juniorka2, Jan. 28, 2011
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This is Part III of a three part pancocojams series on the Cameroonian song "Zangalewa".
This post showcases a video of Kenyan comic Zangalewa entertainers. Comments about these entertainers are given in the Addendum to this post.
This post also presents a compilation of selected comments from various YouTube discussion threads about commenters' memories about the original "Zangalewa" song. I'm interested in comments about memories of "Zangalewa" prior to Shakira's 2010 performance of the song that she calls "Waka Waka" (This Time For Africa"). I'm particularly interested in comments that include demographic information (a nation name) and comments that also include the decade that these memories are associated with.
Click https://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2022/02/the-cameroons-1986-zangalewa-song-and.html for Part I of this pancocojams series. That post showcase a video of the original 1986 "Zangelewa" song and video of the 2010 "Waka Waka (This Time For Africa)" song.
Click https://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2022/02/what-1986-cameroonian-song-zangalewa.html for Part II of this pancocojams series. This post showcases a clip of the original Zangalewa video and documents online comments that summarize the Zangalewa song and provide English translations for some of that song's lyrics. That pancocojams post also presents some information about the songs "Zangalewa" and "Waka Waka (This Time For Africa)".
All copyrights remain with their owners.
Thanks also to all those who are quoted in this post.
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SOME CHILDHOOD MEMORIES OF THE SONG "ZANGALEWA" IN AFRICA AND IN SOUTH AMERICA (BEFORE SHAKIRA'S "WAKA WAKA" SONG)
Excerpt #1
1. Jeff Barrett, 2014
"shakira made this song famous because in the near 80's african music was very popular in the colombian caribean coast where she is from, in that part of colombia by the time of the colony arrived many african slaves and since then they have stayed here they're now colombians but they still have that thing that makes them africans... and thats the reason why a radio station in cartagena started to broadcast popular african music it was really hard to get that type of music at first but they did it and people loved it even people who were not african descendants so that's when she came up with the idea... in this part of colombia there are many lebanese people turkies, arabics, spaniards, and of course indigenous people too who really own this land."
**
Reply
2. Noel Disey, 2017
"I'm from Bogotá and I remember this original version was popular on the radio, nearly 90's"
Reply
3.
"Well, she made it famous for non Africans. This song has been around since the 60s and probably before. It was african marching chant as they do their early morning street march"
**
4. Beven T Tsimba, 2016
"This takes way back.. Used to put pillows and imitate the guys.. This is just my childhood jam.. Will always love it.."
**
5. Orlando jose Cespedes, 2016
"Zangalewa 1986 se iso popular en Cartagena en los año 70"
.snip-
Google translate from Spanish to English:
"Zangalewa 1986 became popular in Cartagena in the 70's"
**
6. mzingaye mkwananzi, 2017
"Wow...! *2 Firstly Zangalewa brings back a flash back of my childhood back in the 90s. I resided in Victoria Falls were we had the privilege of watching Zambian broadcaster ZNBC were I first saw this song.
Secondly I am surprised by the fact that Shakira made this her song and didn't even give credit to these guys. But on that token she has to be applauded as a musician for taking a 30yr old song and making it a worldwide anthem."
**
7. Senge Syndysolidard, 2019
"Aww I remember my primary school days. Am emotional right now😅😅😅 we sang this while marching especially during 11 Februaries n was an epic moments...I love my country 🇨🇲😍😍"
-snip-
Here's an excerpt of an article that explains the significance of Feb. 11 in Cameroon:
From https://www.officeholidays.com/holidays/cameroon/youth-day#:~:text=History%20of%20Youth%20Day&text=The%20date%20of%20February%2011th,Cameroons%20chose%20integration%20into%20Nigeria.
"Youth Day is a national holiday in the Republic of Cameroon on February 11th each year.
Youth Day has been a public holiday since 1966.
This holiday is celebrated with enthusiasm and vigour across the nation with planning meetings taking place beforehand for the numerous parades and sports events that mark the day."...
