We never tire of watching and listening to these guys create amazing music.This footage was taken as part of our promotional video for the private Hillcrest School in Mutare, Zimbabwe. The Marimba boys testing out their new Marimbas on the last day of term here in Mutare.
Shot & Produced by Philip and Shirley Hitschmann
**** Edited by Azizi Powell
This pancocojams post showcases seven YouTube videos of marimba (music instrument) performances by Zimbabwean or South African high schools or colleges.
The content of this post is presented for historical, cultural, entertainment, and aesthetic purposes.
All copyrights remain with their owners.
Thanks to all those who are featured in these videos and thanks to the publishers of these videos on YouTube.
**** SHOWCASE VIDEO #2-Hillcrest College - Marimba Challenge Cup Winner
National Institute of Allied Arts Zimbabwe, Mar 11, 2017 -snip- The word "college" in this Zimbabwean school doesn't have the same meaning as it does in the United States. Read the information about the ages of Zimbabwe's Hillcrest College students in my first comment in this post's discussion thread below.
**** SHOWCASE VIDEO #3-Marimba Challenge - Avondale Primary School
National Institute of Allied Arts Zimbabwe, Mar 3, 2019
Marimba Challenge 2018
Avondale Primary School
'Dance Party' -snip- The term "primary school" appears to be the same thing or very similar to the term "elementary school that is used in the United States".
[Additions and corrections are welcome.]
**** SHOWCASE VIDEO #4-"Drive" (as orig. performed by Black Coffee/Guetta)- 2019 Hilton College
Competition Marimba band. Hilton College Music, Aug 3, 2019
Full version of 'Drive' performed at the 2019 International Steel Pan & Marimba Festival. -snip- The word "college" in this South African school doesn't have the same meaning as it does in the United States. Read the information about the ages of South Africa's Hilton College in my first comment in this post's discussion thread below.
**** SHOWCASE VIDEO #5 - Goede Hoop Marimba Band | Education Africa
Education Africa, Jan 7, 2019
Education Africa's Marimba Band Goede Hoop performing at the International Marimba and Steelpan Festival.
**** SHOWCASE VIDEO #6-KUTINYA CHALLENGE CUP winner Prince Edward School - Junior
Band "Chauya Chauya" by T. Ndhlovu
National Institute of Allied Arts Zimbabwe, Apr 5, 2022 HARARE
Eisteddfod 2022
Marimba Challenge 2022
Senior Schools
**** SHOWCASE VIDEO #7 -The One by Education Africa Alumni All Stars Marimba Band
Education Africa, Mar 4, 2023
The One by Lydia Mokhele performed at The Guy Butler Theatre in Makhanda for the SAME (South African American Music Exchange) Concert in December 2022
Pistole Gwijo, Aug 20, 2024 #gwijokings
#gwijo #pistolegwijo
By @UnkleMsarow -snip- WARNING- This isiXhosa gwijo includes words that are "x" rated.
**** Edited by Azizi Powell
This pancocojams post showcases a YouTube video of the viral gwijo "Yebo Lapho" as sung by Unkle Msarow and the gwijo kings.
This post also includes selected comments from the discussion thread for that video. Those comments focus on how Unkle Msarow's rendition of "Yebo Lapho" sounds beautiful and has a catchy beat, but also has "x" rated lyrics
In addition, this pancocojams post presents selected comments from two Tik Tok videos. Those comments focus on how the commenters were surprised that that gwijo described an x rated bedroom sexual scene.
In my opinion, "Yebo Lapho" refutes the relatively commonly found statement that "Music is a universal language we can all bond over". Instead, that Xhosa language gwijo reminds people that of the importance of being aware of the meanings of a song's lyrics in a language you're not familiar with before embracing that song as one of your favorite jams.
The content of this post is presented for socio-cultural purposes.
All copyrights remain with their owners.
Thanks to Unkle Msarwo and the gwijo kings. Thanks to all those who are quoted in this post and thanks to the producers of this YouTube video and this Tik Tok video.
