SITI FIGHTS BACK!
As is normal in Tanzania, any successful person is challenged by rivals. They are usually jealous people, trying to ruin you or stop your path to success. That's right, instead of trying to achieve success, they try to pull you down!
Siti wasn't spared such problems. She faced much opposition. Jealous rivals tried their best to demoralize her in hopes that she would never sing again.
According to legend, her opponents weren't about to keep quiet and let her continue being sucessful in Taarab. When they heard about how renowned that she had become they started to scheme and plot how to bring Siti down. They wanted to disgrace her so that she would be ashamed to show herself in public again!
The opponents came up with this song:
Siti Binti Sadi
ulikuwa mtu lini
ulitoka shamba
na kaniki chini
kama si sauti
ungekula nini?
(Translation)
Siti Binti Sadi
when were you a person
you came from the bush
in rags
if it wasn't for your voice
what would you eat?
Some of Siti's fans heard the song and told her about it. When Siti heard the news, it's said that she was demoralized and couldn't eat or sleep. She was distressed as to why people wanted to hurt her. Her band members gave her pep talks and urged her not to feel bad. She was soon out of her slump. She began practising a response. People who saw the rehearsals said that her voice was so powerful and strong. It was as if the song meant to hurt her actully helped her to sing better.
The evil opposition was soon to be shocked by Siti's response:
Sihoja uzuri
na sura jamali
kuwa mtukufu
na jadi kebeli
hasara ya mtu
kukosa akili
(Translation)
It means nothing
to be beautiful
A beautiful person with no brains
is at loss.
In taarab, when people are enthralled with the lyrics they award the singer money. It's said that when Siti gave her response, so many fans jumped on stage to give her money that a commotion occured. The fans had to be stopped for a while and made to calm down. Siti was indeed BACK!
