"Tsamina mina eh eh, Waka Waka eh eh, Tsamina mina zangalewa, This time for Africa"....that's the earworm that will be humming in your head for the rest of the day.
I recently listened to Shakira's rendition of the official song of the FIFA 2010 World Cup performed with our local band - Freshlyground on YouTube here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_ztr96RbMW8 and I think its a great choice! Its basically a happy, playful tune designed to raise the energy level of a crowd. The jivey township tunes wafts in and out of the song while the deep strains of the Zulu isicathamiya harmonies, popularized by Ladysmith Black Mambazo, can be heard towards the end.
Actually the more one learns about the choice of this song, the more one can appreciate mischievous nature of the creators of the original 1986 hit song - the popular Camerounian song "Zamina" or “Zangaléwa”. Some parts of it are actually gibberish but the folklore is that its a veiled criticism of black military officers who were in league with whites to oppress their own people! You can watch Zangaléwa here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LHV7gmT5m8I These black military officers were impersonating white offices complete with pith helmets and military regalia and wait for it....white handlebar mustaches - what a hoot! A gentle reminder of what buffoons the oppressors really were - LOL
The pre-game show at the Orlando Stadium in Soweto is going to be fantastic with the lineup of artists like Alicia Keys, Amadou & Mariam, Angélique Kidjo, Black Eyed Peas, BLK JKS, John Legend, Juanes, Shakira, The Parlotones, Tinariwen, Vieux Farka Touré , U2, Vusi Mahlasela. Italian tenor Andrea Bocelli and Canadian rock singer Bryan Adams joined by South African soprano Pretty Yendeare are just some of the musical superstars that will be performing to mark culmination of the World Cup.
Anyway, if you want to see more of Shakira's sexy hips-that-don't-lie then this http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-qmB4ZZF_uA music video will keep you happy. Here are the English lyrics of the
official 2010 World Cup song, Time for Africa in Spanish is Esto es Africa.
You're a good soldier
Choosing your battles
Pick yourself up
And dust yourself off
And back in the saddle
You're on the frontline
Everyone's watching
You know it's serious
We're getting closer
This isnt over
The pressure is on
You feel it
But you've got it all
Believe it
When you fall get up
Oh oh...
And if you fall get up
Oh oh...
Tsamina mina
Zangalewa
Cuz this is Africa
Tsamina mina eh eh
Waka Waka eh eh
Tsamina mina zangalewa
Anawa aa
This time for Africa
Listen to your god
This is our motto
Your time to shine
Dont wait in line
Y vamos por Todo
People are raising
Their Expectations
Go on and feed them
This is your moment
No hesitations
Today's your day
I feel it
You paved the way
Believe it
If you get down
Get up Oh oh...
When you get down
Get up eh eh...
Tsamina mina zangalewa
Anawa aa
This time for Africa
Tsamina mina eh eh
Waka Waka eh eh
Tsamina mina zangalewa
Anawa aa
Tsamina mina eh eh
Waka Waka eh eh
Tsamina mina zangalewa
This time for Africa
Monday, May 3, 2010
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
"Esto es Africa" should be "This Is Africa" in translation. "Time for Africa" would be "Tiempo para Africa."
ReplyDeleteFun song all the same!
Yes Ma'am, my Spanish sucks. ;-)
ReplyDeleteI still found the original Zangaléwa hilarious in the way they made fun of their colonizers! Just shows how humor fuels the human spirit even in dark times.
I can't wait for the WC. I think the US has a good shot at moving out of group play along with England (Slovenia and Algeria are the other teams in our group) and anything beyond that would be gravy.
ReplyDeleteMy dad and I will be watching together--the time difference means games here will likely come on at about 7 am, 11 am and 2 pm. He put me in my first league when I was 5 and I've been playing ever since, so it's kind of our thing together.
And of course I shall be cheering for Bafana as well as the US.
Me too Shannon!!
ReplyDeleteI'm shining my vuvuzela and donning my Bafana Bafana shirt.
I also loved playing soccer as a kid and it bring back fond memories of childhood. I used to love watching English soccer as well so I'm torn when it comes to which team to cheer for. I'll certainly be cheering the US team as well, I'm amazed at their progress in such a short time.
Our Bafana Bafana is slowly working up it confidence. The recent match with Thailand was good eh?
The match with Thailand didn't show here, but a 4-0 score hopefully indicates that Bafana Bafana has learned to finish. That has been my frustration with them--they will string together some beautiful passing sequences and then choke on every shot--shanked off the crossbar, just wide, waited too long, etc. I kept thinking "if they will get some strikers who can convert opportunities to goals, they could really be good." Hope that has happened!
ReplyDelete