**** DISCLAIMER: I am an African American who doesn't read or speak any language but English.
I don't have any direct knowledge of South African culture and the only information that I have about that culture and the Xhosa language is from my reading on and off the internet.
Additions and corrections are welcome.
**** PANCOCOJAMS EDITOR'S NOTES ABOUT SHOWCASE VIDEO #1 AND THAT YOUTUBE VIDEO'S DISCUSSION THREAD The gwijo "Yebo Lapho" (Xhosa meaning "Yes, over there" is a viral hit in South African and in some other nations based on the number of social media videos and comments.
Unkle Msarow's version of "Yebo Lapho" and other versions I've come across online feature the standard "Zampampam" refrain that is found in other amagwijo (plural for "gwijo") with the title "Yebo Lapho" or other gwijo that don't include that title or any of those lyrics. Based on what I think I hear in that showcased Unkle Msarow YouTube video, here's what I refer to as the standard Zampampam refrain:
"Zampampam
Zampampam
iyhoo ah zampampa"
This fixed refrain is sung by the group in response to the leader's varying lines (call).
Although the title of the showcase "Yebo Lapho" video that is embedded at the top of this pancocojams post indicates that it includes lyrics for that song, the Xhosa lyrics (with no translations in another language) are written in captions within that video for only 0.41 seconds of that 2:24 video. Why are there no captions for the remainder of this video? Is this a way of not acknowledging that the lyrics for that song refer to a x rated sexual scene?
Furthermore, that video's summary doesn't include any of that song's lyrics and only a few comments in that video's discussion thread refer to any of that song's lyrics.
Most of that video's discussion thread focus on how beautiful that song sounds and how people throughout the world love singing it or dancing to it, even if they don't understand what the words to the song mean.
Here's my transcription of that song's lyrics that are given in that video along with the Xhosa to English translation of those words given in parenthesis. Imo, those results reinforce my opinion that Google translation shouldn't usually be considered as an accurate translation of gwijo songs (in large part because of the cultural differences between South Africa and the United States).
Nango umalamola seka bheke umandlamini (Even if you look at the river, you will see)
Nango u16 seka gijimisi v (Here is the 16th runner v)
(Athi uyababona seba bhekane ngo 6) He said that he saw them stealing from each other at 6
Zampampam pam (No translation given)
Hebathi yebo (He said yes)
Yebo lapho (Yes,here)
Kufunek isbhamu somdoko (Need a shotgun)
Hayi yaya (No, it went)
Zampampam (No translation)
Zampampam (No translation)
**** Here are two of the very few comments in the discussion thread for Uncke Msarow's "Yebo,Lapho" video that mentions lyrics to that song. These examples are numbered for referencing purposes only:
1. @nonkuthalozondi802, 2024 "so sweet i like the part when he say nangu umadlamini
esekabheka umalamula and it end when he say aaa ach men" -snip- Here are the Google translate results for this sentence from Xhosa to English: "nangu umadlamini esekabheka umalamula" =here is a drunkard still looking at the lemon
"aaa ach men" = oh my god
** 2. @makunguchabangu, 2024 "Nangi u16 seka gijimisi v๐ฅ๐ฅ❤️" -snip- from the on page Google translation feature for this video: "“I'm 16 and I'm running v๐ฅ๐ฅ❤️”
**** Most of the comments in that video's discussion thread either praised the lead singer Unkle Msarow, and/or praised that song, praised the amamgwijo music genre, described their positive reactions to that song, or ranked the currently popular gwijo lead singers.
Here are a few examples of these comments (numbered for referencing purposes only).
