Dorothy Masuka (3 September 1935 - 23 February 2019) was a South African ja… Read Full Bio ↴Dorothy Masuka (3 September 1935 - 23 February 2019) was a South African jazz singer.

She was born in Bulawayo, (Southern Rhodesia, nowadays Zimbabwe), the fourth of seven children, and her mother was Zulu while her father was a Zambian hotel chef. Still, she attended a Catholic school deemed good by the standards of education allowed blacks. Her family moved to South Africa when she was 12 due to her health. By the time she was 19 she was touring in South Africa with singers she had admired as a girl.

Masuka's music was popular in South Africa throughout the 1950s, but when her songs became more serious, the government began questioning her. Her song "Dr. Malan," mentioning difficult laws, was banned and in 1961 she sang a song for Patrice Lumumba, which led to her exile. This exile lasted 31 years in total during which she lived in Zambia and worked as a flight attendant. She returned to Zimbabwe in 1980 after independence. Many of her songs are in the Ndebele language or Sindebele languages.

In August 2011, Dorothy Masuka and Mfundi Vundla, creator of the popular South African soap opera Generations, confirmed plans to make a film of Masuka's life. The film would concentrate on the years 1952 to 1957.

On 27 April 2017 she featured in the concert "The Jazz Epistles featuring Abdullah Ibrahim & Ekaya" at The Town Hall, New York City, opening the show and delivering "one passionate performance after another, warming up and winning over the crowd".

Hoenene
Dorothy Masuka Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Jwala bona
Jwala bona
Jwala bona
Jwala bona le bo tshele metsi
Jwala bona
Jwala bona
Jwala bona
Jwala bona le bo tshele metsi

Ke Hoenene
Ke Hoenene
Ke Hoenene
Ke Hoenene le bo tshele metsi
Ke Hoenene
Ke Hoenene
Ke Hoenene
Ke Hoenene le bo tshele metsi

Jwala bona
Jwala bona
Jwala bona le bo tshele metsi
Ke Hoenene
Ke Hoenene
Ke Hoenene
Ke Hoenene le bo tshele metsi

Ons phola da met die Hoenene koek
Ons jive met daai koek
Wat se julle van dit

Ke Hoenene
Ke Hoenene
Ke Hoenene
Ke Hoenene le bo tshele metsi
Ke Hoenene
Ke Hoenene
Ke Hoenene
Ke Hoenene le bo tshele metsi

Jwala bona
Jwala bona
Jwala bona le bo tshele metsi
Ke Hoenene
Ke Hoenene
Ke Hoenene
Ke Hoenene le bo tshele metsi

Ke Hoenene
Ke Hoenene

Ke Hoenene
Ke Hoenene le bo tshele metsi

Overall Meaning

The lyrics of Dorothy Masuka's song "Hoenene" are fairly repetitive, but they carry a powerful message rooted in African culture and pride. The song opens with the phrase "Jwala bona," which can be translated as "look at them" or "behold them." This repeated line emphasizes the importance of observation and recognition. The following line, "le bo tshele metsi," means "and they are full of water." Together, these lines suggest that the people being referred to are full of life and vitality.

The phrase "Ke Hoenene" is repeated throughout the song, which means "I am of Hoenene." Hoenene refers to a specific tribe or ethnic group in Africa, representing a sense of identity and belonging. This line is also followed by "le bo tshele metsi," implying that the person proclaiming their connection to Hoenene is also full of life and energy.

In the second half of the song, the lyrics shift slightly. The line "Ons phola da met die Hoenene koek, ons jive met daai koek, wat se julle van dit" is in Afrikaans, a language spoken in South Africa. It translates to "We eat the Hoenene cake, we dance to that cake, what do you think of it?" This verse adds a celebratory element, suggesting that the Hoenene culture is something to be enjoyed, cherished, and shared.

Line by Line Meaning

Jwala bona
Look at it

Jwala bona le bo tshele metsi
Look at it with water flowing

Jwala bona
Look at it

Jwala bona le bo tshele metsi
Look at it with water flowing

Ke Hoenene
I am a crane

Ke Hoenene le bo tshele metsi
I am a crane with water flowing

Ke Hoenene
I am a crane

Ke Hoenene le bo tshele metsi
I am a crane with water flowing

Jwala bona
Look at it

Jwala bona le bo tshele metsi
Look at it with water flowing

Ke Hoenene
I am a crane