
Greek
Greek may refer to:
Greece
Anything of, from, or related to Greece, a country in Southern Europe:
*Greeks, an ethnic group.
*Greek language, a branch of the Indo-European language family.
**Proto-Greek language, the assumed last common ancestor ...
Αν γινότανε) featuring Efi Strati.
Track list
# A Vava Inouva
# Isefra
# Ssendu
# Azger
# Muqleɣ
# Zwit Rwit
# Cfiɣ
# Azwaw
# Tagrawla
# Tiɣri b ugdud
# Acawi
# Ay Arrac Nneɣ
# Cteduɣi
# Izumal
# L'Mut
# W' Ibɣun
# Aɣrib
Personnel
*Idir – vocal, guitar, percussion
*Omar Meguenni – guitar, bass, vocal
*Gerard Geoffroy – flute
*Andrée Ceccarelli – drums
*Jean Musy –
moog
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1991 debut albums