2024 1.@NomhlepertuniaMashabane "Love this gwijo❤❤❤❤"
** @AsandaNkambule-h5w "100%guys this is 100%
❤"
** 3. @BokamosoNtuli-d7y "Yoo msaro what a
nice song❤"
** 4. @thapelomagaxa5804 "his voice wow they are only 4 but the
talent is amazing keep it up"
** 5. @OmphemetseKgopa "oh what a nice remix ❤"
** 6. @BonisiweMpanza-f8n "This Voice is makes me feel good ❤❤❤"
** 7. @Rmkays.132 "Yhoo these guys are fire
Love their music, always making me feel
alive and making me wish l was there singing with them❤❤❤๐๐ข
** 8. @WillmahMagida "You sing like a angel ❤❤❤"
2025
9. @MatsedisoMdi-t2e "Wow❤❤it is a nice gwijo❤❤❤"
** 10. @IngridSelamolela "I love this song is my favourite song
for ever and ever amen and make crying๐ข๐ข๐ข๐ข๐ข๐ข๐ข๐ข๐ข๐ข❤❤❤❤❤❤"
** Reply 3. Chanda!! "Holding what ???๐ญ๐ญ๐ญ๐คฃ๐คฃ"
2024-7-18
** 4. Kamogelo Montisi-Taw "Lol nah these lyrics must be wrong ๐๐"
2024-7-18
** Reply 5. Londeka Dlamini "๐๐"
2024-7-20
** Reply 6. thobz52 "No really ๐"
2024-7-22
** 7. creezy "How's this song Legal๐ญ๐ญ๐ญ๐ญ"
2024-7-17
** Reply 8. aubreykanji "south africans y'all been singing this all this time ahh"
2024-7-18
** Reply 9. kay_bee "Even at school๐"
2024-7-19
** 10. Frieda๐ซ ❤️♾️ "I never expected this๐ญ๐ "
2024-7-17
** Reply 11. Sibahle Mtana "No guys you don’t have to make a literal translation of everything."
2024-7-19
** 12. CHIHERA "this is why you should know the meaning of these tunes before singing your heart out ๐ญ๐ญ๐ญ๐ญ"
2024-7-18
** 13. king mafi "all l do learn is never never ever ๐ฏ translate amapiano some of them especially this generation ๐คฃ๐คฃ jut do the dance challenge and enjoy ๐คฃ๐คฃ"
2024-7-18
** 14. Nva_Kyankwanzi๐บ๐ฌ "the way we all was vybing to it ๐"
laughter.mr, Jun 1, 2018 South African Soldiers Singing in Camp
****
Edited by Azizi Powell 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- This is a complete reprint of a 2019 pancocojams post.
That post has five comments as of June 30, 2025 -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. **** SHOWCASE VIDEOS
Example #1: That video is embedded at the top of this post. -snip- Here's a few comments from that 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.'๐ 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 ๐ฅ๐ฅ 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 Siyazalana๐ฅ
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 ๐ดboring"
** 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."
**** This concludes Part IV of this pancocojams series.
Click https://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2025/06/the-south-african-gwijo-thina.html for Part IV of this pancocojams series. That post showcases one YouTube videos of United States Doo Wop music, presents a partial Xhosa transcription with English translations, and presents a few selected comments from those videos' discussion threads.
The content of this post is presented for historical and socio-cultural purposes.
All copyrights remain with their owners.
Thanks to all those who are quoted in this post.
**** THE SIMILARITIES AND DIFFERENCES BETWEEN DOO-WOP MUSIC AND GWIJO MUSIC From AI result for my June 28, 2025 question "What are the similarities and differences between United States' Doo Wop music and South Africa's Gwijo music?
"AI result
AI Overview
UThat post showcases another video of St Stithians Boys College singing that gwijo. At the time that pancocojams post was published, that video had no comments. S Doo-wop and South African Gwijo share some key
characteristics as vocal-based musical styles, but they also have distinct
cultural origins, contexts, and musical elements. Here's a comparison:
Shared Aspects:
-snip-Vocal Group Harmony: Both Doo-wop and Gwijo heavily
emphasize vocal group harmonies. Doo-wop, as its name suggests, is built around
layered vocal arrangements often featuring a lead singer supported by
background harmonies and rhythmic sounds. Gwijo is a practice of collective
singing, deeply embedded in South African Xhosa culture, where groups sing
together in a call-and-response format.
