The South African Gwijo "Thina Siyazalana" ("Mtaka Mama") With Lyrics & English Translations

Edited by Azizi Powell

Latest Update - June 30, 2025

This pancocojams post showcases several YouTube videos of the South African song  "Thina Siyazalana" ("Mtaka Mama").

YouTube features a video of South African soldiers singing this song in a camp. Several other YouTube videos showcase the South African gwijo* "Thina Siyazalana" being by South African students.

*From https://www.soccerladuma.co.za/fan-park/update/ten-words-from-mzansi-s-football-dictionary/304884 "Ten Words From Mzansi's Football Dictionary", by Captain Alzheimers, Jun 2, 2016

"Igwijo” or “Amagwijo”

The words simply means ‘song.’ Those are the songs sung in stadiums by fans and by players in dressing rooms just before games.. "
-snip-
"Amagwijo" is the plural form of the isiXhosa word "igwijo" ("gwijo").

Comments about the lyrics for this song are included in this post.

The content of this post is presented for cultural, entertainment, and aesthetic purposes.

All copyrights remain with their owners.

Thanks to all those who are featured in these videos, and thanks to all those who are quoted in this post. Thanks also to all the publishers of these videos on YouTube.
-snip-
Click https://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2019/10/information-about-videos-about-south.html "Information About & Videos About South Africans' Gwijo Songs (Songs Sung During Rugby Games & Cricket Games)" for Part I of a pancocojams series on gwijo songs. Part II of that series features the video that is given as Example #1 and another copy of the same video that is given as Example #2 in this post.

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SHOWCASE VIDEOS

Example #1: South African Soldiers Singing in Camp



laughter.mr, Jun 1, 2018

South African Soldiers Singing in Camp
-snip-
Here's a few comments from this video's discussion thread:
1. DECEMBER IV, 2018
"Ndikhumbula abazali,ndikhumbula abazali bam
Umama ulele
Khanibize noba ngu mama
Thina siyazalana nobu ngandzonda nzok niku thando
Ngiba ngak cabanga
-snip-
Here's the Google translate translation from Xhosa to English: (additions and corrections are very welcome)
"I miss parents, I miss my parents
The mother is asleep
Call her mom
We are related to this and hate to love
I think"

**
2. Bevan Nel, 2019
"What are the words to this chant? Absolutely brilliant!"

**
REPLY
5. Mivuyo Marawuu, 2019
"(Loose Translation)
Guy Leading The Song:
Ndikhumbula Abazali
'I Miss My Parents'
Hayi Bambulele
'They Killed Him.'
Kanibize Noba Ngumama
'Please Atleast Call My Mother.'
Ndisemzini weGxagxa
' I'm In Prison'

Siyazalana
'We Are Related.'
Noba ungandizonda Ndizokunika uThando
' Even If You Hate Me ,I Will Show/Give You Love.'

Mama Kanomzizi
'Nomzizi's Mother.'😅
NdingenaMama NdingenaTata
'I Didn't Have A Mother Nor A Father.'
Siyazalana Mama
' We Are Related.'
Mntakamama
'My Sibling.'

The Guys Following:
Zumpee, Mntakamama , Zumpee Hay, Zumpe Hayi, Mntakamama.

Doesn't Make Fluid Sense Without Understand The Background Of The Story."

****
Example #2: Queens college -Mtaka Mama 🔥🔥



Amagwijo Collection, Feb 13, 2019

Amagwijo Collection is a channel that is dedicated to embracing "amagwijo" songs
-snip-
Here's some comments from this video's discussion thread (with numbers added for referencing purposes only)
1. macdonald sebotlhelo, 2019
"I love this song can someone help with the lyrics all i can pick up is siyazalana that's it"

**
REPLY
2. Mahle Mpungose, 2019
"Thina siyazalana mama
Zumpeee mtaka mama
Zumpeya ofikizolo mtaka mama
Helelelele
Zumpeee
Mtaka mama
Zumpeya
Ofikizolo mtaka mama"

****
Example #3: Mntaka Mama (Thina Siyazalana)



Tumi Tucha, May 4, 2019

Group of school boys singing this awesome gwijo.
-snip-
I'm not sure which South African school this is. One commenter wrote "St stithians college" and another commenter wrote "St. Albans college in Pretoria". 

Update: Anonymous June 23, 2020 at 7:09 AM wrote in this pancocojams post that this was St. Albans college. Anonymous also wrote that in South Africa "college  is a high school for 13-18 year olds."Thanks Anonymous! 

In the United States that age range would generally conform to the age range for students in the last year of middle school to the last year of high school (from 8th grade through 12th grade), or the age range for all four years of high school (9th grade through 12th grade). After graduating high school in the USA, some students would then go to college/university. (In the USA, a college is a post-graduate educational institution that is smaller than a university.) 

Here's some comments from this video's discussion thread (with numbers added for referencing purposes only)
1. Devon Kirby, 2019
"Someone please post the words to this, I'm English and want to learn. It's my favorite gwijo song"

**
REPLY
2. ZAMANI MTHEMBUm 2019
"Thina siyazalana mama
zupeeeeee
mntakamama
zupeee yaaah
ufik izolo umntakamama"

****
Example #4: St Stithians Boys College Gwijo - Thina Siyazalana🔥



DJ Wax SA , Premiered Jun 23, 2021 -snip-
November 18, 2022- This video replaces a video of the same South African college singing this song. This video has no comments (as of June 30, 2025)

-snip-
Here are some comments from the discussion thread of the YouTube video that was originally embedded in this pancocojams post but is no longer available.

St Stithians Boys College - "Thina Siyazalana" ("Mtaka Mama") 
published by Mr Robot, June 2, 2019. 

Numbers are added for referencing purposes only

1. Gera Nini, 2019
"Sigcwele ngabelungu kaloku esaskolo , so this version of the gwijo doesn't have the vibe and beauty as  it would've had if it was mostly abantu abamnyama pha ."
-snip-
Google translate from Zulu to English:
"Sigcwele ngabelungu kaloku esaskoloI= "full of white people at school"
"abantu abamnyama pha" ="black people here"

**
2. Simnikiwe Belu, 2019

"Queens kill it!!!! this version is overrated!!!! just wish Queens can clapback!!!"
-snip-
Queens is another South African college. View Video #2 above.

**
3. macdonald sebotlhelo, 2019
"Please help with the lyrics all i can pick up is siyazalana"

**
REPLY
4. Thapelo Tlhale, 2019
"Thina siyazalana Ma

 Zooooompeeeeee, mnta ka mama

Zooooompeeeeeeha, ufikezolo, mnta ka mama"

**
REPLY
5. Gryder Zl, 2020
"Thina siyazalana ma : we are siblings

Zumeka mtana kama: fall asleep child of my mom

Ufike izolo umtana ka ma: he/she arrived yesterday, the child of my mom.

There is no perfect translation, that's the best way grammatically i can translate it to u without losing the melody.

It probably won't make sense in English due to culture."

It's more of a simple brethren song of viewing others as brothers or family.

