South African Varsity Sing Videos: The Central University of Technology - Istiblili (with lyrics & comments)

kyknettv, Published on Sep 22, 2016

Die Sentrale Universiteit van Tegnologie (SUT) het die Varsity Sing-gehoor met die lied “Istibili” bekoor.
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Google translate from Afrikaans to English:
The Central University of Technology (CUT) confessed the Varsity Sing audience with the song "Istibili".
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I think a better English translation would be "wowed" instead of "confessed".
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Edited by Azizi Powell

Latest Update: January 28, 2022

This pancocojams post showcases a YouTube video from the South African "Varsity Sing" series.

The lyrics to that song are also provided in this post along with a few other comments from that video's discussion thread. Several commenters in that discussion thread wrote that this song is sung in Tsotsitaal.

Information about Varsity Sing is also included in this post along with information about Tsotsitaal.

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

All copyrights remain with their owners.

Thanks to this choir for their performance and thanks to all those who are quoted in this post. In addition, thanks to the publisher of this video on YouTube. Thanks also to Tshepiso Tsotetsi, Jan. 28, 2022 for sharing a translation of this song!
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Update: October 15, 2019 - After reading a portion of a chapter on isibili music, I think that title of this post's showcased song may not be "isibili". Instead, I think that isibili is the category of songs that were sung in this part of the competition.
-end of October 15, 2019 update-

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INFORMATION ABOUT VARSITY SING
From http://witsvuvuzela.com/2016/09/09/varsity-sing-semi-finals-filmed-live-at-wits/
"Round one of the Varsity Sing semi-finals were filmed for broadcast at the Linder Auditorium at Wits this week. The competition is the first annual choir competition between 12 varsities from across the country, taking place over 13 weeks.

The University of Pretoria (Tuks Camerata), the University of Johannesburg (UJ), the University of Free State (UFS-Kovsies) and Central University of Technology (CUT) all participated in the first round of the semi-finals. The semi-finals of Varsity Sing are non-traditional as there will be two rounds.

Round two semi-finals will see the University of Stellenbosch (Maties), the University of the Western Cape (UWC), the Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University (NMMU), and Rhodes University are all taking part in round two of the semi-finals compete against each other. The two winning choirs from each round of semi-finals will advance to the finals.

The choirs performed an original composition, a traditional South African composition and a song of their own choice. Judges Marvin Kernelle, Christo Burger and Loyiso Bala and guest Hemelbesem held the majority of the vote, although viewers votes, cast on the Varsity Sports App, were also taken into consideration.

The Wits choir did not participate in the competition and could not be reached for comment at the time of publication.

Varsity Sing is a competition by Varsity Sports and kykNET. The starting 12 choirs competed in a knock-out style format. Mangosuthu University of Technology (MUT), however, dropped out of the competition at the last minute due to strikes that impacted their rehearsals.

The semi-finals episodes will be broadcast on kykNET on the 15th and 22nd September at 08:30pm. The competition is sponsored by FNB."

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INFORMATION ABOUT TSOTSITAAL
From https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tsotsitaal_and_Camtho
"Tsotsitaal is a vernacular derived from a variety of mixed languages mainly spoken in the townships of Gauteng province (such as Soweto), but also in other agglomerations all over South Africa. Tsotsi is a Sesotho slang word for a "thug" or "robber", possibly from the verb "ho tsotsa" "to sharpen", whose meaning has been modified in modern times to include "to con"; or from the tsetse fly, as the language was first known[by whom?] as Flytaal, although flaai also means "cool" or "street smart". The word taal in Afrikaans means "language".

A tsotsitaal is built over the grammar of one or several languages, in which terms from other languages or specific terms created by the community of speakers are added. It is a permanent work of language-mix, language-switch, and terms-coining."...