Emphasis on Vocalizations: Both genres often use the human
voice for rhythm and instrumentation. Doo-wop features nonsense syllables as
background "instrumentation," as MasterClass explains. Gwijo also
relies on voices to create rhythmic and emotional depth, particularly in its
traditional a cappella form.
Call-and-Response Structure: Both genres can employ
call-and-response techniques, where a leader or solo voice is answered by a
group. This form promotes participation and community engagement.
Emotional Expression: Both styles can express a wide range
of emotions. Doo-wop often focuses on themes of love, dating, and heartbreak.
Gwijo can express joy, determination, and victory, but also devastation.
Key Differences:
Feature US Doo-Wop
Origin Rhythm and
blues subgenre developed in African-American communities in US cities during
the 1940s-1950s.
Instrumentation - Originally
a cappella, later incorporated simple instrumentation like piano, guitar,
drums, and saxophone.
Primary Function -Primarily entertainment and expressing
personal emotions, particularly romance.
Cultural Context - Strongly influenced by
African-American musical traditions like gospel and blues.
Evolution - Evolved to include more instrumentation and influenced
genres like R&B, soul, and rock.
Feature: South African Gwijo
Origin - Traditional practice of collective singing within
South African Xhosa culture, adapted for various contexts like sports events.
Instrumentation -Primarily a cappella (voice only),
especially in its traditional and most potent forms.
Primary Function - Social, cultural, and spiritual
expression. Can be used for celebrations, protests, community building, and
sports events.
Cultural Context- Deeply rooted in South African Xhosa
culture and traditions.
Evolution- Adapted for new contexts, notably finding
popularity in South African sports, but still retaining its core features.
In essence, while both share a focus on vocal harmony and
emotional expression, Doo-wop is a commercially-oriented music genre while
Gwijo is a culturally significant practice of communal singing with broad
social and spiritual applications."
**** MY ADDITIONS TO THAT SIMILARITIES AND DIFFERENCES LIST
Additions and corrections are welcome.
Similarities: Both Doo Wop and Gwijo are forms of group singing that originated with Black teenage boys and young Black men. It appears from YouTube and Tik Tok videos that gwijo groups are almost entirely composed on Black teenage males and Black young adult men.
** Both Doo Wop and Gwijo have been mostly associated with street singing by non-professional groups of Black teenage males and/or by young Black men.
** Doo-Wop groups, their lead singers, and their record label Doo-Wop songs evoked highly competitive feelings among their fans who promoted/supported their singer/s and their songs over other singer/s and their songs.
Gwijo groups and their songs (popularized on YouTube, Tik Tok, and other social media) appear to evoke the same highly competitive level of "stan" promotion and support as was the case with Doo-Wop music.
For instance, most of the comments in a lot of YouTube gwijo discussion threads focus on a particular lead singer winning (being the best, taking the cup) compared with lead singers in other gwijo groups, or other singers in that particular video. At the same time, there are hardly any comments about the lyrics of that gwijo, or about the song itself except for general comments about how good that song is.
**** Differences
The Doo-wop music genre largely died out in the United States in the 1960s, except for re-enactments (covers) of those songs by singing groups of older men. Groups singing Doo-Wop (or any other type of music) are rarely if ever seen on streets in the United States.
In contrast, singing amagwijo is very much currently alive in South Africa. In 2017, mostly Black rugby fans formed the Gwijo Squad initially to support the Black team members by singing amagwijo at rugby games. Since that year, fans singing amagwijo has become an integral part of other South African sport events such as football (soccer) games and cricket games.
Some members of South African sports teams also sing amagwijo in their locker rooms, on buses to and from sports stadiums, and at other times with the exception of on the sport's field itself.
