Merry Christmas from ICA (or Christmas Carols from ICA)

Courtesy of Janet (Gardner) Weiss, credits noted

ICA Christmas
Tune: Silver Bells

Many dirt paths through the brown grass,
Lots of dust everywhere,
In the air there’s a feeling of Christmas;
Children playing, people baking,
Making presents with care,
And from all of our homes you can hear….

Stereos, stereos,
It’s Christmas time in Bouake.
Christmas songs all day long,
Soon it will be Christmas Day.

Many lanterns, also candles
Shed some light on the scene
As we search in our barrels for gift wrap.
Oh, we’re hoping, daily checking
For some mail to come in,
And throughout all our hustle you hear….

Stereos, stereos,
It’s Christmas time in Bouake.
Christmas songs all day long,
Soon it will be Christmas Day.
- Cheryl Peck, 1983

Dusty Wonderland
Tune: Winter Wonderland

Fruit bats ding, are you listening?
Fireflies wing, they are glistening.
To Africa cheer, we’re living out here,
Walking in a dusty wonderland.

Later on, we’ll perspire
As we watch the fields afire;
With smoke in the air,
And soot in our hair,
Living in our dusty wonderland.

In the morning we can wake to fruitbats,
Later we can sit awhile and sweat,
As we watch the dust blow through the windows,
It may be the driest season yet.

Take a pill, for malaria,
Daraprim will prepare ya.
We work in the sun,
We have all the fun,
Living in our dusty wonderland!
- Barb Baldwin & Pat Bishop, 1984

Inyams Roasting on an Open Fire
Tune: Chestnuts Roasting on an Open Fire

Inyams roasting on an open fire,
Ashes zipping up your nose,
Yuletide carols sung by African choirs,
And little folks wearing no clothes…
Everybody knows some foutou and some blofotos
Will help to make the season bright,
Tiny tots, with their eyes all aglow,
Will find it hard to sleep tonight.

They know that Santa’s on the loose,
He’s loaded lots of toys and Djamos
On his pousse-pousse,
And every mother’s child is going to spy
To see poor Santa go puffing by…
And so I’m offering this simple phrase
To kids from 1 to 92 -
Although it’s been said many times, many ways,
JOYEUX NOEL to you!
- Evan Evans, 1987

Living Through the Dusty Harmattan
Tune: Winter Wonderland

Crickets sing — aggravating,
In the grass — Janet’s waiting,
To squish and to crush — and make cricket mush
Living through the dusty harmattan.

Gone away are the night birds,
Here to stay are the white birds,
They sing a love song as we go along,
Living through the dusy harmattan.

In the morning we can hear a tin can -
Kalifa is coming into work.
We’ll ask, “Have you fixed it?”
He’ll say, “No, man!”
We’d like to call the guy a real…Jolly Old Fellow

Later on we’ll conspire as we hear the bush fire
To face with a sigh the hot second tri,
Living through the dusty harmattan.

In the marigo we can build a thatch-man,
We’ll pretend that he’s the farmer here,
He’ll say “Ah OOO nah!!!”
We’ll say, “No, man,
But you can come on back again next year.”

Later on we’ll conspire as we hear the bush fire
To face with a sigh the hot second tri,
Living through the dusty harmattan.
- Evan Evans, 1987

We Have Snow
Tune: Let It Snow

Oh, the weather outside is dusty,
And my skin is dry and crusty,
When they burn down in Brobo,
It will snow, it will snow, it will snow.

Now the sun is hot and frying,
And the grass is brown and dying.
When they burn down in Brobo,
It will snow, it will snow, it will snow.

Yes, the weather is dry, “tres sec!”
It’s the holiday time we surmise.
See the workers do a project -
One does the work, four advise…

Oh, it’s hard to play ice hockey
When it’s Christmas time in Bouake,
But when they burn down in Brobo,
We have snow, we have snow, we have snow.
- Evan Evans, 1989

Deck the Halls With a New Color
Tune: Deck the Halls with Boughs of Holly

Deck the halls with a new color
- astrala la la, la la la la
George is such a happy feller
- fa la la la la, la la la la
Don we now our slob apparel
- fa la la la la, la la la la
This is an ICA carol
- fa la la la la, la la la la