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Update: January 28, 2022
Here's a comment that was just published about this song from that YouTube video's discussion thread:

Tshepiso Tsotetsi, Jan. 28, 2022
"The song is in Sesotho(one of the official languages in South Africa) except the NOMAKANJANI part which is zulu...It's actually just a song talking a car which is the first part of the song(The car has arrived,where are the people traveling in it,here it is it has arrived) then the second part of the song is talking about a Basotho tribe blanket called Seanamarena so they are saying IF YOU LOVE ME BUY ME SEANAMARENA then the last part of the song is saying WE WERE PLAYING THEN A PERSON FELL💀Lord it sounds so weird translated✋🏾😭😭😭😂"

-end of  Jan.28, 2022 Update-

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Here are selected comments from that video's discussion thread, including the lyrics to that song. Numbers are added for referencing purposes only.

1. Privy Dermash, 2017
"Ditshaba rena re diemetse Nomakanjani,
Nomakanjani...
Koloi ae yeme
Koloi ya tsamaya ×2
Thiba koloi
Koloi ae eme
Koloi ya tsamaya ×2
A ke long kemele tlhe ke palame
Koloi ya tsamaya ×2
Thiba koloi
Koloi ae eme
Koloi ya tsamaya ×2
Koloi koloi ya tsamaya ke ela
Tsama tsama koloi
Koloi ke yela×2
Ke yela
Ke yela×2
ESE e fihlile
Ke yela ×2
Bakayi ba palamii ba yona
Ba kae bapalami ba yona
Ke yela ESE e fihlile ×2
Haibe wanthata ×3
Onthekele seanamarena
(Bapalami ba yona)
Ba kae bapalami ba yona
Ke ena ESE e fihlile ×2
Haebe wanthata×3
Onthekele seanamarena×3
Ai abuti o×3
Onthekele seanamarena

Hare palame koloi e
Bothi a wela

Rene re bapala
Motho a wela"
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Added October 15, 2019. Here's the Google translate results for this song translated from Sesotho to English (Note that several commenters wrote that the language is Tsotsitaal and not standard Sesotho. I don't think that this Google translation is correct or if it is correct, the words may have "hidden" meanings.)

"We represent our nations Nomakanjani,
Anyway ...
Let the car stop
The car went × 2
Turn off the car
The car will stop
The car went × 2
Let me just wait and ride
The car went × 2
Turn off the car
The car will stop
The car went × 2
The car drove away
Drive the car
The car is that × 2
I'm coming
This is × 2
It has arrived
This is × 2
The climbers are riding it
Where are the passengers?
I am ESE reached × 2
Haibe lover × 3
Add to your list
(Its players)
Where are the passengers?
Here is the ESE reached × 2
If you love × 3
Look at me as an × ×
A big brother o × 3
Add to your list

While riding in this car
They will fall

Rene play
Man falls "
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The "add to your list" sentence that is repeated several times in this translation is likely from the website that these lyrics came from and has nothing to do with the song itself.

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2. Tulisa Tikayo, 2017
"which varsity is this?"

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REPLY
3. kyknettv, 2017
"Hi Tulisa,

This song was performed by the Central University of Technology in the Free State.

Thanks for watching!"

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4. Francis Mike, 2017
"Am from Kenya and what I just watched is on another level. ahaa this was LIT!!!! The vibe is just too much......Noma saaana!!

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5. Dianah ondari, 2017
"Dont know what they are singing but they are on fleek. Kenya tutakuwa hapo lini? Those guys have enjoyed themselves while in campus"
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"On fleek" is an American [African American?] vernacular phrase that means “awesome”.

Google translate of "Kenya tutakuwa hapo lini?" from Swahili to English = "Kenya when will we be there"

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6. Beatrix Van Neel, 2017
"i need the words of this song beautiful"

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REPLY
7. Buntu Ngcebetsha, 2017
"I think "the car is moving, the car is not stopping"

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REPLY
8. RECTOR Kgapana, 2017
""Koloi ha e eme, Koloi ya tsamaya"
(Stop the Car, the car is moving)
Ha ke o nkemele hle ke Palame
(Can it wait for me to get in it)
ke yeela, e se fihlile
(There it is, it has arrived)

I hardly hear some of them"
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I wonder if this is a religious song and if this concept similar to the African American religious song “Don’t Miss That Train”, that talks about being transported to heaven. Read comment #14 below that suggests that this is a religious song.