**
6. lwazi juta, 2019
"They forgot what I gwijo is... Busy here is composing and ish.. QUEENS COLLEGE... any day... You don't practice igwijo... Ii lapha kuwe"

-snip-
Google translate from Zulu to English
"Ii lapha kuwe" ="It's here for you"

**
7. Pakamani Ndwandwa, 2020
"What in the mamamia is this... This is utter disrespect to igwijo... This is flippen choral music not igwijo. An absolute wast of data, watching these boys reduce the spirit of igwijo."

**
8. Nkosi Zulu, 2020
"Gwijo shouldn't be rehearsed and preformed.  Even the clapping was rehearsed 😴boring"

**
9.  Zikhona Nkabi, 2020
"Also for such songs, imigwijo there are no lyrics. The beauty of these songs they were sang from the heart & free hand. It’s never planned. It’s really just a repetition of one line."

****

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Visitor comments are welcome.

South African Students From Queens College Sing A Gwijo (With A Video Of South African Soldiers Singing The Same Song)

Edited by Azizi Powell

Update: September 4, 2020

This is Part II of a two part pancocojams series on South Africans singing during rugby games. These songs are called "gwijo" ("igwijo” or “amagwijo”).

Part II showcases a video of students from Queens college singing a gwijo during a rugby game. Selected comments from that video's discussion thread are also included in this post.

The Addendum to this post showcases a YouTube video of South African soldiers singing the same song as well as a few comments from that video's discussion thread. The Xhosa lyrics for this song (with English translations) are among those comments.

UPDATE: October 30, 2019: Click https://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2019/10/the-south-african-song-mtaka-mama-thina.html The South African Song "Mtaka Mama" ("Thina Siyazalana") With Lyrics & English Translations for four examples of this song, including the two examples that are showcased in this post.

Click https://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2019/10/information-about-videos-about-south.html for Part I of this pancocojams series. That post presents information about South Africans singing during those games. Information about rugby is also included in this post as that sport is unfamiliar to me and to many other people in the United States.

Three videos of the Gwijo Squad are also included in this post.

The content of this post is presented for cultural, entertainment, and aesthetic purposes.

All copyrights remain with their owners.
Thanks to South Africa's Queens college students, and thanks to all those who sing gwijo and thanks to all those who are quoted in this post. Thanks also to the publishers of these videos on YouTube.

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DEFINITION OF THE ISIXHOSA WORD "GWIJO (IGWIJO OR AMAGWIJO)":
From https://www.soccerladuma.co.za/fan-park/update/ten-words-from-mzansi-s-football-dictionary/304884#targetText=%E2%80%9DIgwijo%E2%80%9D%20or%20%E2%80%9CAmagwijo%E2%80%9D,dressing%20rooms%20just%20before%20games. Ten Words From Mzansi’s Football Dictionary, By Captain Alzheimers June 2, 2015
..."”Igwijo” or “Amagwijo”

The words simply means ‘song.’ Those are the songs sung in stadiums by fans and by players in dressing rooms just before games."...
-snip-
South African public school students also sing gwijos.

****
PANCOCOJAMS EDITOR'S NOTE
I don't know when the South African custom started to sing gwijo songs at rugby games (and cricket games and other sports games in South Africa. The 2018 and 2019 dates for the articles and videos that are featured in Part I of this pancocojams post suggests that this is a relatively new tradition. However, read this comment from the discussion thread of this YouTube discussion thread:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ItNp_wtbfXg&t=4sTHE BEST GWIJO SONGS IN 2019....||AMAGWIJO||(jumayima, Maka nontsikelela, utata ka boy,hosana) AMAGWIJO OF SA, Jul 4, 2019

Chwayitile kiva, 2019,
"During after 1994 amagwijo were banned in Private school, the said its savage. today black white purple yellow joining together to sing amagwijo.
-snip-
I think the word "after" here might be a typo for the English words "around" or "about".

My guess is that "black white purple yellow" is a facetious way of referring to "people of all races"/"people of any skin color".

Is it accurate to say that the Gwijo squad lifted this custom from high school* students and that custom began in the early 1990s?
-snip-
*I'm assuming the referent "college" in the Queens college videos and other South African college videos means the same age students as "high school" in the United States (around 13 years old to around 18 years old.

****
SHOWCASE VIDEO: Queens college



Khanyisa Joni, Feb 3, 2019
-snip-
Here are selected comments from this video's discussion thread. All of these comments are from 2019. Numbers are assigned for referencing purposes only.

1. adam wang
"which queens college is this"

**
REPLY
2. Bonke Makhanda
"Eastern Cape Queenstown"

**
REPLY
3. Meki M
"South Africa"

**
4. Khulekile Zungu
"Why they named it Queens mara why not Kings"

**
REPLY
5. Ntobeko Thiba
"the name of the school is queens college"

**
REPLY
6. Tk Botes
"The school is in Queenstown, that's why."

**
REPLY
7. Pumeza
"Queenstown College for Boys.
Hence Queen's College."

**
8. Matimba Innocent Chauke
"Hey guys can anyone help me understand this song....much love all the way from Zimbabwe"

**
REPLY
9. Roland Wright
"We are related as brother, mothers dont worry"

**
10. Lawrence Khanyiso
"Big Up✌🤘👌 Boys 🔥🔥💯"

***
11. siphe bixa
"Reminds me of my days in high school"

**
12. Zaporah Snow
"What language is this and what country? Please and thank you ✊🏾💖"

**
REPLY
13. Bongani Ngxovu
"IsiXhosa❤️🔥.. In South Africa"

****
14. maikaelelo ubane
"la bafana ba na masimba straight"
-snip-
Google translate from Xhosa [and Zulu] to English
these boys are powerful
[also]
These guys are powerful
-snip-
I believe that the English word "straight" acts as a way of indicating that you really mean what was just written. Also, note the use of the word "straight" in comment #15 immediately ,

**
15. Amanda Bentsile
"kwaXhosa igwijo liyekhiwa straight niyaqhaphela ne struggle songs ziphethwe sithi"
-snip-
Google translate from Xhosa [and Zulu] to English:
"In Xhosa the desert is left straight and you notice the struggle songs are managed by us."
-snip-
Update: September 2, 2020
My guess is that this comment means "In Xhosa (land), we have left the dry times ("hard times", i.e. "the desert") straight [meaning something like "I really mean this"] and you notice that we have taken charge of these struggle songs (that we use as gwijos).

Here's one of multiple traditional and vernacular definitions for "straight" in the United States that was submitted by The Real Julia December 26, 2006 from https://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=Straight
"[one of several vernacular meanings] "Slang: term used to determine level of understanding, agreement, or otherwise mutual understanding and agreement".

**
16. hippiestoage wolf
"Xhosa ❤️❤️❤️boys"

**
17. Samuel Nobhula
"Gqabhuuuukkaaaaaa!!!....Ndiyaphila Ligwijo Ntozoobawo........ Big Up Queen's Boys."
snip-
Google translate from Xhosa [and Zulu] to English
"Gqabhuuuukkaaaaaa !!! .... I'm Alive To The Poor .."
-snip-
My guess is that that translation is incorrect.

Here's some information about rugby player Lizo Gqoboka:
From https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lizo_Gqoboka
"Lizo Pumzile Gqoboka (born 24 March 1990) is a South African rugby union player for the South Africa national team, the Bulls in Super Rugby and the Blue Bulls in the Currie Cup.[1] His regular position is prop.”...