See the blazing fields before us
- fa la la la la, la la la la
Strike the drum, join the African chorus
- fa la la la la, la la la la
It’s the time we say Bonne Fete
- fa la la la la, la la la la
As we eat and drink and sweate
- fa la la la la, la la la la

Boy, my plate was truly loaded
- fa la la la la, la la la la
Now my stomach’s fully bloated
- fa la la la la, la la la la
How we love to come together
- fa la la la la, la la la la
To celebrate in this dry weather
- fa la la la la, la la la la
Come and join the celebration
- fa la la la la, la la la la
Spread the news to every nation
- fa la la la la, la la la la
Christ has come, to Him give glory
- fa la la la la, la la la la
This is the true Christmas story
- fa la la la la, la la la la
- Evan Evans, 1991

Dusty the Coalman
Tune: Frosty the Snowman

Dusty the coalman was a wholly, smoky soul;
With an inyam pipe and a foutou nose
And two eyes made out of to(e).
Dusty the coalman is a fairy tale they say,
He was made of coal, but the children know
How he turned to ash one day.

There must have been some petrole
In that old tin can they found,
For when it lit upon his head
He began to dance around!

Dusty the coalman was on fire as he could be,
And the children say he could wail and bray
Just the same as Uncle E.

Dusty the coalman felt the harmattan that day,
So he said, “Let’s stop an’ drink another pop,
Now before I blow away.”

On to the campus with a dust pan in his hand,
Blowing through each screen leaving nothing clean,
Saying, “Breathe me if you can.”

He lead them through the paths of school
Right to the Ragsdale home,
And he only paused a moment when
He heard Russ yell, “Slow down!”
Dusty the coalman had to scurry like a flood:
But he waved good-by, saying, “Don’t you cry,
Or you know my name is Mud.”

Thumpity thump thump,
Dumpity dump dump,
Look at Dusty blow.
Thumpity thump thump,
Stumpity stump stump,
Over the fields aglow.
- Brad Trosen, 1991

Jingle Bells

Chorus
Jingle bells, jingle bells,
Cows are in the park.
Feitu and his two brown friends
Announce this with a bark. (howl)
Jingle bells, jingle bells,
Cows are in the park.
Oh what fun it is to have
Tea parties in the dark.

Off to the marche
That’s our Bouake mall
Some one yells “Come here,
I spreak Engrish, small small.”
He whispers in your ear,
“Bon Prix” you hear him say.
Then he insists you have to buy -
“My fliend I’m broke today.”

You pull into the Score
And almost hit a fou.
Kids yell out, “Je garde!”
And call you TOUBABU.
You bargain for a gift
While through the dust you cough,
You get your price then show your friend
And find you’ve been ripped off.

Sitting at the douane,
Smiling sheepishly,
Your package has arrived
But what will be the fee?
He finds the thing he wants…
A video cassette.
He charges you 12,000 francs,
Then wishes you “BONNE FETE!”

You hear a whistle blow
While coming back from town.
You pull off to the side
And roll your window down.
A cop holds out his hand,
You smile and say “Bonjour”,.
Your heart drops when you realize
You have no Carte Sejour.
- Evan Evans, 1992

Brown Christmas
Tune: White Christmas

The snow is falling, the malls are filled
With folks in a frantic race
I really feel out of place
With this kind of hectic pace
“It’s now Christmas,” I hear them say
But it’s not Christmas at ICA

I’m dreaming of a brown Christmas
Just like the ones at ICA
Where the guineas wail and folks e-mail
To touch loved ones far away
I’m dreaming of a brown Christmas
With ashes falling on the ground
May your days be hot all year round
And may all your Christmases be brown
- Evan Evans, 1995

It’s Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas (Here at ICA)

It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas,
Here at ICA.
There’s a mist in the valley at dawn,
Cowbirds all over the lawn,
And did you catch that whiff of smoke today?

It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas,
Black “snow” in the sky,
But the prettiest sight to see
Is the bright flamboyant tree
Catching every eye.

I know white snow would be nice,
Mixed a little with ice
On the hottest day of the year.
And you might say that a mistletoe spray
Doesn’t fit on your bug chandelier.
And WAWA! Santa’s sleigh
Is stuck at customs in Tangier!

It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas.
Soon the drought will start
Turning all the green grass to brown.
But, don’t let it get you down -
It’s still Christmas in your heart!
- Janet Gardner, 1992