Furthermore, an increased number of Black South Africans who are (mostly) teenage males and young men have formed groups to sing amagwijo and posted those videos on YouTube, Tik Tok, and other social media, for the pleasure of singing and perhaps also with the hope of getting a record deal. Amagwijo groups also a contracted to sing at private social events such as weddings, funerals, and birthday parties.
** Doo-Woo music was never (is never) sung at sports events or at funerals.
** According to what I've read online, many South Africa Gwijo songs are based on traditional Xhosa songs and/or South African struggle (Apartheid protest) songs, However, if I correctly understand what I've read in comments in various YouTube discussion threads, amagwijo aren't supposed to have completely fixed lyrics, but are supposed to be somewhat extemporaneous.
Here are some comments from the discussion thread of a YouTube video of the gwijo "Mntaka Mama (Thina Siyazalana)" by South Africa's St Stithians Boys College (published by Mr Robot, June 2, 2019. That video is no longer available. However, before that video became inactive, I embedded it in a 2019 pancocojams post about that gwijo and included some comments from its discussion thread in that post: https://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2019/10/the-south-african-song-mtaka-mama-thina.html.
Numbers added for referencing purposes only. (The numbers are different in that post.)
1. 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"
** 2. 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."
** 3. Nkosi Zulu, 2020 "Gwijo shouldn't be rehearsed and preformed. Even the clapping was rehearsed ๐ดboring". -snip- I replaced that video which was no longer available with another video of St. Stithians Boys College singing that same gwijo. However, that video didn't have any comments at the time that I added it to that pancocojams post.
** In contrast to those descriptions of amagwijo, United States' doo-wop songs were newly composed romantic songs that had standard lyrics. Those lyrics didn't or rarely included lyrics from United States folk music or protest songs.(Note that doo-wop basically died out before the Civil Rights protest movement). Also, doo-wop performances were usually rehearsed.
**** This concludes Part II of this pancocojams series.
Clickhttps://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2025/06/the-south-african-gwijo-thina.htmlfor Part IV of this pancocojams series. That post showcases one YouTube videos of United States Doo Wop music, presents a partial Xhosa transcription with English translations, and presents a few selected comments from those videos' discussion threads.
The content of this post is presented for historical and socio-cultural purposes.
All copyrights remain with their owners.
Thanks to all those who are quoted in this post.
**** INFORMATION ABOUT DOO-WOP MUSIC https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Doo-wop "Doo-wop (also spelled doowop and doo wop) is a subgenre of
rhythm and blues music that originated in African-American communities during
the 1940s,[2] mainly in the large cities of the United States, including New
York, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Chicago, Baltimore, Newark, Detroit,
Washington, D.C., and Los Angeles.[3][4] It features vocal group harmony that
carries an engaging melodic line to a simple beat with little or no
instrumentation. Lyrics are simple, usually about love, sung by a lead vocal over
background vocals, and often featuring, in the bridge, a melodramatically
heartfelt recitative addressed to the beloved. Harmonic singing of nonsense
syllables (such as "doo-wop") is a common characteristic of these
songs.[5] Gaining popularity in the 1950s, doo-wop was commercially viable
until the early 1960s and continued to influence performers in other genres.
[...]
Doo-wop street singers generally performed without
instrumentation, but made their musical style distinctive, whether using fast
or slow tempos, by keeping time with a swing-like off-beat,[12] while using the
"doo-wop" syllables as a substitute for drums and a bass vocalist as
a substitute for a bass instrument.[6]
[...]
Elements of doo-wop vocal style
In The Complete Book of Doo-Wop, co-authors Gribin and
Schiff (who also wrote Doo-Wop, the Forgotten Third of Rock 'n' Roll), identify
five features of doo-wop music:
-it is vocal music made by groups;
-it features a wide range of vocal parts, "usually from
bass to falsetto";
-it includes nonsense syllables;
-there is a simple beat and low key instrumentals; and
-it has simple words and music.[16]
While these features provide a helpful guide, they need not
all be present in a given song for aficionados to consider it doo-wop, and the
list does not include the aforementioned typical doo-wop chord progressions.