**
18. Nkateko Merlyne
"😂😂😂😂😂😂😂queens college !!!!!but I see boys only😂😂😂"

**
REPLY
19. Avukile Gxalo
"Akere it's a Boy's school"

**
20. Vicky Kgoete
"Nice remix...I like the soldier one better though it has more soul"

**
REPLY
21. Rutendo Msika
"Vicky Kgoete where can I find that one"

**
REPLY
22. Swiss !!!
"@Rutendo Msika just type in SA soldiers singing
-snip-
I've embedded that video in the Addendum to this post along with a few comments from that video's discussion thread.

**
23. Tshego Chifokoyo
"Beautiful. Awesome spirit. This is what schools should be about 👏👏❤️"

**
24. Mongezi Mdunyelwa
"The boy who stands first❤👌"

**
REPLY
25. Viollar Mkhetho
"Yhooo he feels this uBoy"

**
REPLY
26. Nondumiso Williams
"He feels the song"

**
27. Noluthando Sizwile Dlamini
"This makes me miss high school 😣😣😣😭"

**
REPLY
28. Thina Melane
"me too😢😢😢😢😢😢"

**
28. jabber java
"I like the positive change in boys school. Just like English before them they sing militant Xhosa songs.

Our country will be defended by this unity...."

**
29. Moyahabo Lebea
"I just love how the white kids are pretending tp understand and feel what the others are feeling😂😂😂😂😂😂😂"

**
REPLY
30. Crystal Kid
"It doesn't matter of the colour of your skin it's the power that the song brings to us see I play for the u15 rugby and everytime we sing this national first team anthem we sing it with pride and joy see every game we sing that song we get power once we play we play like legends."

**
REPLY
31. Chad Roberts
"They will never understand, but do not laugh at them for accepting. The only way we will progress is to try."

**
REPLY
32. Johanne Immis
"Everyone becomes 1 through the music....1 heartbeat....Move as 1 United never divided"

**
33. Thandiwe Thandiwe
"When the leader stands up yah nehh🙌🙌"

**
REPLY
34. Babazi
"1:10 Gqhaaabhuuukaaa!"

**
REPLY
35. Nonkululeko Cherle
"The guy who says Gqhabukaaa has me feeling something every time he says that👐 I love this video"

**
36. Chuma-Nande Memani
"My day is not complete if i don't watch this Art. 🎨 I caaaannnnnn't😫🔥🔥 😍❤️👑"

**
37. Yandiswa Nongwe
"Amaxhosa at their best🔥🔥. I love this. Unity ❤"
-snip-
Here are a few additional comments from another video of Queens college students singing this same song:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CFMvX-SqxJw
Queens College Gwijo🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥
Usiphile Madlokazi, Feb 5, 2019


1. Sakhikhaya Mkhabela
"This gwijo is life bruh"

**
2. Yamkela Gola
"Nothing makes a Xhosa person emotional like that humming part when singing amagwijo 😭❤️ "

**
3. Adrie J
"❤️ what is the English translation"

**
REPLY
4. Usiphile Madlokazi
"Khumbula abazali- i miss my parents
Thina siya zalana mama - we are family
Mntaka Mama -My Mothers Child.......🙏🔥"

****
ADDENDUM - South African Soldiers Singing in Camp



laughter.mr, Jun 1, 2018

South African Soldiers Singing in Camp
-snip-
Here's a few comments from this video's discussion thread:
1. DECEMBER IV, 2018
"Ndikhumbula abazali,ndikhumbula abazali bam
Umama ulele
Khanibize noba ngu mama
Thina siyazalana nobu ngandzonda nzok niku thando
Ngiba ngak cabanga
-snip-
Here's the Google translate translation from Xhosa to English: (additions and corrections are very welcome)
"I miss parents, I miss my parents
The mother is asleep
Call her mom
We are related to this and hate to love
I think"

**
2. lindiwe Tom mthethwa, 2019
"What's the name of this song?"

**
REPLY
3. Nondumiso Mhlongo, 2019
"I think its 'bambulele' and not 'Umama ulele' . Thanks for the lyrics"
-snip-
#5 below has different lyrics for this song.

**
4. Bevan Nel, 2019
"What are the words to this chant? Absolutely brilliant!"

**
REPLY
5. Mivuyo Marawuu, 2019
"(Loose Translation)
Guy Leading The Song:
Ndikhumbula Abazali
'I Miss My Parents'
Hayi Bambulele
'They Killed Him.'
Kanibize Noba Ngumama
'Please Atleast Call My Mother.'
Ndisemzini weGxagxa
' I'm In Prison'

Siyazalana
'We Are Related.'
Noba ungandizonda Ndizokunika uThando
' Even If You Hate Me ,I Will Show/Give You Love.'

Mama Kanomzizi
'Nomzizi's Mother.'😅
NdingenaMama NdingenaTata
'I Didn't Have A Mother Nor A Father.'
Siyazalana Mama
' We Are Related.'
Mntakamama
'My Sibling.'

The Guys Following:
Zumpee, Mntakamama , Zumpee Hay, Zumpe Hayi, Mntakamama.

Doesn't Make Fluid Sense Without Understand The Background Of The Story."

**
6. Ons Huis, 2019
"Well as a mlungu in the sandf i can say i really mis these songs during my training days.
I could not pronounce the words but muffled and hymn'd as best as i could , the songs were a very good "pick up" and motivator during the "op fok" sessions and "vasbyt" times .
Must say that my military training brought me much closer to my fellow south africans and gave me a much better understanding of my fellow man , from the african cultures right through to the muslim cld guys and the atheist whities, i got a greater understanding of who they were (human just like me) and their ways and views of life. There were many clashes, and many fights and that is what gave us a better understanding of one another. I pitty all south africans who have not done military training for it is through the hardships and suffering that we truly discover who we are and get to know and understand our fellow man.
-snip-
"Mlungu" means a White person. 

**
7. Zulukazi Hendricks
"Just love and respect you guys and can't get enough of this video. May God protect all of you. Missing home? It shows. 💕

**
8. Vicky Kgoete
"There is something about black African men when they sing...those deep voices with so much soul and feel in it. I've seen High school boys sing this song but nothing compares to this version. The emotion Wow hits me right in the feels"

****
This concludes Part II of this two part pancocojams series.

Thanks for visiting pancocojams.

Visitor comments are welcome.

Information About & Videos About South Africans' Gwijo

Edited by Azizi Powell

Latest Update: June 28, 2025

This is Part I of a two part pancocojams series on South African sports team singing amagwijos (the plural form of the singular word "gwijo") during rugby games, cricket games, football (soccer) games, and during school sports events.

Three videos of the Gwijo Squad are also included in this post.

The Addendum to this post presents information about the sport of rugby and information about South Africans singing during those games. Information about rugby is also included in this post as that sport is unfamiliar to me and to many other people in the United States.

Click https://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2019/10/south-african-students-from-queens.html for Part II of this pancocojams series. Part II showcases a video of students from Queens college singing a gwijo during a rugby game. Selected comments from that video's discussion thread are also included in this post. The Addendum to that post showcases a YouTube video of South African soldiers singing the same song (with a few comments from that discussion thread, including the lyrics to that song).

The Addendum also presents information about rugby, a sport that isn't well known in the United States.

