ChabaP237, April 18, 2020
This is Part II of a three part pancocojams series on the Cameroonian song "Zangalewa".
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.
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.
This pancocojams post also presents some information about the songs "Zangalewa" and "Waka Waka (This Time For Africa".
Click https://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2022/02/some-childhood-memories-of-song.html for Part III of this pancocojams series. That post showcases a video of Kenyan comic Zangalewa entertainers. That post also presents a compilation of comments from various YouTube discussion threads about commenters' memories about the original "Zangalewa song" or covers and reinactments of that song prior to Shakira's 2010 performance of the song that she calls "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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WHAT THE 1986 CAMEROONIAN SONG ZANGALEWA MEANS IN ENGLISH
These comments are from various discussion threads of YouTube videos of the song "Zangalewa". These selected comments are presented in no particular order and are numbered for referencing purposes only.
Notice that Excerpt #2, comment #3 appears to be a full transcription of the lyrics to the 1986 Cameroonian song"Zangalewa". Unfortunately, that commenter didn't identify the languages for all of the lyrics for that song.
Additions and corrections for any of the comments given below are very welcome.
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Excerpt #1:
From https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OdrEisrvY7g&t=2s&ab_channel=ChabaP237
[This is the link for the video that is embedded in this pancocojams post.]
1. Timothy Talemwa, 2022
"What's the meaning of this classic!"
**
Reply
2. Sylvain Andzongo, 2022
"Zangelewa comes from the Ewondo (language from th center region of Cameroon) "Za ga loh wa". It litteral meaning is: who called you? Who forces you to do this or be part of.... Since it this a song sang by soldiers, the contextual meaning of it is that: nobody forces you to enrol in the army."
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Excerpt #2
From https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p47zwuOVXNQ&ab_channel=juniorka2 "Zangalewa (Zamina mina....) Waka waka", juniorka2, Jan 28, 2011
1. lissette vivi, 2015
"traduce lo que quiere decir la cancion al castellano amigo
prince"
-snip-
Google translate from Spanish to English:
"Translate what the song means into Spanish friend prince."
**
Reply
2. Robert Matano Lok'a Masai
" @Viviana Alva This is an encouragement song which says.
.....This is hard (war) and we got into it ourselves, the army is doing hard
things to us and there is no pay for it despite this we need not to give up
since there will come a way out of this (war), the food I eat makes me happy
and to you the enemy we will capture you, shave you and put you into prison
without food......"
**
3. clandestino, 2019
"Zangalewa (4 times)
he he he he he
Edjibe Zangalewa — [Edjibe is a general-purpose exclamation]
Edjibe na war this — [Whoa this is hard (like a war)]
Edjibe na me fanam — [I'm the one who got myself into this]
Edjibe na army — [This army is doing hard things to me]
Edjibe djibe zangalewa
Chorus:
Edjibe djibe he edjibe djibe zangalewa
Edjibe djibe heee eh edjibe djibe zangalewa
Guy:
Edjibe zangalewa
Edibe man no run — [You don't have to give up]
Edibe money no deh — [With all this there is no money]
Edjibe na me fanam
Edjibe djibe zangalewa
Chorus:
Edjibe djibe he edjibe djibe zangalewa edjibe djibe heee edjibe djibe zangalewa
Guy:
Zangalewa (he) zanga zangalewa (eh) (etc.)
Emile Kojidie:
Edjibe zangalewa
Dibe na war dis
Dibe war don trong — [The training is hard]
Dibe man no run
Dibe na me fanam
Edjibe djibe zangalewa
Chorus:
Edibe djibe he edjibe djibe zangalewa
Edjibe djibe he he edjibe djibe zangalewa
Emile:
Edjibe zangalewa
Tchop tchop tchop make me fine — [Food (eating) makes me happy]
Tchop tchop tchop make me glad
Hey i don taya — [I'm tired]
Hey na me fanam
Hey chief don come — [The chief just arrived (so no joking around)]
Edjibe edjibe zangalewa
Chorus:
Edjibe djibe he edjibe djibe zangalewa edjibe djibe he he edjibe djibe zangalewa
Emile:
Zangalewa zanga zangalewa (he) (etc.)
Chorus:
la la la la la la la la la la (3 times)
Guy:
A soldja (4 times)
Quand je pousse a gauche toi tu pousse a droite
Quand je pousse a droite toi tu pousse a gauche
Moustache (toujours!)
Moustache (toujours!)
En avant marche un deux trois quatre (ewa wa wa wa wa ewa)
En avant marche un deux - un deux
En avant marche un deux trois - un deux trois
En avant arret tema tema tema tema tema tema tema he
En avant arret tema tema tema tema tema tema tema he
Say hein say hein say hein say hein ventilateur
Moustache (toujours!)
No touch my gary oh ho ho — [Don’t touch my food]
[Gary is dry cassava that can be eaten with sugar and peanuts or milk]
You sabi say i day — [You know I’m hot, right?]