Bill Kenny, lead singer of the Ink Spots, is often credited with introducing
the "top and bottom" vocal arrangement featuring a high tenor singing
the intro and a bass spoken chorus.[17] The Mills Brothers, who were famous in
part because in their vocals they sometimes mimicked instruments,[18] were an
additional influence on street vocal harmony groups, who, singing a cappella
arrangements, used wordless onomatopoeia to mimic musical instruments.[19][20]
For instance, "Count Every Star" by the Ravens (1950) includes
vocalizations imitating the "doomph, doomph" plucking of a double
bass. The Orioles helped develop the doo-wop sound with their hits "It's
Too Soon to Know" (1948) and "Crying in the Chapel" (1953).
Origin of the name
Although the musical style originated in the late 1940s and
was very popular in the 1950s, the term "doo-wop" itself did not
appear in print until 1961, when it was used in reference to the Marcels' song,
"Blue Moon", in The Chicago Defender,[21][22] just as the style's
vogue was nearing its end. Though the name was attributed to radio disc jockey
Gus Gossert, he did not accept credit, stating that "doo-wop" was
already in use in California to categorize the music.[23][24]
"Doo-wop" is itself a nonsense expression. In the
Delta Rhythm Boys' 1945 recording, "Just A-Sittin' And A-Rockin", it
is heard in the backing vocal. It is heard later in the Clovers' 1953 release
"Good Lovin'" (Atlantic Records 1000), and in the chorus of Carlyle
Dundee & the Dundees' 1954 song "Never" (Space Records 201). The
first hit record with "doo-wop" being harmonized in the refrain was
the Turbans' 1955 hit, "When You Dance" (Herald Records
H-458).[23][25] The Rainbows embellished the phrase as "do wop de
wadda" in their 1955 "Mary Lee" (on Red Robin Records; also a
Washington, D.C. regional hit on Pilgrim 703); and in their 1956 national hit,
"In the Still of the Night", the Five Satins[26] sang across the
bridge with a plaintive "doo-wop, doo-wah".[27]."...
**** INFORMATION ABOUT GWIJO MUSIC These excerpts are given in no particular order and are numbered for referencing purposes only: Excerpt #1
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".
I've come across and sometimes use the English word "gwijos" in pancocojams posts on this subject, even though I'm aware that "gwijos" is an incorrect term
** Singing amagwijo ("gwijos") at South African sport events.
** Many South African sports teams sing amagwijo in their locker room, during bus rides to and from their games, and elsewhere apart from their playing fields. This is a new phenomenon (2017and on). Black South African school students sung amagwijo long before this form of music was sung at sports events.
Amagwijo ("Gwijos") are sung to demonstrate and reinforce unity and to raise the spirits of the team and others singing these songs. ** Many amagwijo have the same lyrics or are adapted forms of traditional Xhosa songs and/or Xhosa struggle (protest) songs. -snip- Click https://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2019/10/information-about-videos-about-south.htmlfor Part I of the 2019 pancocojams series "Information About & Videos About South Africans' Amagwijo". The link for Part II of that series is included in that post.
**** Excerpt #2 From https://www.instagram.com › theafricacenter › reel Nov 26,
2023 "Gwijo (igwijo) is a practice of call and
response style collective singing deeply embedded in South African Xhosa
culture. It uses no instruments besides the voice. Though gwijo is
traditionally of the Xhosa people, today, it is part of South African culture
as a whole, with a larger growing presence in sports."... -snip- The sentence that gwijo "uses no instruments besides the voice" is incorrect if hand clapping (and to a much more limited extent body [chest] slapping) is included in the definition of "musical instruments". Furthermore, I have come across a few YouTube videos (from 2024 & 2025) of gwijo groups singing while one person plays a traditional African drum or singing while one person plays a "Mpampampa (a hand held pillow-looking percussive instrument that is also known as "I-Beat" or other names).
