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Showing posts with label South African struggle songs. Show all posts
Showing posts with label South African struggle songs. Show all posts

Monday, June 30, 2025

The South African Gwijo "Thina Siyazalana" ("Mtaka Mama") With Lyrics & English Translations (2025 Reprint)


laughter.mr, Jun 1, 2018

South African Soldiers Singing in Camp

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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.

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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"

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2. Bevan Nel, 2019
"What are the words to this chant? Absolutely brilliant!"

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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.'😅
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."

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Example #2: Queens college -Mtaka Mama 🔥🔥



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"

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REPLY
2. Mahle Mpungose, 2019
"Thina siyazalana mama
Zumpeee mtaka mama
Zumpeya ofikizolo mtaka mama
Helelelele
Zumpeee
Mtaka mama
Zumpeya
Ofikizolo mtaka mama"

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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"

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REPLY
2. ZAMANI MTHEMBUm 2019
"Thina siyazalana mama
zupeeeeee
mntakamama
zupeee yaaah
ufik izolo umntakamama"

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Example #4: St Stithians Boys College Gwijo - Thina Siyazalana🔥



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"

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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.

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3. macdonald sebotlhelo, 2019
"Please help with the lyrics all i can pick up is siyazalana"

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REPLY
4. Thapelo Tlhale, 2019
"Thina siyazalana Ma

 Zooooompeeeeee, mnta ka mama
Zooooompeeeeeeha, ufikezolo, mnta ka mama"

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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"

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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."

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8. Nkosi Zulu, 2020
"Gwijo shouldn't be rehearsed and preformed.  Even the clapping was rehearsed 😴boring"

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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."

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This concludes Part IV of this pancocojams series.

Thanks for visiting pancocojams.

Visitor comments are welcome. 
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Saturday, September 7, 2024

A 2016 Congo-Brazzaville Medley Of The South African Gospel Songs "Siyahamba", "Shozaloza" & "Aya Ngena" (with comments from various nations around the world)


clovisdavy mak, Feb 13, 2016

Nouvel Album Chorale Sainte Famille (CONGO Brazzaville)

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WARNING:
A commenter wrote that the watching this video gave him motion sickness. I can understand how that is possible because of the way the visuals sometimes glitch. 

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Edited by Azizi Powell

This pancocojams post showcases a 2016 YouTube video from of a group from Congo-Brazzaville performing a medley of songs from the nation of South Africa. 

Representative examples of comments from this video's discussion thread document how widely these individual songs have been performed throughout the world.

The content of this post is presented for cultural, entertainment, and aesthetic purposes.
All copyrights remain with their owners. Thanks to the original composer/s of this song and thanks to the featured performers of this song. Thanks also to all those who are quoted in this post and thanks to the publisher of this video on YouTube. -snip-
Click https://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2024/09/five-youtube-videos-of-choral.html for the closely related pancocojams post entitled "Five YouTube Videos Of Choral Performances Of The South African Folk Song "Aya Ngena" (with information & comments)"
-snip-
In addition to the focus on the performance of this song, I'm interested in documenting the performers' clothing, head gear, and natural hairstyles,
I may be mistaken since I'm African American, but I believe that most if not all of the clothing and head gear of the women and men in this video is based on West African styles. Also, it seems to me that the dancing in this video is heavily based on West African traditional dancing. So that means that people from Central Africa were singing a medley of South African songs while they wore West African clothes, and did West African dance moves.
Am I correct about these opinions? Please share your thoughts about this subject in the common section below. Thanks.
****
SELECTED COMMENTS FROM THIS VIDEO'S DISCUSSION THREAD
(with numbers added for referencing purposes only)

"Actually the whole song presentation is a number of songs from South Africa which are in this instance combined to form one song but its really more than one song, some are from the Gospel songs in South Africa and some are from the South African political struggle"

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Reply
2. @clovisdavy, 2017
"Exactly"

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"Do you know the names of the individual songs? I know Siyahamba and Shosholoza but there are more"

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Reply
"Camila Zendri The other one is Aya Ngena"

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"This is the best version of Siyahamba."

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Reply
"Obviously haven't heard South Africans singing it, which is sung in one of their native tongues."
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Reply
7. @revothomas9343, 2022
"@m2ranojaholo79  This is Zulu."
**

Reply
8. @clovisdavy, 2017
"Certainly because three songs make up south origins African we have only work them and to arrange them;"
"The song in between is called“Ayangena“-sang all this in Germany with “GospelChor Saarbrücken“ a wonderful ,joyful experience!"

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Reply
10. @grahamlea3172, 2018
"Guten tag myriam, was Stationed in st.tonis Krefeld west germany, would like to learn Alangena if you could send me the words it would be appreciated very much plus the translation, know the other 2 songs but would like to learn Ayangena. Gluten nacht und danka."

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"I love This.I wish someone can interpret for me the other stuff they are singing in between. I kow only the sihayamba part. From kenya-meru county. I love s.african gospel music"

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Reply
"IT'S A ISIZULU SONG.( SOUTH AFRICAN LANGUAGE). SIYAHAMBA EKUKHANYENI KWENKOSI WE ARE WALKING IN THE LIGHT OF GOD SHOSHOLOZA STIMELA SPHUME E AFRICA THE TRAIN FROM AFRICA IS DRIVING PAST WENA UYABALEKA KULEZONTABA, STIMELA SPHUMA E AFRICA YOU ARE RUNNING AWAY INTO THE MONTAINS, THE TRAIN IS FROM AFRICA BAYANGENA BAYAPHUMA BAYADIDIZELA AYESABA AMAGWALA THEY ARE WALKING IN CIRCLES, THEY ARE SCARED, THEY ARE CORWARDS"

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Reply

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"that is beautiful we sing that at my school 7 years old I am"

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Reply
"same"
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"Beautiful voice and what a great religious song. Love your show: Danny, Toronto Canada"

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"nice song but nihliphisa ulimi lwethu isizulu" -snip- Google translate from Zulu to English: "nice song but you are ruining our Zulu language" -snip- This commenter probably means that those Central African singers are mispronouncing the Southern African isiZulu words. (IsiZulu is the original language for these songs).

