Country: Suriname
Original language: Sranan Tongo
A song from Suriname, a small country on the northeast coast of South America. Unlike any other
country in South America Suriname was primarily a colony of the Netherlands, so the culture and
colonial language are not Spanish or Portuguese, but Dutch. The original song appears to be about and
by coastal fishermen. The lyrics translate roughly to, “One boat is coming with just one flag! Why only
one flag…?”
*Wan Boto e kong
nanga wan fraga
Wan Fraga no’ mo’ hanga de?
Wan Boto e kong
nanga wan fraga
Wan Fraga no’ mo’ hanga de?
One boat is coming
with just one flag
*Wan Fraga no’ mo’ hanga de?
One boat is coming
with just one flag
Wan Fraga no’ mo’ hanga de?
*"Wan boto e kong nanga wan franga" = One boat is coming with just one flag.
*"Wan Fraga
no' mo' hanga de?" = "Why is only one
flag hanging?"
Book suggestions for this song:
Many thanks to Jay Sand for permission to display these lyrics.
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