**
8. Uwem Ekpo, 2019
"The music has been around since the 70,s because I remember us singing it in the school or chartered lorry after winning hig h school soccer match. Any support from Etinan Institute from Umoh Etukudo era?"
-snip-
Etinan Institute is a school in Nigeria.that was established in 1915. https://www.facebook.com/EtinanInstitute/
**
9. Jeff Abu, 2019
"Wow! This video brought back childhood memories. I use to sing and act along whilst watching this on TV back in the early nineties. 😁"
**
Reply
10. Jeff Abu, 2019
"🇳🇬"
-snip-
"NG" is the country code for Nigeria.
**
11. Ibrahin Ezequiel Martins Ibrahin, 2019
"I remember watching this song on tv. good times. From Angola!"
**
12. Emma Ibn-talal Ikhwan, 2020
"There is an even older version in the late 60s and early 70s that we sang in primary schools in Nigeria
13. 4. Fa., 2021
""One ❤️ Africa
This was our childhood anthem in Ethiopia. God bless our continent 💚💛❤"
*️*
14.
"Ethiopian 🇪🇹 i remember this song when its african union and its in adiss ababa this song was in our tv 24/7 ❣"
**
15. bawe shelah, 2021
"my childwood song and this reminds me of my primary school and the fact that my dad was in the army. proudly Cameroonian"
**
16. Kelvin Anderson, 2021
"We enjoyed this song as a kid in Nigeria. Thanks for the information. I never knew it was originally from my neighbouring country Cameroon 🇨🇲. One love"
**
17. siri man, 2021
"this song is the marching song of african soldiers ( engages volontaires) in the second world war it mixed of bunch of african dialects 3 of those songs became famous I think the last army to sing it was the army of cameroon everyone by now devolopped thier own marching song"
**
18. Levis Lopez, 2021
"La musica africana es adoptada en colombia desde los 70s para nosotros los colombianos es normal escuchar esta musica en barranquilla cartagena y toda colombia"
-snip-
Google translate from Spanish to English
"African music has been adopted in Colombia since the 70s, for us Colombians it is normal to listen to this music in Barranquilla, Cartagena and throughout Colombia."
**
19. Nahashon Irungu, 2021
"Used to go for movies as boys in a kibanda. The guy would play this song as we waited for other customers to arrive. Happy days those ones."
-snip-
Here's information about the Swahili word "kibanda" from https://en.bab.la/dictionary/swahili-english/kibanda: "cabin, hut, shack, stall". I think that the commenter meant that the movies were shown in a small building.
**
20. john omolaye, 2021
"Wow! Thanks for uploading. I remember my childhood days ooo. This songs played on NTA Nigerian television. I do dance with my dad"
**
21. muzaki vicky, 2021
"💃💃💃💃😅😅😅❤🌹⚽️⚽️⚽️ I loved this song school time football this was theme song and its a must win 🏆for my school I till love it 😀 2021 Uganda 🇺🇬"
**
22. Cjay 111, 2021
"From Kenya, use to hear this song growing up, watched it in our black TVs."
-snip-
"Black TVs" probably means television where the programs are only shown in black & white (no colors).
**
23. Stefan kwaku, 2022
"Proud to be African; Still Vibing to this beautiful masterpiece from Ghana 🇬🇭, This was a Childhood hit🔥🔥"
****
Excerpt #2
From https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0Ih3z5eS1PI
"Version Coupe du Monde 2010 / "Zangalewa : Version Coupe du Monde 2010 / 2010 World Cup video edit", published
by GroupeZangalewa, Sept. 7, 2011
1.lescamerpasvénales, 2015
"Zangalewa et les Golden Sounds du Cameroun nous
faisaient déjà rire au pays avec leurs déguisements dans les années 80 , avant
la REPRISE de Shakira : la preuve !"
-snip-
Google translate from French to English:
"Zangalewa and
the Golden Sounds of Cameroon were already making us laugh in the country with
their disguises in the 80s, before Shakira's COVER: the proof!"
