Songs from Southern Africa

These are songs I learnt at community choirs in Brighton and Bangor.

Siyahamba (Zulu)

Siyahamb' ekukhanyen' kwenkos' x4
Siyahamba, hamba, x2
Siyahamb' ekukhanyen' kwenkos'

Translation

We are marching in the light of God.

Hear a recording of this song:

Hamba nathi (Zulu)

Hamba nathi Mkhululi wethu x4
Mkhululi, Mkhululi, Mkhululi wethu x4

Translation

Stay with us our saviour/redeemer/liberator.

Hear a recording of this song:

Senzeni na?

This is a protest song from the days of Apartheid in South Africa.

Senzeni na?
What have we done?

Sono sethu, ubumyama?
Our sin is that we are black?

Sono sethu yinyaniso?
Our sin is the truth

Sibulawayo
They are killing us

Mayibuye i Africa
Let Africa return

Listen to a recording of this song by Bangor Community Choir

Listen to a recording of this song combined with the traditional Welsh hymn, Trig gyda mi, which has almost the same tune (Bangor Community Choir)

Hear another recording of this song:

Shosholoza

This is a traditional Southern African folk song traditionally sung by all-male work gangs in a call and response style.

Shosholoza
Ku lezontaba
Stimela siphum' eSouth Africa

Wen' uyabaleka
Wen' uyabaleka
Ku lezontaba
Stimela siphum' eSouth Africa

Translation

Move fast
on those mountains
train from South Africa.

You are running away
on those mountains
train from South Africa.

Listen to a recording of this song by Bangor Community Choir

Hear another recording of this song:

Information about Zulu | Phrases | Numbers | Family Words | Tongue twisters | Tower of Babel | Songs | Zulu courses on: Amazon.com and Amazon.co.uk [affilate links]

Links

Other versions of these songs
http://ingeb.org/spiritua/siyahamb.html
http://www.cpdl.org/wiki/index.php/Siyahamba_(Anonymous)
http://www.mamalisa.com/blog/senzenina-a-zulu-protest-song-and-funeral-song/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shosholoza

Zulu songs
http://www.kwasizabantu.com/audio/music/music_clips.htm

Songs in the languages of South Africa (Afrikaans - Zulu)
http://www.ksb.org.za/audio/words/ksbchoir_index.htm

Songs in other languages

[top]


Green Web Hosting - Kualo

You can support this site by Buying Me A Coffee, and if you like what you see on this page, you can use the buttons below to share it with people you know.

 

Conversations - learn languages through stories

If you like this site and find it useful, you can support it by making a donation via PayPal or Patreon, or by contributing in other ways. Omniglot is how I make my living.

 

Note: all links on this site to Amazon.com, Amazon.co.uk and Amazon.fr are affiliate links. This means I earn a commission if you click on any of them and buy something. So by clicking on these links you can help to support this site.

[top]

iVisa.com