Small no be sick no — [Cream for pain (such as tiger balm)]
Jean-Paul Zé Bella:
Edjibe zangalewa (he) edjibe zangalewa (he)
(French)
Les commandos zangalewa (he)
Tous ensemble zangalewa (he)
Le meme esprit zangalewa (he)
Le meme but zangalewa (he)
Zanga mina Zangalewa
Chorus:
Edjibe djibe he edjibe djibe zangalewa
Edjibe djibe he he edjibe djibe zangalewa
Jean-Paul:
Edjibe zangalewa
Les commandoes zangalewa:
[He names the members of the band, all of whom are fellow soldiers]
Andre Destin zangalewa,
Petit zangalewa,
Zé Bella zangalewa,
Si Bemol zangalewa,
Kojidie zangalewa,
Mpouli zangalewa,
A Belley zangalewa,
Mewondo zangalewa,
Jeannot zangalewa,
Ondobo zangalewa,
Clement zangalewa
Guy:
En avant marche
Sun sun sele tomba nikae sun sun ate — [in Douala]
Guy (“Big belley”):
He massa ngale (he ngale ewa)
[Massa ngale is a strict instructor who does not fool around]
Big belley ngale (he ngale ewa)
He massa ngale (he ngale ewa)
Big belley ngale (he ngale ewa)
Tu as deserter (ewa) — [You are a deserter]
On va te raser (ewa) — "
8.
"I love this song... what does it mean? Listening from Zambia"
**
Reply
9. Ella Mey Michael, 2019
"Song for army , it is written zangalewa but it's read za nga loe wa .in a fan- beti's language ( language spoken in half Cameroon , more than half Gabon and the whole equatorial Guinea) . So that just means za nga loe wa= who calls you ?( in army)
Africa is one I m from Cameroon but I like also Ghana music especially Obibibi takea in akosombo nkanea"
-snip-
"in a fan-beti language" = The word "fan" here is a typo for "Fang".
from http://www.worldlanguage.com/Languages/Fang.htm
"Fang is the major language of three countries on the west
coast of Africa. It is spoken in southern Cameroon by about 1½ million people,
in mainland Equatorial Guinea by about 200,000, and in northern Gabon by about
300,000. A Bantu language, it is closely related to Bulu, another language of
Cameroon.
Fang is spoken/used in the following countries:
Cameroon, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, Guinea."
-snip-
Also, read the information about Beti languages that is found under comment #13 in this Excerpt.
**
10. Deja Raines, 2020
"Could you translate the part Shakira uses in her song Waka
waka"
**
Reply
11.. Justo Evans, 2020
"@Deja Raines waka waka simply means to move."
**
Reply
12. Deja Raines, 2020
"@Justo Evans I know that much but there’s more words than
that in the song"
**
Reply
13. Justo Evans, 2020
"@Deja Raines Ok. I'm from Cameroon but I don't speak and
understand the "beti" language used by them. But I think if u keep
reading through the comments u will get a better translation. I grew up as a
child listening to this or watch the military use it to march and even in
primary school and college we used it for march pass as well. Stay blessed and
thanks for loving the music."
-snip-
Here's some information about Beti language
from https://zims-en.kiwix.campusafrica.gos.orange.com/wikipedia_en_all_nopic/A/Beti_language
"Beti is a group of Bantu languages, spoken by the
Beti-Pahuin peoples who inhabit the rain forest regions of Cameroon, Republic
of the Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, and São Tomé and Príncipe. The
varieties, which are largely mutually intelligible and variously considered
dialects or closely related languages, are:
Ewondo (Yaunde)
Fang
Bulu
Eton
Bebele
Bebil
Mengisa.
[...]
There
is a Beti-based pidgin called Ewondo Populaire."
****
From https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0Ih3z5eS1PI
Version Coupe du Monde 2010 / 2010 World Cup video edit
GroupeZangalewa, Sept. 7, 2011
Vidéo-clip diffusé pendant la Coupe du Monde 2010 sur l'ensemble des chaînes de télévision au Cameroun / Music video aired on local TV stations in Cameroon during the 2010 World Cup
1. A R, 2020
"Video looks like a pretty savvy critique of white colonial impact in African nations such as slavery of natives, natives mimicking the colonial rulers (such as the police / soldiers) and whites taking advantage. I don't know what the words mean. I came after watching the Shakira version of Waka Waka and being curious about the Afro-Caribbean and African roots of the music."
**
Reply
2. Ngwesekang Neville, 2020
"From what i was told while growing up.. The song came as a result of some group of Cameroon soldiers who complained about their working conditions in the period of war (in which the fought along side the colonial army) and the response they got from a native superiors was "Zangalewa" which means "who sent you" (but in this context it takes the form of a rhetorical question and at the same time ironic so as to make the soldier reflect on his primary objective of joining the army-which is to serve the nation irrespective of the circumstance). "Waka" is a word in Pidgin English (A language mostly spoken by former british colonies in Africa mainly Southern Cameroons, Nigeria, Ghana and somehow Liberia. When the population of this countries are put together, the language could be classified as one of the most spoken languages in the world) which means Walk.. Jango is a name given to a great warrior. Edibe is like a native name. So in this context one could translate it as
"Brave warrior, who sent you into the Army, keep walking"
Edibe zankalewa: Edibe who sent you into the army.
Edibe na war e: Edibe this is war
Edibe na me findam: Edibe i got my self into this.
Edibe na army:Edibe, this is the Army.
Edibe war done strong: Edibe, we are at the crucial stange of war.
Edibe man nor Run: the is no turning back we keep fighting."
****
This concludes Part II of this three part pancocojams series.
Thanks for visiting pancocojams.
Visitor comments are welcome.
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