**
2. SMC Escobar Gonzalez, 2017
"Canción de 1987
de Camerún para el mundo"
-snip-
Google translate from Spanish to English:
"1987 song from Cameroon to the world"
**
Reply
3. Maria Paz Martínez, 2021
"La canción ya la cantaban los soldados de Camerun en
la segunda guerra mundial, en el 87 la grabaron las dominicanas Las Chicas Del
Can. Si te referís a esta versión es de principio de los 80"
-snip-
Google translate from Spanish to English
**
4. yvonne mupasu, 2020
"Reminds m of my child hood frm Zimbabwe
...Afrobit"
**
5. simeon Essoh, 2021
"Je suis ivoirien. J'étais encore un gamin. C'était au
milieu des années 70; cette chanson était utilisée pour animer les activités du
scootisme et C.V - A.V."
-snip-
Google translate from French to English:
"I am Ivorian. I was still a kid. It was in the
mid-70s; this song was used to animate the activities of scootism and C.V -
A.V."
-snip-
“Scootism” probably refers to the Boy Scouts. I don't know what C.V.- A.V means.
Excerpt #3
From
Summary: "Golden Sounds was a makossa band from Cameroon, creator of this song that was a huge hit in Africa in 1986. Two years later, the song also became a smash hit in Colombia, where it was associated to a music style called "terapia" ("theraphy"). The song itself was known in this country with the name of "El Militar" ("The Military"). Here you can hear the original, full-length version of this song, which many years later was used by Colombian singer Shakira as the basis for the recording that became the officlal song for the 2010 FIFA World Cup tournament that took place in South Africa.
Selected comments:
1. mvolo alain, 2021
"As a former scout leader we used to sing it during the parade on Cameroon national day in Douala and Buea other versions after 1986 are fake and overuse."
**
2. mvolo alain, 2021
"This original full verion from.Cameroon recorded in 1986 from "" Garde presidentielle escadron musique Ekounou- Yaounde)"
****
Excerpt #4
From
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ACFXs5IInQ4&ab_channel=EYEGAMBIA "The African 'Waka Waka' many don't know about." published by EYEGAMBIA, July 6, 2020
Alexinara, 2021
"I grew with my grandparents who used to play this song
almost on daily basis. As a young cameroonian pupil back then, we will sing and march along to
this song to our classrooms. Then came shakira, and then we lost our song. I
still love the original more than shakiras though"
****
Excerpt #5
From https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0Ih3z5eS1PI
"Version Coupe du Monde 2010 / 2010 World Cup video edit" published,
GroupeZangalewa, Sept. 7, 2011
Eunice Saiti, 2021
"l grew up listening to this song and enjoyed every bit
of it in 1980s, Love from Malawi ❤"
****
ADDENDUM: COMMENTS ABOUT KENYAN ZANGALEWA ENTERTAINERS
From https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p47zwuOVXNQ&t=113s&ab_channel=juniorka2
**
2. adewale1971, 2018
"Kenyans ability to jam to this Cameroon song shows the connectiveness of Africa ; east , west , north and south ..we are all one. One day we will be the world super power as the Real USA ( United States of Africa)!!!!!!!!
**
3. John Njogu Ndegwa, 2019
"These DANCERS brought the whole difference meaning of Dramatized music in Kenya, in the eighties. Thank you ZANGALEWA TROOP."
**
4. Ian Aruasa, 2021
"Events in Kenya felt incomplete without people acting as zangalewa"
**
5. SynQ Electric, 2021
“If you are Kenyan and you are here, tell me, are these the same guys who used
to Perform many shows here in Kenya in the past or were there copycats because
in my childhood years i used to watch them perform a lot”
**
6. Teresa Gladys Nalikka, 2021
"Dikula 🤣🤣🤣
that's what we used to call men who dressed up like these guys with big
stomachs and white beard paint in Uganda growing up. My granny would scare us
that if we didnt behave well the men would eat us🤣🤣🤣. ❤❤❤
this song
****
This concludes Part III of this three part pancocojams series.
Thanks for visiting pancocojams.
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