**** Excerpt #3 From https://www.jeremydetolly.com/blog/ep39 E039 - iGwijo: healing anthems for South Africa published by vocal liberation, Nov 23, 2020 "iGwijo
Gwijo is a practice of collective singing deeply embedded in
South African Xhosa culture that takes the form of call and response (“I say
something//You say something; I hear you//You hear me; We’re in dialogue
together”). Because Gwijo uses no instruments (other than human voices), it
could be described as a cappella. Gwijo songs have traditionally been sung by
the amaXhosa people of South Africa to accompany weddings, funerals,
initiations, and other sacred moments and rites of passage.
Part of these songs’ potency resides in their being so
cathartic across a range of human emotions: they can express joy,
determination, and victory, but also devastation. A Gwijo ‘performance’ can
celebrate, protest, resist, or reclaim. Ultimately, though, it draws on the
power of the collective to attain a kind of fierce grace, a coming together in
intensity."...
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 #5 From - AI result for my June 28, 2025 Google request for information about The Gwijo Squad "The Gwijo Squad is a South African fan movement known for
its energetic support of the Springboks (the national rugby team) and other
sports teams, using traditional Xhosa call-and-response singing known as
igwijo. Born from a desire to create a more inclusive and vibrant atmosphere at
sporting events, the group started with a small group of friends and has grown
to become a staple at Springbok matches and other sporting events.
Here's a more detailed look at their history:
Origins:
The Gwijo Squad emerged in 2017 when a group of friends,
concerned about the lack of support at a Springboks 'A' match against the
French Barbarians, decided to bring their energy to the stadium.
Early Days:
They started with 35 members attending the match in Soweto
and have since grown, with members contributing financially to attend games.
Inclusivity and Unity:
The group aims to foster unity and inclusivity in South
African sport, a space historically marked by segregation and racial tension.
Gwijo:
The term "Gwijo" refers to a traditional Xhosa
singing style that is a form of call and response, and the group uses this
style to energize and unite fans.
Beyond Rugby:
While initially focused on rugby, the Gwijo Squad has
expanded their support to other sports and even cultural events, becoming a
recognized force in South African sports and culture.
Impact:
The Gwijo Squad's presence is credited with creating a more
positive and inclusive atmosphere at games, contributing to a sense of communal
joy and belonging." -snip- The popularization of The Gwijo Squad has led to the formation in South Africa of numerous qwijo music groups that don't have any recording contracts particularly among Black teenage boys and Black young men.
**** Excerpt #5 From AI result for my June 28, 2025 Google question "Do any Gwijo groups have recording contracts?" "AI Overview
Yes, some South African gwijo groups have record contracts,
including one notable example:
The Joy, an acclaimed acapella/gwijo music group, has
released their self-titled debut album on Transgressive Records.
Onset Music Group, an acapella group that has gained
significant popularity with their gwijo songs, signed a major deal with Virgin
Music Group SA.
Additionally, there are initiatives like the "Gwijo
& Acapella music competition" which offer the potential for record
deals to emerging artists, including a potential deal with Onset Music Group's
label, ONEGroup.
While it seems that some gwijo groups have achieved success
in the music industry through record deals, the specific details and number of
such groups may vary." -snip- Here's some information about the South African music group The Joy from https://blackmajor.co.za/artist-link/the-joy/ "The Joy share a powerful live performance video, recorded at
Durban’s iconic Playhouse Theatre during Sjava The 2018 Tour. Blending stirring
harmonies with traditional gwijo songs, the set captures the group’s signature
sound which is rooted in culture, unity, and vocal excellence.
[...]
Duzie and Guduza, prominent voices from the acclaimed South
African group The Joy, have officially released their second single, Sekwanele.
Following the release of their debut track, Imizwa, this latest offering
solidifies their place as artists to watch. Released under Transgressive
Records, Sekwanele explores profound personal emotions through soulful melodies
and intricate vocal harmonies....
Jennifer Hudson Features The Joy on Her Holiday Album The
Gift of Love.”…
**** This concludes Part I of this pancocojams series.
