Edited by Azizi Powell
Update: November 23, 2019 [series changed to four parts, with a post on lyrics added]
This is Part II of a three part pancocojams series about the South African song "uPhephela".
Part II presents some comments from the discussion thread of a February 2019 YouTube vlog. Those comments correct the misinterpretation of the song "uPhephela" that was given in that video [vlog].
Part I of this series presents lyrics for this song.
Click https://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2019/11/what-south-african-song-uphephela_22.html for Part III of this series. Part III presents information about individuals and organizations that are or were mentioned in the lyrics to the song "uPhephela" or are mentioned in comments about that song.
Click https://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2019/11/video-examples-of-south-african-song.html for Part IV of this pancocojams series. Part IV presents several YouTube videos of the South African song "uPhephela".
The content of this post is presented for historical, socio-cultural, and aesthetic purposes.
All copyrights remain with their owners.
Thanks to the composers of this song and thanks to all those who are quoted in this post. Thanks to the publisher of the YouTube sound file that is included in this post.
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PANCOCOJAMS EDITOR'S NOTE
While surfing YouTube for contemporary South African music, I happened upon an example of "uPhephela" that was sung as a gwijo (A song or chant sung during a South African sport events; in this case a rugby game). "Mix - Mas'hambe siye enyangeni, Tyala lami linzima https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YL0fc8J-Iww&t=1s.
A commenter in that video's discussion thread shared a link to this 2017 video of university students singing "uPhephela" as a political song in South Africa's student movement: 26th Anniversary of SASCO WSU(Bathandwa Ndondo & Landile Gladile branch) Mthatha https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eVe5vGYRT7M&feature=youtu.be.
Both of these videos (and others) are showcased in Part III of this pancocojams series.
My focus audience for the posts in this pancocojams series about the song "uPhephela" are Americans [people in the United States] and other people who aren't South Africans (and therefore, presumably, already know the song "uPhephela" and what it means.
As indicated above, this post presents information and comments that I found online about older and current versions of "uPhephela" and about the organizations and people who were or are now mentioned in that song.
The comments about uPhephela that are included in this post are from the discussion thread for this video: "Uphephela - the youth song supporting the EFF" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fx9fTa3o1Fc. That video summary provided some lyrics for that song. That link is for a vlog in which a White South African man warns his viewers about what he incorrectly describes as a "disturbing" song that is anti-White. That video summary also includes what many commenters indicate are incorrect English translations for the words to this song. Note that the man in the vlog indicates that this song is Zulu, but a number of that discussion thread's commenters wrote that "uPhephela" is actually a Xhosa song. Although isixhosa and isiZulu are quite similar, read comment #7 below
for one example of a difference in the meaning for the Xhosa word "uPhephela" and the similarly spelled Zulu word "phepha". That difference led to one of the incorrect English translations for this song that is found on that above mentioned vlog.
Portions of some of these comments are also included in Part I of this pancocojams series.
DISCLAIMER: I'm an African American who only speaks English and just learned about the song "uPhephela" today as a result of happening upon a YouTube discussion thread that mentioned it.
The focus audience for this post are Americans such are [also] unfamiliar with the song "uPhephela" and most of the references that are made in versions of that song (except for references to Mandela and the ANC.)
Please correct and add to the content of this post.
Thanks.
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WHAT THE SONG uPHEPHELA REALLY MEANS
These comments are numbered for referencing purposes only.
Selected comments from the discussion thread for the YouTube vlog (video/blog) "Uphephela - the youth song supporting the EFF" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fx9fTa3o1Fc published by Loving Life 2019, Feb 14, 2019
1. Trevor Khaba, 2019
"Its pronounced ooh peh peh lah. The song was originally ANC from 80s/90s and the lyrics were "Xelelani uMandela ukuthi iNkatha iyasigolozela. WeTambo asiyothenga amayeza sibulale izinja". Its in Xhosa not Zulu and your translation is not really correct. I dont know the actual context but from the original one it seems like it had to do with conflict between ANC and IFP. So I think it's just rivalry between EFF and SASCO. One thing EFF has realized is the best way to capture peoples hearts is through song because even a person who has no interest or knowledge of politics will be singing EFF songs."
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2. Siphiwe YZN Ngubane, 2019
"This song has nothing to do with white people, its between Sasco and the EFF"
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3. Keneue Monkhe, 2019
"You are spreading hatred among people with your misunderstanding, the song has nothing to do with racism. I pray that your video doesn't cause conflict in our beloved country."