****
The content of this post is presented for cultural, entertainment, and aesthetic purposes.

All copyrights remain with their owners.

Thanks to the founder/s and members of the Gwijo squad and thanks to those who are quoted in this post. Thanks also to the publishers of these videos on YouTube.
-snip-
Click https://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2019/10/the-south-african-song-mtaka-mama-thina.html The South African Song "Mtaka Mama" ("Thina Siyazalana") With Lyrics & English Translations for four examples of this song, including the two examples that are showcased in that post.

****
INFORMATION ABOUT SOUTH AFRICANS SINGING AMAGWIJO 
Excerpt #1:
From https://www.soccerladuma.co.za/fan-park/update/ten-words-from-mzansi-s-football-dictionary/304884 Ten Words From Mzansi's Football Dictionary, By Captain Alzheimers June 2, 2015
..."”Igwijo” or “Amagwijo”

The words simply means ‘song.’ These songs are sung in stadiums by fans and by players in dressing rooms just before games."...
-snip-
"Football" in that title means what people in the United States refer to as "soccer".

"Igwijo" (gwijo) is the Xhosa singular term for "song" and "amagwijo" is the Xhosa plural term for "songs". 

****

Excerpt #2
From https://www.newframe.com/gwijo-squad-the-new-sound-of-south-african-sport/ Gwijo Squad, the new sound of South African sport 20 ; By: Sibusiso Mjikeliso , Photographer: Ihsaan Haffejee,  Jun 2019

This article was first published by New Frame. [under Creative Commons Attribution]

"It is said that freedom wasn’t free. And that, when democracy was negotiated, the last vestiges ceded into the hands of white minority control were the land and rugby.

Rugby was at the heart of the former rulers’ chests – almost literally so, when you consider the constant wrangling over the existence of the Springbok badge and its position on the World Cup jersey. The sport gave meaning to so many, within the segregated confines and among those marginalised.

However, time has brought a new generation and a breath of fresh air into the sport. They call themselves the Gwijo Squad and as far as disruptions go, they are the noisy new neighbours chanting in the west stand.

You might have seen them on some obtrusive viral video, perhaps sent unsolicited to your neighbourhood watch WhatsApp group. They sing songs of jubilation, elation and devastation. To the uninitiated ear, they sound like “struggle songs” but they are, in fact, the chants that reverberate through Xhosa initiation ceremonies, weddings and, of course, rugby matches in the Eastern and Western Cape provinces.

You might have even asked yourself, “Who are these people, really?” Perhaps you might question what they want at old rugby coliseums such as Loftus Versfeld, Ellis Park and Newlands.

More than a concert of predominantly black African, Xhosa-speaking rugby fanatics, the Gwijo Squad is made up of individuals determined to create a movement that could end in the true unification of a sport that was used as a powerful tool to suppress black people.

[...]

[photo caption] "1 June 2019: The Gwijo Squad started as a group of rugby fans from the Eastern Cape who took the spirit of igwijo with them to Gauteng, initially to support first black Springbok captain Siya Kolisi in his inaugural assignment against England at Ellis Park in June 2018."

[...]

Igwijo and the trouble it caused
In many ways, [Xhanti] Madolo has always been the guy at the forefront of a wave of change. In high school, he was the rugby cheerleader and courted trouble at post-1994 Dale College in King William’s Town in the Eastern Cape for his penchant for igwijo.

“We sang the school songs with pride and vigour, but we mixed things up with igwijo the year I took over as cheerleader [in 2000],” he recalls.

“We needed to take the cheering to another level, because our team was on another level and the culture was changing. We started bringing in the more popular traditional songs: “Ntombi emnhlotshazana … Yinton’ le uyenzayo, ayilunganga (Fair-skinned girl, what you’re doing is not right)”. And we readapted struggle songs, replacing names like Oliver Tambo and Nelson Mandela with the first team captain.

“The boys took to it, but the teachers on the other hand had other opinions. They banned igwijo. I don’t know how many times I have been called into the headmaster’s [James Haupt] office because of igwijo.

“Then Grey High School [from Port Elizabeth] threatened not to play against Dale if amagwijo would be sung at rugby matches. They said they were ‘savage songs’ or something like that. But it was too big a thing, too big to contain. They couldn’t fight it and it grew into something that is now the norm in the passages at the school.”...
-snip-
The Gwijo squad also sings during cricket matches. View the video given as #2 below.

Update: October 28, 2018
There are also YouTube videos of South African soccer team members singing in the locker room before games: Here's one link to a compilation of some of those videos: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wiCr5X0awS8 South African Soccer Songs Compilation
laughter.mr, May 27, 2018

****
Excerpt #3:
From https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/workplace-inclusivity-unsung-gwijo-thabo-moloi "Workplace Inclusivity"​ - The Unsung Gwijo
Published on August 20, 2019, Thabo Moloi
“Zizo jik’ izinto, Thula mntan’am! Wen’ukhalelani, thula mnatan’am!” [loose translation: things will turn around, you can stop crying now my child] I sing this at the top of my voice in celebration of Sbusiso Nkosi’s second try against Argentina at Loftus this past Saturday. A part of me can’t help but be emotional at the political significance of such a powerful song in the context of a challenging South African landscape marred with a complicated history. I’m on my second Strepsils lozenge desperately trying to keep up with the Gwijo Squad who have been shaking the stands non-stop with iconic gwijos. A gwijo is an African chant used to commemorate important cultural events. It is how black people have traditionally come together to celebrate, to mourn, to show solidarity and remind each other of the defiant spirit inherent in all of us. Rugby is still a predominantly white sport and the stadium is packed with over 90% white fans but the Gwijo Squad helps me forget that I’m a minority in these spaces. The Gwijo Squad not only helps me find my voice but allows me to be a part of an important moment in South African sports and sing at the top of my voice that I belong here.

I would’ve done anything to have a Gwijo Squad help me navigate some of the lonely corridors of corporate South Africa. I could never shake off the sinking feeling that I was an outsider. I was always peeping through thick bullet-proof glass ceilings wearing imposter syndrome like a freshly dry-cleaned well-fitted blazer wondering if I will ever get called to come inside. The crazy part is that I loved my job and was really good at it. The disconnect was that I felt I had to be someone else to get the social currency needed to navigate the water coolers and canteen food lines.

[...]

I left my job to build a training and development business that will be an empowerment gwijo to help the disenfranchised people in my community navigate some of the socio-economic challenges our nation is plagued with. It is proving to be way harder than anything I have ever experienced because for the first time I need to be myself fully and trust that this will be enough. I realise it takes great courage to bravely show who you really are in the intimidating stadium of life with very few people rooting for you. But this is something I need to do to give myself and the people around me more assurance that we belong here. Whatever space we endeavour to be in, endeavour to find meaning, happiness and wealth in, we belong here. Just as we are, we belong here."...

****
SHOWCASE VIDEOS
Video #1: Gwijo Squad changing the face of South Africa Rugby



TRT World, Oct 3, 2018

The Springboks versus the All Blacks is one of sport’s great rivalries. The South Africans beat the ABs in New Zealand in September, and when Siya Kolisi's team attempt to repeat that success in Pretoria this weekend, they'll be supported by traditional AmaGwijo songs. As Lungani Zama reports, it's a sign the Springboks are beginning to finally represent all South Africans.

