'60s Africa found the Zulu and Sotho beginning to incorporate the influences of African American R&B, jazz, and blues into their traditional, indigenous music. New styles such as township jazz, pennywhistle street music, Kwela, and marabi were formed. Eventually, these myriad styles coalesced to create a new hybrid pop music that came to be known as mbaqanga. Though mbaqanga employs the traditional instrumentation of Western pop (guitar, bass, drums, keyboards, and vocals), the approach to song structure and rhythmic, melodic, and harmonic phrasing is uniquely African.
Recorded between 1981 and 1984, THE INDESTRUCTIBLE BEAT OF SOWETO is the first (and arguably the best) of a slew of South African pop recordings that soon followed. Characterized by insistent, rhythmically complex beats, elastic, burbling basslines, tight, ska-sounding guitar accompaniment, and thick, multi-part vocals, this music is as intriguing as it is appealing. Groups with such names as Udokotela Shange Namajaha and Amaswazi Emvelo serve up bright, infectious melodies and percussively insistent tracks that are clearly intended for dancing. Though this "pop" may at first seem strange to Western ears, repeated listens reveal its true nature: rich, individual, joyous, and simply wonderful music.
Izintaba Azihlangani
Amaswazi Emvelo Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Ukuhamba ukubona
Bengimenyiwe le emshadweni kaKhumalo
Wafik'uNgubane kimi
Wabolek'ibhayisikili lami
Wahamba wadliwa izintaba
Izintab'azihlangani kodwa abantu
Ngubane
Izintab'azihlangani kodwa abantu
Bona ke (Bayahlangana)
Izintab'azihlangani kodwa abantu
Bona ke (Bayahlangana)
Izintaba
Kazihlangani kodwa abantu bayahlangana
Izintaba
Kazihlangani kodwa abantu bayahlangana
Izintaba
Kazihlangani kodwa abantu bayahlangana
Wokhumbul'ukuthi unyawo
Lona lodwa (Alunampumulo)
Wokhumbul'ukuthi unyawo
Lona lodwa (Alunampumulo)
Ngoba liyokufaka
Unyawo lakho (La kukhona isitha sakho)
Ngoba liyokufaka lona
Unyawo lakho lolu (La kukhona isitha sakho)
Ungabokwenz'okubi kimi
Ucabang'ukuthi angekhe siphinde sibonane
Siyobonana nawe
Uma sisaphila
Ungabokwenz'okubi kimi
Ucabang'ukuthi angekhe siphinde sibonane
Siyobonana nawe
Uma sisaphila
Ungabokwenz'okubi kimi
Ucabang'ukuthi angekhe siphinde sibonane
Siyobonana nawe
The lyrics to Amaswazi Emvelo's song Izintaba Azihlangani speak to the experience of going on a journey, of wandering the world and encountering new places and people along the way. The opening lines, "Ukuhamba ukubona," repeat twice, emphasizing the act of traveling in order to see and experience the world. The singer then references being "bengimenyiwe le emshadweni kaKhumalo," which can be interpreted as feeling lost, perhaps in a realm of family or community.
The following line references the arrival of Ngubane, who "wabolek'ibhayisikili lami," or helped the singer with their baggage. The final line in this section, "Wahamba wadliwa izintaba," translates to "He traveled and ate mountains," which might suggest a sense of awe or wonder inspired by Ngubane's journeying.
The chorus repeats the phrase "Izintaba azihlangani kodwa abantu" multiple times, which means "The mountains do not meet, but the people do." The repeated line "weh Ngubane" emphasizes the importance of this particular person in bringing the people together.
While there are many potential interpretations of this song, it seems to express a sense of wonder and appreciation for the journey of life, and the people who we meet along the way who help us carry our burdens and find our way.
Line by Line Meaning
Ukuhamba ukubona
Walking to see
Ukuhamba ukubona
Walking to see
Bengimenyiwe le emshadweni kaKhumalo
I was invited to Khumalo's wedding
Wafik'uNgubane kimi
Ngubane arrived with me
Wabolek'ibhayisikili lami
He carried my suitcase
Wahamba wadliwa izintaba
He walked until he ate mountains
Izintab'azihlangani kodwa abantu
Mountains that do not meet but people do
Weh Ngubane (Bayahlangana)
Ngubane too (They meet)
Ngubane
Ngubane
Izintab'azihlangani kodwa abantu
Mountains that do not meet but people do
Bona ke (Bayahlangana)
They both see each other
Izintab'azihlangani kodwa abantu
Mountains that do not meet but people do
Bona ke (Bayahlangana)
They both see each other
Izintaba
Mountains
Kazihlangani kodwa abantu bayahlangana
They don't meet but people do
Izintaba
Mountains
Kazihlangani kodwa abantu bayahlangana
They don't meet but people do
Izintaba
Mountains
Kazihlangani kodwa abantu bayahlangana
They don't meet but people do
Wokhumbul'ukuthi unyawo
Remember that you have one foot
Lona lodwa (Alunampumulo)
Only it exists (There is no other rest)
Wokhumbul'ukuthi unyawo
Remember that you have one foot
Lona lodwa (Alunampumulo)
Only it exists (There is no other rest)
Ngoba liyokufaka
Because it will fit
Unyawo lakho (La kukhona isitha sakho)
Your foot (Where your problem lies)
Ngoba liyokufaka lona
Because it will fit only
Unyawo lakho lolu (La kukhona isitha sakho)
This foot (Where your problem lies)
Ungabokwenz'okubi kimi
Don't do wrong to me
Ucabang'ukuthi angekhe siphinde sibonane
Thinking that we will never see each other again
Siyobonana nawe
We will see each other
Uma sisaphila
If we live
Ungabokwenz'okubi kimi
Don't do wrong to me
Ucabang'ukuthi angekhe siphinde sibonane
Thinking that we will never see each other again
Siyobonana nawe
We will see each other
Uma sisaphila
If we live
Ungabokwenz'okubi kimi
Don't do wrong to me
Ucabang'ukuthi angekhe siphinde sibonane
Thinking that we will never see each other again
Siyobonana nawe
We will see each other
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind