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".

Magumede
Dorothy Masuka Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Yethul'uMagumede lomthwalo wakhe
Yethul'uMagumede lomthwalo wakhe
Izolo bakubonil'uhamba naye
Izolo bakubonil'uhamba naye

Yho yho yho yho yho mam'uMagumede
Yho yho yho yho yho mam'uMagumede
Awu eyi mam'uMagumede

Aha ah hayi mam'uMagumede

Yethul'uMagumede lomthwalo wakhe
Yethul'uMagumede lomthwalo wakhe
Izolo bakubonil'uhamba naye
Izolo bakubonil'uhamba naye

Iya ho hayi mam'uMagumede
Iya ho hayi mam'uMagumede (Yho yho yho yho yho mam'uMagumede)
Izolo bakubonil'uhamba naye (Yho yho yho yho yho mam'uMagumede)
Izolo bakubonil'uhamba naye (Yho yho yho yho yho mam'uMagumede)

Yethul'uMagumede lomthwalo wakhe (Yho yho yho yho yho Magumede)
Yethul'uMagumede lomthwalo wakhe (Yho yho yho yho yho Magumede)
Izolo bakubonil'uhamba naye
Izolo bakubonil'uhamba naye

Hayi, hayi, hayi, hayi, hayi mam'uMagumede
Yho yho yho yho yho yho yho Magumede
Yho yho yho yho yho yho yho Magumede
Yho yho yho yho yho yho yho Magumede
Yho yho yho yho yho yho yho Magumede

Yethul'uMagumede lomthwalo wakhe
Oyi hayi mama uMagumede

Hayi hayi uMagumede
Hmm ayo Magumede

Overall Meaning

The lyrics of Dorothy Masuka's song "Magumede" tell the story of a man named Magumede and the burden he carries. The repetition of "Yethul'uMagumede lomthwalo wakhe" ("This is Magumede's burden") reinforces the weight of his struggles. The song suggests that Magumede's troubles are well-known to those around him, as the singer notes that "Izolo bakubonil'uhamba naye" ("Yesterday they saw him walking with it"). Despite this, Magumede seems to have a certain resilience, as the song includes several exclamations of his name, almost as a rallying cry. The repeated "Yho yho yho" that follows his name could suggest a certain admiration or affection for him, despite his struggles.

It's unclear what Magumede's burden specifically is, but the lyrics imply that it's something that he carries with him every day. In the final stanza, the singer closes with "Hayi, hayi, hayi, hayi, hayi mam'uMagumede", as if to say "no, no, no, no, Magumede's not going down." This suggests that despite his struggles, Magumede is a resilient, perhaps even heroic figure.

Overall, "Magumede" is a tribute to those who face struggles and burdens in their lives and find ways to persevere.

Line by Line Meaning

Yethul'uMagumede lomthwalo wakhe
Magumede speaks of his burden

Izolo bakubonil'uhamba naye
Yesterday they saw him walking with it

Yho yho yho yho yho mam'uMagumede
The people cry out for Magumede

Awu eyi mam'uMagumede
Oh, it's Magumede

Aha ah hayi mam'uMagumede
Oh, no, it's not Magumede

Iya ho hayi mam'uMagumede
He's going, it's not Magumede

Iya ho hayi mam'uMagumede (Yho yho yho yho yho mam'uMagumede)
He's going, it's not Magumede (The people cry out for Magumede)

Izolo bakubonil'uhamba naye (Yho yho yho yho yho mam'uMagumede)
Yesterday they saw him walking with it (The people cry out for Magumede)

Yethul'uMagumede lomthwalo wakhe (Yho yho yho yho yho Magumede)
Magumede speaks of his burden (The people cry out for Magumede)

Hayi, hayi, hayi, hayi, hayi mam'uMagumede
No, no, no, no, it's not Magumede