[...]
-snip-
Here's a comment from this video's discussion thread:
Bernie Baatjies, 2018
"I can just imagine how super intimidating that would be for teams that come play in SA if we all eventually sing Gwijo in the stands....WOW... Goosebumps"

****
Video #2: Gwijo Squad | Cricket at the Bullring SA vs Sri Lanka T20 (short version)



Gwijo Squad, Mar 28, 2019

On Sunday 24 March, the Gwijo Squad went to cheer the Proteas at the Bullring. It was a T20 match against Sri Lanka.

The Squad had over 110 members in attendance.
In true Joburg weather fashion, the skies opened up and a typical afternoon Joburg thunderstorm proceeded to postpone the match for just over an hour.
That did not stop the Squad from singing and keeping the energy going.

What a superb way to end the cricket season before the lads gear up for the Cricket World Cup.

****
Video #3: Understanding the Gwijo Squad movement



SABC Digital News, Sep 6, 2019

The 12th man, player 23, they go by many names: supporters play a crucial role in filling up the dead air in a stadium on game day.
Of late the Springboks have had their own dedicated group of supporters, with their own identity, who set up shop in a part of the stadium and never stop singing and dancing. It's an incredibly positive phenomenon, and for more, we are joined by Chulumanco Macingwane, chairman of the Gwijo Squad, and Nondwe Maqubela, the manager.
-snip-
Here's my transcription of a brief portion of this televised discussion (at around 1:46 to around 3:40 of this video). Additions and corrections are welcome.

(Interviewer) : [The summary given above followed by this.]
"So you're here to tell us about amagwijo. It's more than what we see in the stadiums, it's a rich tradition. Amigwijo is a Xhosa tradition. Tell us more about it"

Chulumanco Macingwane (C.M.): "The word igwijo is a Xhosa word, but the practice of gwijo, the singing of these traditional songs that take the form of a leader and respondents is something that is completely ubiquitous in the country. It exists in every single one of our cultures which is why it resonates so much with people of all cultures. Incidentally, I was explaining to some, to some really enthusiastic White supporters today that when you see a gwijo squad or a group of Black people singing gwijo, don't assume that everyone speaks the language that they are singing in. We might be singing in isiXhosa and there might be Venda people and Sotho people and such but it's because this thing exists in all those cultures. So whatever language it is being sung in, they, it resonates with them and they take right with it [I'm not sure of these words]. Why we felt that if a Venda dude can learn a Xhosa gwijo, it should not be that much difficult if at all for an Afrikaan say to learn a Xhosa gwijo. So that's why..."

(interviewer): "It's for everyone."

(C.M.): "We felt that we needed to bring the spirit of gwijo absolutely to every color, creed, language". Yes.

interviewer: "So, it's songs to get you through hardship. Rugby is particularly apt. Those players on the field have a lot of pressure. But it's the captain Gqoboka who has clicked so effortlessly with the Gwijo Squad. Tell us about that relationship."...
-snip-
Nondwe Maqubela begins by saying that the gwijo squad supports the National Rugby team, the National Cricket team, and one other national team (I didn't understand that word, but maybe it was "soccer")...

****
Video #4: ACE FC|THEMBA LASE KASI|COMP PART ONE|AMAGWIJO|SHOTS BY YOLISWA|SOCCER



Yoliswa Mbathu, Jun 8, 2018

Hey Hey Heeeeeey!!!

Dropping another one, this is a compilation of amagwijo by Ace FC which is a soccer team established in Khayelitsha, Cape Town...

This is how the gents always enter the field, their spirits are forever high and ready for the upcoming clash."...

****
ADDENDUM: INFORMATION ABOUT THE GAME OF RUGBY
From https://www.rulesofsport.com/faq/what-s-the-difference-between-american-football-and-rugby.html#targetText=Although%20American%20football%20is%20played,players%20are%20in%20the%20USA.&targetText=Rugby%20is%20popular%20in%20European,Zealand%2C%20South%20Africa%20and%20Argentina. What's the Difference Between American Football and Rugby?

"American football and rugby are in many ways similar sports, both featuring a great amount of physicality, running, and aggression.

This is not unsurprising when you realise that American football and rugby are related with American football developing from rugby in the 19th century. However, there are some fundamental differences between the games.

Geographic Spread
Although American football is played in many different countries across the world, by far the most players are in the USA. Rugby however has a far bigger geographical spread. Rugby is popular in European countries such as England, Scotland, Ireland Wales and France, as well as southern hemisphere countries such as Australia, New Zealand, South Africa and Argentina. It is also one of the fast growing team sports in the USA.

Object of the Game
The object of American football is to score more points than the opposition team by carrying the ball behind the opponents touch line (called a touchdown). Teams can also score points by kicking the ball between the posts which is known as a field goal.

The object of rugby is very similar, but the ball must be carried behind the opponents touch line and then placed down which is called a try. Points can also be scored by kicking the ball between the goalposts (known as a conversion/drop goal/penalty kick) depending upon the circumstances.

Ball
American footballs and rugby balls look similar at first glance but they are different. Rugby balls are about 27cm long and weigh about 1lb whereas American footballs weigh a few ounces less but are slightly longer at 28cm. American footballs also feature more pointy ends and a seam, both of which make it easier to throw.

Number of Players
Rugby teams are much larger than their American football counterparts. Rugby teams have fifteen players on the pitch at any one time whereas American football teams have just eleven."...

****
This concludes Part I of this two part pancocojams series.

Thanks for visiting pancocojams.

Visitor comments are welcome.

Pastor Charles Jenkins - "Awesome" (video & lyrics)

Edited by Azizi Powell

This pancocojams post showcases the Gospel song "Awesome" by Pastor Charles Jenkins & Fellowship Chicago.

The content of this post is presented for religious, cultural, and aesthetic purposes.

All copyrights remain with their owners.

Thanks to Pastor Charles Jenkins & Fellowship Chicago. Thanks also to all those who are quoted in this post.

****
LYRICS:

My God is awesome
He can move mountains
Keep me in the valley
Hide me from the rain

My God is awesome
Heals me when I'm broken
Gives strength where I've been weakened
Forever He will reign

My God is awesome
He can move mountains
Keep me in the valley
Hide me from the rain

My God is awesome
Heals me when I'm broken
Strength where I've been weakened
Forever He will reign

My God is awesome, awesome, awesome, awesome
My God is awesome, awesome, awesome, awesome

My God is awesome
Savior of the whole world
Giver of salvation
By His stripes I am healed

My God is awesome
Today I am forgiven
His grace is why I'm living
Praise His holy name

My God is awesome, awesome, awesome, awesome
My God is awesome, awesome, awesome, awesome

He's mighty
He's mighty
He's mighty
He's mighty
Awesome, awesome

He's holy
He's holy
He's holy
He's holy
Awesome, awesome

He's great
He's great
He's great
He's great
Awesome, awesome

He's mighty
He's mighty
He's mighty
He's mighty
Awesome, awesome

Deliverer
Deliverer
Deliverer
Deliverer
Awesome, awesome

He's holy
He's holy
He's holy
He's holy
Awesome, awesome

Provider
Provider
Provider
Provider
Awesome, awesome

Protector
Protector
Protector
Protector
Awesome, awesome

My God is awesome
He can move mountains
Keep me in the valley
Hide me from the rain

My God is awesome
Heals me when I'm broken
Gives strength where I've been weakened
Praise His holy name
-snip-
https://www.azlyrics.com/lyrics/charlesjenkinsfellowshipchicago/awesome.html

Here's my transcription of the soloist's spoken intro to this Gospel song:
Somebody lift your hands
As we celebrate the greatness of God.
He's great and His greatness should be praised.
There's a verse in Psalms that says this:
My God is awesome.
[Song begins as given above

****
SHOWCASE VIDEO: Pastor Charles Jenkins & Fellowship Chicago - Awesome (Official Video)



CharlesJenkinsVEVO, Jun 8, 2012

Music video by Pastor Charles Jenkins & Fellowship Chicago performing Awesome. (P) (C) 2012 Inspired People Music. All rights reserved.