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4. Brithm Media, 2019
"Lol.. You guys are so funny.. So much weakness and fear.. This song has non to do with white privilege nor racism, and two, uPhephela (pronounced per-per-lah) doesn't mean "be safe". uPhephela is the Helicopter's "spinning blade" (rotor system) that's why they have their hands from the ground to the sky clapping, basically meaning they(eff) are sweeping and taking over everything where they believe the ANC and sasco have failed, so, of cause the song resonates with blacks ("SASCO iyasigolozela" meaning "SASCO is stubborn and not listening to them"). The song is about mere disruptive political agendas ahead of the elections ("asiyothenga amayeza sibulale izinja" basically meaning let's go buy muti (traditional medicine or voodoo magic if you like) to kill these dogs(refering to sasco whom according to them is betraying or compromising their revolution or ideology if you like). I think it's really important to learn and even speak African languages you guys cos this video proves how much hatred and fear one can fuel up over northing and destroy innocent lives. that song for instance is promoting black on black violence which is very very bad, this is a call for us to unite as a Nation (all races) and fight against such things. This song provokes civil war and we are already seeing it in our Universities where the song is sung (by black students and guess who have been reported dead? "black students" not white). So I really don't understand how is this threatening white privilege..lol.. So you guys really need to let go of your privilege fears and egos and start asking these people how and where can you help instead of misleading each and hiding, watching behind social media. Thank you
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5. Endy Times, 2019
"This song has nothing to do with white people. The symbolism of uphephela is of a helicopter landing. The dogs they are referring to, are whoever the opponent is. At the Universities, that was the ANC; and in the upcoming elections the dogs are again the ANC. The speaker riled up his white audience for nothing."
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6. Mpho Kgomotso, 2019
"EFFSC vs SASCO... these are students movements, and ANC sang this song aiming it at IFP back in the late 80's and 90's, so where do they say white people in the song? the context of the song has nothing to do with people but university students' bodies"
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7. sello motlogeloa, 2019
"The song is in Xhosa and not Zulu so his translation is totally wrong because uphephela means aeroplane in Xhosa and phepha in Zulu means be aware. The song has been sung since the 1980s during the stuggle way before EEF"
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8. Cbucico Cimama, 2019
"Xelelani umalema ukuthi isasco iyasigolozela(tell malema that sasco is arrogant) we juju asiyothenga mayeza sbulalizinja (we juju let's buy medicine to kill dogs *referred to sasco which is their opponent in src election) uyamazi u-E u-F u-F uqhambuke zantsi uphephela uphephela(do you no E F F is coming from the ground in this point they refer to eff as a plane that is coming from the ground n rise up high hence you see the way they dance their hand r rising high )... So that's what the song mean,, it has nothing to do with white ppl vs blacks in S. A its all bout election campaign nothing else
-snip-
The asterisk is found in the original comment.
Here's what I believe this commenter meant by "you no E F F is coming from the ground" = you know [that the organization] E. F. F. is rising up.
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9. Musa Johannes Sithole, 2019
"This guy cannot even differentiate between SASCO and the EFFSC. Whites are seriously ignorant when it comes to the Siuth African political dynamics. This guys are seriously lost and yet they think they can come with solutions to the challenges facing South Aftica today. What a shame."
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10. Musa Johannes Sithole, 2019
"It's surprising how ignorant white South Africans are. Malema has not invented anything in the struggle for Black South Afticans. All the songs which the EFF is singing had been sung by the elders during the struggle against apartheid. All the ideas pursued by the EFF is a continuation of the struggle started by the elders. The first non negotiable pillar of the EFF is based on the Freedom Charter. Wake up guys, the EFF is not alone in this struggle. After all, it is not EFF's struggle, it is the struggle of all economically oppressed Black South Afticans. You are barking the wrong tree. Woef! Woef!"
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11. Cbucico Cimama, 2019
"What's disturbing is this old man turning everything in S. A to whites vs blacks this song got nothing to do with whites it was SRC election battle btwn eff student command n Sasco(anc student) so eff student r singing bout Sasco here I'm not sure if sasco is white ppl myb this old man will tell us sasco mean white ppl lol"
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12. themba magubane, 2019
"Let's me help you understand what the song is about before you give yourselves unnecessary heart attacks. The song sang here by eff student command is sang against their rival or opposition SASCO not White people. It was originally sang by ANC again IFP back in the days. Where they say Malema, the original song said Mandela. It is not wise of this guy to use Google translate and thereafter cause racial tentions and wars based on a misinterpretation by Google translate. There not even a mention or reference to White people in anyway."
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13. Syanda Chonco, 2019
"Shame on you Mr ... 1, your translation is very wrong, you just out of context .2 This song is very old, it was sang in the struggle during apartheid (segregation) times. 3 . Never again try to explain or translate things that you do not understand, do your research first."
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This concludes Part II of this four part pancocojams series.
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