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"Polish Catolishs in Black Mother from Jasna Góra (group 15- Santa Jacek) sing this very beautiful song Polish- Wędrujemy w Świetle Pana Boga...! Siahamba Best wishes "

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"Lindos amei que Deus continue abençoando esse povo lindo venham ao Brasil venham venham! "
-snip- Google translate from Portuguese to English: "Beautiful, I loved it, may God continue to bless these beautiful people, come to Brazil, come, come! "

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"I Love this! Bless for sister and brothers the Church's God in África. Since Brazil."

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"Amo os irmãos Africano, Deus abençõe sempre esti irmãos aqui do Brasil"
-snip-
Google translate from Portuguese to English:
"I love the African brothers, God always bless these brothers here in Brazil"

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"Walking in the light of God O yessss God bless these wonderful voices"

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"shosholoza south africa j'adore !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

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"I love this and the dancing is great"

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"love this song from Colombia"

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"Muy buena canción :) Saludos desde México!!"
-snip-
Google translate from Spanish to English:
"Very good song :) Greetings from Mexico!!"

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"c'est cool"

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"As I thought, we completely butchered the pronunciation at school."

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Reply
30. @clovisdavy, 2018
"Not on my brother. It is rather us who we fought to try to pronounce well and naturally forgive we for the pronunciation and the faults."

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31. @bparaofeu5197, 2019
"Does anyone have the lyrics of this song? Ingaba umntu unayo ingoma yale ngoma? Ingabe ukhona umuntu onayo amazwi ale ngoma? Est-ce que quelqu'un a les paroles de cette chanson? Grato." -snip- The commenter repeated their request for this song's lyrics in four languages.

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Reply
32. @clovisdavy, 2019
"Yes.... Oui. Taper sur google. Texte de SIYAMBA puis Texte Shosholoza Puis celui de AYA NGUENA.
-snip- Google translate French to English:
"Yes.... Yes. Type on google. Text by SIYAMBA then Text Shosholoza Then that of AYA NGUENA."

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"wow!wonderful song of praise!ooh!I wish I understood the language.I love the song very much.Thanks SIYAHAMBA."

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"This title means we are walking in the light of god in english"

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"wow beautiful dance"

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"Up Africa!!!!"

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"Keep singing for our Lord my sisters and brothers"

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"I have to play this song for a band I’m in. Really a beautiful song."

**
Reply
39. @clovisdavy, 2019
"cool"
**

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"De onde é esse grupo. Amei essa coreografia" -snip- Google translate from Portuguese (Brazil) to English "Where is this group from? I loved this choreography"

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"Amen! Praise God!"
**

"Hearing the Nguni Language being used far away from the Descendants of Phunga and Geba,I realize that God once said that He will make them to be known world wide."

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"Wait, what!? I'm south African and by the sound of their accent they are not from here. Yet they sing in a language that sounds very much like Zulu. Am I missing something here, do other Africans up there in central africa speak same language as us?"

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Reply
"Injalo lol" -snip- Google translate from Zulu to English "It is lol"

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Reply
46. @lebogangmanopole5083, 2021
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Reply

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Reply
** Reply

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Reply
"Keep walking in the light of God 🇿🇦."

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"Wow! Magnificent. I am from Philippines. And i do vlog for Philippine Madrigal Singers, one of the famous choirs in the world. I came across your channel as suggested in my feed. I was impressed with your song. Such a talent to behold. Spreading love from the Philippines. Please continue sharing your love of music."

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"Que Dieu vous bénisse abondamment ! Shalom depuis Montréal Québec ! +(242). Merci pour la mélodie. Bonne année 2021 et bonne semaine !" -snip-
Google translate from French to English: "May God bless you abundantly! Shalom from Montreal Quebec! +(242). Thanks for the melody. Happy New Year 2021 and have a good week!"

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"I really love this song is my grandparents who used to sing it"

**

55. @LIANDI_NAVEK
"Merci à la Chorale Sainte Famille de l'église Sainte Face de Jésus de Pointe Noire au Congo BZV pour cette dynamique interprétation de ce gospel sud africain.

Vous faites honneur au pays. Je 🇨🇬 -snip- Google translate from French to English"
"Thank you to the Holy Family Choir of the Sainte Face de Jésus church in Pointe Noire in Congo BZV for this dynamic interpretation of this South African gospel."
You bring honor to the country. I 🇨🇬"

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"Thanks it is beautiful heavenly and peaceful I am in Antigua Barbuda."

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"Wakanda for ever"

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"I love you all is singer, s good bye from is papua"

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"Beautiful song ... repeat to watch from Weiloi India"

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"Powerful inspirational melodies"

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"As Zulus you make us proud, thank you so much, siyabonga kakhulu"

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"They ate that ️" -snip- "They ate that" is an African American Vernacular English phrase
meaning "They did great".

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63. @zhanglin3265, 2022
"Each of us is a silky yarn of the favorite color from Source to the earth to weave a fascinating tale of Shining Humanity."

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"The African Star Carol, which is derived from Siyahamba, was fun to sing in chorus. To hear this version of the original…it makes me feel alive! Such warm nostalgia and invigoration!"

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66. 
@clovisdavy
, 2024
"Thank you for your encouragement despite the mistakes in expression and translation. We will do better next time. thanks again"

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Reply
"Our cousins, doing justice to our song 🇿🇦 After all, our languages are very similar."

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