[...]

Song: Awesome
Artist: Charles Jenkins & Fellowship Chicago
Album: Billboard #1 Gospel Hits
-snip-
Statistics as of October 27, 2019
Total # of views8,737,446
Total likes-45K
Total dislikes- 2.4K
Total # of comments- 2,076

****
Thanks for visiting pancocojams.

Visitor comments are welcome.

Comments About How Brenda Fassie's Song Vulindlela Has Been Widely Known & Loved Throughout Africa For Decades

Edited by Azizi Powell

This is Part II of a two part pancocojams series that showcases the song "Vulindlela" by South African singer Brenda Fassie.

Part II presents selected comments from this video's discussion thread. Most of these comments document how Brenda Fassie's now classic song Vulindlela has been widely known and loved throughout Africa & elsewhere for decades.

Click https://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2019/10/south-african-vocalist-brenda-fassie.html for Part I of this series provides information about Brenda Fassie and also presents a YouTube video of this song as well as Vulindlela's Zulu lyrics and their English translation are also included in this post.

****
The content of this post is presented for cultural, entertainment, and aesthetic purposes.

All copyrights remain with their owners.

Thanks to Brenda Fassie for her musical legacy. Thanks also to all those who are quoted in this post and thanks to the publisher of this video on YouTube.
-snip-
This is an expansion of this 2013 pancocojams post: http://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2013/01/south-african-vocalist-brenda-faisse.html. That post includes 12 comments as of the publication date of this 2019 post.

SHOWCASE SOUND FILE - VULINDLELA-BRENDA FASSIE



SPHERNO, Uploaded on Jul 1, 2011

R.I.P BRENDA FASIE,AFRICA WILL ALWAYS REMEMBER YOU.
-snip-
Statistics as of October 25, 2019
Total # of views - 15,705,060
Total # of likes - 67K
Total # of dislikes - 3.9K
Total # of comments- 6,334
Here are selected comments from this sound file's discussion thread with numbers assigned for referencing purposes only. (Note: I didn't read all of these comments, but I read LOTS of them.)






2016
1. tristan breet
"as a white South African ..i thought she was a power house amazing singer ..dont understand a word she is singing but i loved this song..just nice beat and sexy..RIP"

**
REPLY
2. Richardson Mzaidume
"Tristan, I thought white South Africans were not aware of great black musicians like MaBrr until Highveld Stereo in Joburg interrupted their regular programme and played Weekend Special when news broke out that she had passed away. Jeremy Mansfield and Samantha Cowan sounded very hurt. I changed my perception that day."

**
REPLY
3. Jonathan Phipson
"+Richardson Mzaidume Haha! You would be genuinely surprised at how many white South Africans (myself included) enjoy listening to black South African artists. That's the beauty of music. Anyone can listen to ANYthing. If it sounds good, you will listen to it :)"

****
2017
4. Mohammed Jalloh
"This used to play at every sierra leonean party when I was a kid!"

**
REPLY
5. Leo Johnson
"Liberian parties too"

**
REPLY
6. Mohammed Jalloh
"Lol similiar cultures so probaby"

**
REPLY
7. Nitro Gabanakgotla
"botswana parties too"

**
REPLY
8. Ibrahim Kai Dumbuya
"Another Sierra Leonean here to confirm"

**
REPLY
9. Debbie Caulker
"so true, by then it was the best hit in Sierra Leone. was so much in love with it, I used to win a dancing competition with it."

**
REPLY
10. Musa Jalloh
"Another Sierra Leonean here to confirm ✅💯"

**
REPLY
11. Johnoè
"I remember hearing this At Zimbabwean parties all the time"

**
REPLY
12. Remedyfon Fon
"Cameroon party too"

**
13. Angelic Sarele
"When I graduated from nursery school, 1999 Dec wen my mom was still alive we danced for this song. .when I get married I want it to be played this song though"

**
14. Zulu Janet
"who is still listening to this song since 1998. I remember l won a talent show at school in 1999 when I was in grade 4 hahahahahaha"

**
15. P john
"This was a hit all over Africa. Even tho we understand the words we still sang to it. RIP"

**
REPLY
16. thegigadykid1
"P john dont understand *"

**
17. Alain Lever Williams
"I don't understand anything at all, but I really love this song. Indeed, I love all African rhythms, they makes feel very proud of my African roots. Greetings from Colombia 🇨🇴"

**
REPLY
18. Charles Kyambadde, 2018
"Bless you,I love Colombia.This song is about a proud mom happy that her son is getting married and no one is gonna stop him,and who had said that my son would never get a keeper and im so happy that I'm gonna have grand kids...And Vulindella means clear the way. Hope i helped.🤔"

**
19. xo MiLLiANA
"I am a Marshallese 🇲🇭 & I felt in love with this song when I was only 8 years old."

**
20. emmanuel joel
"This song forms part of our story as African children growing in Nigeria back in the day. I used to think she was Nigeria until my teenhood."

**
REPLY
21. Abulay Barrow
"emmanuel joel same to me I use to think this was a Gambian song. I think this song depicts Africa at large, cuz the whole continent was vibing with it. I LOVE IT"

**
REPLY
22. Ben Ngumi
"haha.. all african i tell you. used to think she was kenyan..."

**
REPLY
23. FRE ALVA STILL GINA
"emmanuel joel lmaoo. I used to thing she was Congolese"

**
REPLY
24. emmanuel joel
"Smiles. But why was it so to us all? I think it was the true Africanism that was at the core of the video and the song. Just like the book, "things fall apart"."

**
REPLY
25. Claude Guechussi
"Nija Gina Ramírez DeOuen nope she was South African"

**
REPLY
26. Joie Love
"😂😂😂 I used to think it was a Liberian song! Lol
We used to be at the party dancing singing along with our made up words. Lol"

**
REPLY
27. Nancy Keisher
"I thought it was a Tanzanian song. still love It, it used to be the entrance song at every wedding party."

