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".

Suka Lapha
Dorothy Masuka Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Aw’suka lapha uzondithelel’amabhadi
Suka lapha uzondithelel’isinyama
Suka lapha uzondithelel’amabhadi
Kanti awuziboni unjani

Aw’suka lapha uzondithelel’amabhadi
Suka lapha uzondithelel’isinyama
Suka lapha uzondithelel’amabhadi

Kanti awuziboni unjani

O suka lapha wena mfana
Uzaw'ndithelel’amabhadi
Bonke bathi suka lapha
Kanti awuziboni unjani

Suka lapha uzondithelel’amabhadi
Suka lapha uzondithelel’isinyama
Suka lapha uzondithelel’amabhadi
Kanti awuziboni unjani

Suka lapha uzondithelel’amabhadi
Suka lapha uzondithelel’amabhadi
Suka lapha uzondithelel’isinyama
Kanti awuziboni unjani

O suka lapha wena bhuti
Uzaw'ndithelel’amabhadi
Bonke bathi suka lapha
Kanti awuziboni unjani

Kanti awuziboni unjani

Aw’suka lapha uzondithelel’amabhadi
Suka lapha uzondithelel’isinyama
Suka lapha uzondithelel’amabhadi
Kanti awuziboni unjani

Suka lapha uzondithelel’amabhadi
Suka lapha uzondithelel’isinyama
Suka lapha uzondithelel’amabhadi
Kanti awuziboni unjani

O suka lapha wena mfana
Uzaw'ndithelel’amabhadi
Bonke bathi suka lapha
Kanti awuziboni unjani

Suka lapha uzondithelel’amabhadi
Suka lapha uzondithelel’isinyama

Suka lapha uzondithelel’amabhadi
Kanti awuziboni unjani

Overall Meaning

The song "Suka Lapha" by Dorothy Masuka speaks to the idea of leaving one's current situation to find a better life. The lyrics urge the listener to "suka lapha," or "leave here," and escape the darkness and sadness in their current circumstances. The repetition of the phrase "uzondithelel'amabhadi" further emphasizes the need to move on and avoid being stuck in a stagnant or negative place.

The final line, "kanti awuziboni unjani," adds another layer of meaning to the song. It asks the question, "but do you not see how to leave?" indicating that sometimes people may feel trapped and unable to escape their situation, even if they want to. Overall, "Suka Lapha" is a powerful call to action for anyone feeling stuck or unhappy in their current situation to seek out a better life and find the strength to move forward.

Line by Line Meaning

Aw’suka lapha uzondithelel’amabhadi
If you leave this place, you will encounter obstacles

Suka lapha uzondithelel’isinyama
If you leave this place, you will encounter darkness

Suka lapha uzondithelel’amabhadi
If you leave this place, you will encounter obstacles