Background to the song
Tina Singu is a children’s song from southern Africa, probably originating in Lesotho.
The words mean “We are a burning fire”. Some references explain this in terms of being strong. Other references explain that the song is sung during playground games to intimidate opponents.
There are lots of recordings of different versions of the song. The American singer and social activist, Pete Seeger, recorded it and there is also a version by the group The Tokens – on the B side of their single “The Lion Sleeps Tonight”.
How we will perform the song
Our version is unaccompanied.
There are four voices. Choirs will be told which voice they will sing at the festival, but you may like to learn more than one part.
There are three sections A, B and C. Section C is uses the material from sections A and B.
None of the parts are particularly tricky, but spending time listening out for and finding starting notes is probably a good idea.
In the B section, voice 2 has a big jump, but if you teach it as a tune it’s not hard.
In section C, alternating between “Tina singu” in unison and the separate harmony lines is probably the biggest challenge.
The song would benefit from the addition of movement / actions…. more to follow!