**
REPLY
28. Dylane Chedjou, 2018
"I thought dhe was Cameroonians..my Sisters always sang and danced this song"

**
29. Emile Riderman
"The whole east Africa played this song in the 2000s for sure"

**
REPLY
30. Dareminder Blackseed, 2018
"I can testify this on behalf of Kenya..."

**
REPLY
31. Kevin A, 2018
"Also the West, the North, the South, Central, and all corners."

**
32. Mimsxo
"Who remembers this song being played in Nigeria when you were little 😂❤️ I don't even know the words she's saying. God bless Africa🌍❤️"

**
REPLY
33. Michelle Eke
"True!. I remember dancing to this in Primary 2 and i had no idea who or what she was saying. 11 years on I just had to find this song because it brought back such fun memories. Just shows you how far good music can go"

**
REPLY
34. Shara Dailey, 2018
"Mimsxo it wasn't my language but I used to listen this a lot when I was a kid with friends and dances to it, in Africa. I love this song.😍"

**
REPLY
35. Amanda Nkansah, 2018
"In Ghana too 😍"

**
REPLY
36. aklesia berhanu, 2018
"In Ethiopia too! I grew up listening to this ❤️"

**
REPLY
37. Shaggy, 2018
"Zimbabwe too"

**
REPLY
38. Ahmadou Barry, 2018
"Mimsxo in Guinea too"

**
REPLY
39. Ivy Werimba, 2018
"Kenya too"

**
REPLY
40. TCRGaming,2018
"namibia too"

**
REPLY
41. saker manu, 2018
"everywhere my dear even Cameroon, i cant forget it😍"

**
REPLY
42. matenind, 2018
"Mimsxo it jammed everywhere in the Ivory coast and I new all the lyrics even though i didnt understand it"

**
REPLY
43. Amarula, 2018
"Mimsxo lol I remember playing this in Liberia when I was little, didn't even know what she's saying 😂"

**
REPLY
44. K B, 2018
"It was played every Saturday night on music choice show in Ethiopia too sister"

**
REPLY
45. Tim Ray, 2018
"Mimsxo this song was all over Africa back then"

**
REPLY
46. Maleeha Barrie, 2018
"Mimsxo I'm Sierra Leonean and they played this song sooo many at the parties! They still play it now🇸🇱🇸🇱🇸🇱"

**
REPLY
47. This Life, 2018
"Lol. I love this song. At a family gathering, everyone flies to the dance floor for this song"

**
REPLY
48. Sonja Martens, 2018
"Germany too! :-))))"

**
49.Onize Ajayi
"we sang it at primary school grad. I don't think even our teacher knew what she asked us to sing"

**
REPLY
50. Ngoako Sehata
"Hi @Onize Ajayi, from which side of the world? "I don't think even our teacher knew what she asked us to sing" Lol, i don't think so too because i am a south african speaking a different language and i just learned the lyrics of the song recently after knowing the language."

**
REPLY
51. Onize Ajayi
"+Ngoako Sehata Nigeria"

**
REPLY
52. Ngoako Sehata
"Alright my sister, The song is basically about a happy mother, his son is getting married, she asks those who are jealousy to open the way for his son. The mother was not expecting to have daughter-in law because the gossipers were convincing her that his son will never get married. Vula= open, Ndlela=way/path, Vulidlela=open the way/path. Mam'gobhozi =Gossipers, Makoti=daughter-in law, Yekela uMona=stop jealousy. uMona=Jealousy. I tried my best, you will correct your former teacher :) :)"

****
2018
53. Gracia mbihah
"I am from Tanzania and i remember this song from my childhood,Talk about a star👐"

**
54. Gitau Charles
"We can make this song national Anthem of Africa ,,I remember when I was young ,, every day on K.B.C radio station in Kenya 🇰🇪🇰🇪🇰🇪🇰🇪..."

**
REPLY
55. Tony Mike, 2019
"U sure know what to say I born in Ethiopia grew up in Kenya now live live in New York City I sure do remember this song every day on k.b.c love Kenya and their beautiful welcoming people I went to ealsligh airport elementary school big up to everyone that went there"

**
REPLY
56. Leah Kamere
"Kenya has to make the cut too. Loved it then love it now in 2018"

**
57. Latonya Elia
"I’m American but My husband was from Tanzania 🇹🇿 and when they played this at the African parties this would get me off my seat!!!!! R.I.P. Brenda"

**
REPLY
58. Moi S
"If you go to a African party and no Brenda it ain't no party."

**
REPLY
59. JAG
"@Moi S Ohh so it is an African thing, I'm Zimbabwean and as a child every family event, party, wedding etc they'll be Brenda without fail😂"

**
60. bodli bodli
"Steel watching end 2018 from cameroon 🇨🇲 i was Steel a baby when this song came out. But i remember my Mother used to put this song for me when i cry may my mom's soul rip Brenda's soul too.🇨🇲🇿🇦"

****
2019
61. Oliver Wonder
"I'm from Angola ... this song was released the same year I was born, but during my childhood I listened a lot and the video clip is constantly on the Public Television of Angola (TPA). I missed her today and decided to listen to her again. Rest In Peace Brenda Fassie! Eternally in our memories and in our hearts! Your songs are immortal."

**
62. Vic7@coc
"Is there anyone who can translate the lyrics into english?"

**
REPLY
63. Feivor Emus
"Pave the way miss gossip
My baby boy is getting married
Pave the way please
My boy is getting married
People say my boy doesn't woo women
But this time woman says yes
Join me in the ceremony you are invited.

I'm a Nigerian my little knowledge about the song. (It's a wedding song tho.)"

**
64. Sina Vereivalu
"All time favorite Fiji Islands...."

**
65. seyram kulewosi
"This is top 10 most popular African songs of all time...😊✊🏿💯🔥"

**
66. Madame Madame
"Cameroonian , I love this music. Stop Xenophobia my SouthAfricans brothers please"

**
67. Biruk Tesfaye
"It reminds me my childhood, we grow up listening this song am Ethiopian may God bless our beautiful land
Africa"

**
68. Julie Julia
"Timeless!! Choreography song for every basic school in 🇬🇭 Instrumental @ 00:19 gives me goosebumps EVERY TIMEEEE!!!!❤❤❤"
-snip-
"GH" = Ghana

**
69. Bamlak Tesfaye
"We grew up with this in Ethiopia! ETV would play the video with Madiba dancing to this alllll the time! Absolutely amazing! One Love!"
-snip-
"Madiba" is a referent for Nelson Mandela.
From https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/nelson-mandela/10501587/Nelson-Mandela-Madiba-Tata-whats-in-a-name.html#targetText=Madiba%20was%20the%20name%20of,Africans%20regardless%20of%20their%20age.
"Madiba - the name of the clan of which Mandela is a member. A clan name is much more important than a surname as it refers to the ancestor from which a person is descended. Madiba was the name of a Thembu chief who ruled in the Transkei in the 18th century. It is considered very polite to use someone’s clan name."...

**
70. Lemtip Izzy
"May- 25- 2019.. this has been African anthem 4eva .. period... rip brenda fassie"

**
71. Andrea Audrey Kouamé
"Je suis ivoirienne et j'adore cette musique là 😍😍😍😍"

**
72. mejury shiri
"Back then in Zimbabwe when weddings were not by invitation😂😂😂. The song takes me to those days when rice and chicken used to taste nice. We danced to this song on almost every wedding. 🤣🤣"

**
73. Lirio Pinto
"I speak Portuguese I don't understand one word. but I'm listening to this song since I'm 5 my mother is African so I heard this always I love it I feel like I understand every word with my heart rip brenda Africa forever"

**
74. Lwando Giyose
"Ever since this song came out. It has been played at every wedding I've been to. Nearly two decades, but still a wedding anthem. R.I.P to my homegirl."

