Roger Kellaway: Shosholoza
This week's Maiitri Tunes is a traditional South African folk song that was sung by Ndebele all-male migrant workers that were working in the South African mines in a call and response style. In contemporary times, its meaning is to show support for any struggle.
Shosholoza is a South African traditional song that inspired several communities to unify under very different circumstances. It began as a folk song for the gold and diamond miners traveling back and forth between Zimbabwe and South Africa, with its words in Ndebele (of Zimbabwe) and Zulu (of South Africa) language, meaning "to push forward, endeavor, or strive." The song later evolved into a symbol of political status and in Nelson Mandela’s autobiography, Long Walk to Freedom, he described Shosholoza as “a song that compares the Apartheid struggle to the motion of an oncoming train.” Today, the song is considered by some to be South Africa’s second national anthem, has been the National sporting anthem of South Africa since Nelson Mandela’s Presidency, and was further popularized in the movie Invictus.
Shosholoza
Kulezo ntaba
Stimela siphume South Africa
Kulezo ntaba
Stimela siphume South Africa
Wen' uyabaleka
Kulezo ntaba
Stimela siphume South Africa
The song was usually sung to express the hardship of working in the mines. It expresses heartache over the hard work performed in the mines. The word Shosholozaor "chocholoza!" means go forward or make way for the next man, in Ndebele. It is used as a term of encouragement and hope for the workers as a sign of solidarity. The sound "sho sho" uses onomatopoeia and reminiscent of the sound made by the steam train (stimela). "Kulezo ntaba!" means (At those far away mountains), "Stimela Siphume eZimbabwe" (the train come from Zimbabwe), "Wen´ uya baleka" (Because you're running away/hurrying).
FEW SONGS FROM THE ARCHIVE