[added October 15, 2019] A passage from the chapter entitled "Singing And Learning South African Folk Songs" in 2019 the book So You Want to Sing World Music: A Guide for Performers edited by Matthew Hoch indicates that istiblili is a referent for certain types of neotraditional South African songs.

"Toward the end of the nineteenth century, a new school of thought emerged. Reverend Tiyo Soga (1829-1871) , the leader of this group, questioned the wisdom of abandoning a traditional heritage in favor of a Western lifestyle where they were not fully accepted. His successor, William Gquoba (1840-1888), felt that conversion to Christianity was not bringing what the missionaries had promised such as good jobs and social acceptance. Therefore, modernists began looking for “a distinctly African concept of civilization,” desiring to develop an identity and culture that would unify the black communities within South Africa. Political leaders began to emerge, such as John Tengo Jabavu (1859-1921), who began to focus on “proving themselves worthy of equal participation with whites in the power structures of the Cape Colony”.

Music became an important part of expressing the identity, dreams, and experiences of this emerging black middle class. There was a return to traditional African music that was blended with missionary musical styles and the visiting minstrels from the United States. This music is referred to as neotraditional and istibili is part of this subset.

A large portion of neotraditional music was adopted into the freedom movement during apartheid, particularly hymns that were written by black composers, such as Enoch Sontonga (1873-1905), Reuben Tholakele Caluza (1895-1969), and Mzilikazi Khumalo (b. 1932). Hymns were placed in a political context, becoming secularized and gaining new meaning. The most famous of these hymns is “Nkosi Sikelel’ iAfrika”, written by Sontonga, which became the anthem of the African National Congress (ANC) and which was sung by many members of the Anti-Apartheid Movement (AAM). This hymn is now part of the South African national anthem.

During apartheid, people sang about their struggle, often commenting that they could express their emotions and frustrations through singing without getting arrested, whereas if they spoke about it, they were at greater risk. This was because it was impossible for law enforcement to prove whether groups were singing a Christian hymn or a political protest song. Therefore, communal singing- and ultimately the choral formation- became a vehicle for the expression of a national identity." [p. 316 Google books]
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After reading this passage, my guess is that this song is actually meant to be considered an anti-apartheid protest song and not a religious song.

Italics for the sentences are added for highlighting purposes only.

[end of October 15, 2019 addition]

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9. M Kay, 2017
"This is so heavenly.😩"

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10. chris Kuritjinga, 2017
"Am feeling the African Vibe and the Goosebumps are killing me over here"

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REPLY
11. MrZuneJ, 2017
"trust me brother it becomes worse (in a fantastic way) when you're abroad"

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12. Thandi Ntulli, 2017
"Wow beautiful choir very talented"

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13. Dick Val, 2018
"This is out of this world..... as soon as you start listening to this choir....the song paralizes you .....and once you repeat the video... it kills you ....you begin listening to it forever...... one thing special about the song, it gives every part, sopranos, altos, tenors and baritones the opportunity to lead..... and the choir exposes these sections with ease..... long live the CUT long live!!!!"

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14. Terrell JORDAN, 2018
"Thank you so much, for such an amazing and incredible performance. You heightened my heart unto the Lord and love within reach. It is an exciting and again amazing pleasure to see the people give praise to our Father, our God and King. May he forever reign? May he forever, be blessed? May the Lord forever reign? May he forever be blessed? Blessed be thou of the most high. Which is, which was and which is to come. All praise and thanks as we receive glory in the name of our Lord and saviour Jesus Christ. Amen. Even so."

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15. Baleseng MOFOLO-KGOMO, 2018
"Ha re palame tsotsi ya wela"

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REPLY
16. Baleseng MOFOLO-KGOMO, 2018
"yapha u right it is Tsotsi no bothi"
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Click https://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2018/10/excerpts-from-online-information-about.html for a pancocojams post entitled "Excerpts From Online Information About South Africa's Tsotsitaals ("Urban Youth And Street Languages")"

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17. tshepiso mmatladi, 2018
"Wow... Bra Phaks this arrangement was on point...The ending was simply genius. I hope to work with you some day... Keep it up CUT."
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CUT is an abbreviation for The Central University of Technology (in South Africa)

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