**
75. Smithieboy10
"You not African if you don't know this song, I will jol to this song til I'm old and grey... RIP Brenda"

**
76. Crystal Eira
"We still listen to this in the Pacific 🔥 Been listening to it since I was a child as my parents were big fans and I'm sure my kids are gonna listen to it too !"

**
77. Ami Lavore
"Today’s kids won’t understand how this song made parties lit back then"

****
This concludes Part II of this two part pancocojams series.

Thanks visiting pancocojams.

Viewer comments are welcome.

South African vocalist Brenda Fassie - Vulindlela (information, video, & lyrics)

Edited by Azizi Powell

This is Part I of a two part pancocojams series that showcases the song "Vulindlela" by South African singer Brenda Fassie.

Part I of this series provides information about Brenda Fassie and also presents a YouTube video of this song as well as Vulindlela's Zulu lyrics and their English translation are also included in this post.

Click https://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2019/10/comments-about-how-brenda-fassies-song.html for Part II of this pancocojams series. Part II showcases the same video of this song that was presented in Part I and presents selected comments from this video's discussion thread. Most of these comments document how Brenda Fassie's now classic song Vulindlela has been widely known and loved throughout Africa & elsewhere for decades.

The content of this post is presented for cultural, entertainment, and aesthetic purposes.

All copyrights remain with their owners.

Thanks to Brenda Fassie for her musical legacy. Thanks also to all those who are quoted in this post and thanks to the publisher of this video on YouTube.
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This is an expansion of this 2013 pancocojams post: http://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2013/01/south-african-vocalist-brenda-faisse.html. That post includes 12 comments as of the publication date of this 2019 post.

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INFORMATION ABOUT BRENDA FASSIE
Excerpt #1
From http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brenda_Fassie
"Brenda Fassie (3 November 1964 – 9 May 2004)[1] was an anti-apartheid South African Afropop singer.[2] Her bold stage antics earned a reputation for "outrageousness".[3] Affectionately called Mabrr by her fans, she was sometimes described as the "Queen of African Pop"...

Fassie was born in Langa, Cape Town,[4] as the youngest of nine children. She was named after the American singer Brenda Lee...

With very outspoken views and frequent visits to the poorer townships of Johannesburg, as well as songs about life in the townships, she enjoyed tremendous popularity. Known best for her songs "Weekend Special" and "Too Late for Mama", she was dubbed "The Madonna of the Townships" by Time in 2001...

From 1996 she released several solo albums, including Now Is the Time, Memeza (1997), and Nomakanjani?. Most of her albums became multi-platinum sellers in South Africa"...

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Excerpt #2
From https://www.theguardian.com/news/2004/may/11/guardianobituaries.southafrica
[in 1998 Brenda Fassie] released [the album] Memeza, with its hit single Vulindlela. It became South Africa's biggest-selling album in 1998, and was followed by an album a year for the next four years. The money rolled in again, and Fassie resumed her lavish lifestyle.

A talented musician, her genius lay in her ability to reinvent herself, and give voice to the frustrations and aspirations of the township. She started off as a pop queen but, politicised by growing up in Langa at a time of tremendous upheaval - the 1976 student uprisings had deeply affected her school - she easily tapped into the political militancy of the 1980s.

In 1990, she released the single Black President, a tribute to the still imprisoned Nelson Mandela, which was banned by the apartheid regime. She stopped singing in English, declaring: "I am proud to be an African." All her subsequent songs were in Zulu, Xhosa and Sotho. When kwaito, the first authentically African sound in decades, emerged from Soweto street parties in the early 1990s, Fassie adopted the genre as her own."...

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Excerpt #3
From http://richmondsajini.wordpress.com/2011/11/03/13/
..."One of a kind! Many said that Brenda was the “Madonna of the townships” but for me she was more than that. She was our own Michael Jackson. Brenda was THE QUEEN! Many tried to be like her and many have been accused of trying to be her yet none of them has the energy that she had on stage. Lebo Mathosa came very close, but she was just not Brenda.

Style icon! Whatever outfit MaBrrr was rocking, it was sure to be a trend. My mom recalls wanting a pair of shorts she saw Brenda wearing in a picture in the 80s. The desire for these short shorts spread like wildfire and it became a trend. Then Brenda went on to rock a blonde hairstyle. Best believe, this too became a trend."...

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INFORMATION ABOUT & LYRICS TO "VULINDLELA"
Excerpt #1:
From http://livingladolcevita.wordpress.com/2006/08/15/27/
sundayschild, 15 August 2006
"And vulindlela means ‘clear the way’ or clean the path."

sundayschild (16 August 2006)
"on multiple levels – in one sense clearing the path for the [newly married]* couple to walk down, in another clearing the way for the start of a new life… it’s about clearing things up so there’s room for (positive) change, which is why the ANC appropriated the song for its ’99 election campaign…

it’s a GREAT track (but then most of Ma Brrrrrr’s are…)"
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*I added the words in brackets which are implied from the preceding comments.

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Excerpt #2
From http://1001sasongs.wordpress.com/2011/06/30/vulindlela-%E2%80%93-brenda-fassie/
"Listening to Vulindlela, it’s quite hard to believe that someone who had so many problems in life could sing so beautifully, but Brenda Fassie’s vocals on this track are hauntingly so. Set against a decidedly danceable synth background, the song epitomises the township sound of the late 90s.

You don’t have to understand the words to be moved by the song. Check out the Youtube video link below and you will see comments from people from Somalia, Kenya, Nigeria, Sierra Leone and Cameroon to name a few. Brenda was huge throughout Africa, and Vulindlela is widely appreciated around the globe.

A month after her death on 26 April 2004, the song was voted Song of the Decade at the South African Music Awards. It is highly likely that the emotional outpouring that followed her death led to this vote, however, that should not distract one from the fact that it would probably have been a contender for the award anyway…

Lyrics:
Vul’indlela wemamgobhozi (Open the gates, Miss Gossip)
He unyana wam (My baby boy)
Helele uyashada namhlanje (Is getting married today)
Vul’indlela wela ma ngiyabuza (Open the gates please)
Msuba nomona (Don’t be jealous)
Unyana wami uthathile (My son has had a good catch)
Bengingazi ngiyombon’umakoti (I never thought I’d see a daughter in law)
Unyana wam eh ujongile this time (My son has been accepted (woman said yes))
Makgadi fele usenzo s’cede (Help us finish the ceremony (you are welcome))
Uzemshadweni ngiyashadisa namhlanje (Come to the wedding, I’m taking
my son to the altar today)
Bebesithi unyana wam lisoka (People said my son is (someone who
doesn’t get women)
Bebesithi angeke ashade vul’indlela (People said he would never get married but open the gates)

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SHOWCASE SOUND FILE - VULINDLELA-BRENDA FASSIE



SPHERNO, Uploaded on Jul 1, 2011

R.I.P BRENDA FASIE,AFRICA WILL ALWAYS REMEMBER YOU.
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Statistics as of October 25, 2019
Total # of views - 15,705,060
Total # of likes - 67K
Total # of dislikes - 3.9K
Total # of comments- 6,334

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This concludes Part I of this pancocojams post.

Thanks visiting pancocojams.

Viewer comments are welcome.