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".

Unamanga
Dorothy Masuka Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Kant’unamanga
Akasebenzi
Uhamb’entshontsh’izinto zabantu

Kant’unamanga
Akasebenzi
Uhamb’entshontsh’izinto zabantu

Kant’unamanga
Akasebenzi
Uhamb’entshontsh’izinto zabantu

Kant’unamanga
Akasebenzi
Uhamb’entshontsh’izinto zabantu

Kant’unamanga
Awusebenzi
Uhamb’entshontsh’izinto zabantu

Kant’unamanga
Awusebenzi
Uhamb’entshontsh’izinto zabantu

Kant’unamanga
Akasebenzi
Uhamb’entshontsh’izinto zabantu

Kant’unamanga
Akasebenzi
Uhamb’entshontsh’izinto zabantu

Kant’unamanga
Akasebenzi
Uhamb’entshontsh’izinto zabantu

Kant’unamanga
Akasebenzi
Uhamb’entshontsh’izinto zabantu

Kant’unamanga
Akasebenzi
Uhamb’entshontsh’izinto zabantu

Kant’unamanga
Akasebenzi
Uhamb’entshontsh’izinto zabantu

Kant’unamanga
Akasebenzi
Uhamb’entshontsh’izinto zabantu

(Unamanga) kant’unamanga

(Unamanga) akasebenzi
Uhamb’entshontsh’izinto zabantu

Overall Meaning

Dorothy Masuka's song "Unamanga" translates to "You're a Liar" in English. The song is a protest against the ruling party of South Africa for their failure to bring change to society. The repetitive use of "Kant'unamanga" and "Akasebenzi," meaning "You're a liar" and "It doesn't work," respectively, emphasizes the singer's anger, frustration, and disappointment towards the government's empty promises. The phrase "Uhamb'entshontsh'izinto zabantu," meaning "You walk on people's belongings," further emphasizes the government's neglect of the people's needs and concerns.

The song's catchy and repetitive nature mirrors the political situation in South Africa at the time, as the government was making empty promises to the people. The song highlights the power of music as a tool for political resistance and social change.

Line by Line Meaning

Kant’unamanga
You are lying

Akasebenzi
You are not working

Uhamb’entshontsh’izinto zabantu
Yet you are traveling around, talking about people's affairs

(Unamanga) kant’unamanga
(You are lying) you are definitely lying

(Unamanga) akasebenzi
(You are lying) you are not working

Uhamb’entshontsh’izinto zabantu
Yet you are traveling around, talking about people's affairs

Awusebenzi
You don't work

Uhamb’entshontsh’izinto zabantu
Yet you are traveling around, talking about people's affairs

(Unamanga) kant’unamanga
(You are lying) you are definitely lying

(Unamanga) akasebenzi
(You are lying) you are not working

Uhamb’entshontsh’izinto zabantu
Yet you are traveling around, talking about people's affairs