Juluka was a South African music band formed in 1969 by Johnny Clegg and Si… Read Full Bio ↴Juluka was a South African music band formed in 1969 by Johnny Clegg and Sipho Mchunu. Juluka means "sweat" in Zulu, and was the name of a bull owned by Mchunu. The band was closely associated with the mass movement against apartheid.

At the age of 14, Clegg met Zulu street musician Charlie Mzila, who taught him Zulu music and dancing over the following two years. In 1969 Johnny Clegg and Sipho Mchunu met in Johannesburg when young sipho went there to find work. The 18-year-old Mchunu challenged the 16-year-old Clegg to a guitar contest, and the two became friends. Soon, they were performing together on the streets and in what few other unofficial venues a multi-racial band could safely play in under apartheid. They were forced to keep a low profile and their success came from word of mouth instead of through traditional publicity. Clegg himself was arrested and beaten up by the police on several occasions for his activities and also for the band's lyrics. For some commentators, Juluka was the band that had the greatest success in challenging the racial separateness of Apartheid. When performing, both black and white band members would appear on stage in traditional Zulu dress and perform the traditional Zulu war dance together while singing in Zulu and English.[1]

In 1976, they released their debut single, "Woza Friday", followed three years later by a critically acclaimed album, Universal Men.[2] The album's poetic lyrics were strongly influenced by John Berger's A Seventh Man as well as Pablo Neruda and Jean-Paul Sartre.[citation needed] Expanding to a quintet, they released a second album, African Litany, in late 1981. The album's lead single, "Impi", with its pointedly political lyrics about a defeat of the colonial British army by the Zulus at the Battle of Isandlwana, was banned by South African radio but became an underground hit. In contemporary South Africa it is often associated with national sports teams. The album garnered them their first international attention, and they were able to successfully tour in Europe and North America in 1982 and 1983. However, in June 1983, the British music magazine, NME, reported that they were initially banned by the Musicians Union as, ..."since it would not be possible to approve one of our bands working in South Africa, there is no possibility of an exchange". The ban was eventually lifted, with the group donating their fees to charity.[3]

In South Africa, Juluka was also banned by Radio Bantu, a government approved radio station for the black population, which allegedly refused to play Juluka's music, because Clegg's efforts were seen as "an insult to the Zulu and their culture".[4]

The group disbanded in 1985 when Mchunu moved back to the farm where he was born in Natal to take care of his family. Clegg went on to form a new band, Savuka, with whom he achieved even greater international success. In 1997, however, the two friends came back for a final album together. It did not receive the critical acclaim of early Juluka albums like Universal Men, African Litany, Work for All and Scatterlings.

Isoka Lizo Kuthatha
Juluka Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Sizwa ukukhala emzini wendoda
(we hear crying in the home of a man)
Kukhala intombazane
(it is a young girl who is crying)
Ithi, "wemama, ngiyesaba ukuya emzini
(she says, "mama, I am afraid to go to the house of my husband-to-be)
Bathi ibodwe liyashisa
(they say his family is very difficult)

Wenhliziyo zami sezimbili
(my heart is divided into two,)
Enye ithi angihambe, enye ithi angibuye le khaya"
(one heart says I should go, the other heart says I should
Stay here at home and not get married")

Thula mntanami nawe uyazi
(be quiet, my child, you always knew the truth)
Thula mntanami isoka lizokuthatha
(be quiet, my child, a young man will be coming to take
You away and marry you)
Thula mntanami nawe uyazi
(be quiet, my child, you always knew)

Thula mntanami, uzohamba le khaya
(be quite, my child, for you will have to leave your family
And your home, and join your husband's family)
Isoka lizokuthatha
(because a young man will take you away)
Lizokuthatha isoka
(he will take you, this young man)
Sizwa ukukhala emzini wendoda
(we hear crying in the home of a man)
Kukhala intombazane
(it is a young girl who is crying)
Ithi, "uma ngikhumbula ukukhula kwami
(she says, "when I remember the good times I had growing up)
Phakhathi kwalomuzi kababa
(in the house of my father)
Ngiyesaba, ngiyesaba ukushiya ekhaya
(I become afraid, I become afraid of leaving home)
'zinhliziyo zami sezimbili"
(my heart is split in two, I am so uncertain")

Thula mntanami nawe uyazi
(be quiet, my child, you always knew the truth)
Thula mntanami isoka lizokuthatha
(be quiet, my child, a young man will be coming to take
You away and marry you)

Thula mntanami nawe uyazi
(be quiet, my child, you always knew)

Overall Meaning

The Juluka song "Isoka Lizo Kuthatha" tells the story of a young girl who is set to get married, but is unsure of whether she wants to go ahead with it. She cries out to her mother, expressing her fear of marrying into a difficult family, and her heart is divided into two. One heart says she should go ahead with the marriage, while the other says that she should stay home.

Her mother tries to console her, telling her to be quiet and reminding her that she always knew the truth. She tells her that a young man will come to take her away and marry her, and she will have to leave her family and home to join her husband's family. The young girl is still unsure, remembering the good times she had growing up in her father's house. Her heart remains divided, and she is uncertain about what to do.

The song touches on the difficult decisions that young women face in traditional African society, where marriage is seen as an important milestone. It speaks to the conflicting emotions that can arise when faced with this decision and the pressure to conform to societal norms.

Line by Line Meaning

Sizwa ukukhala emzini wendoda
Crying is heard in the house of a man

Kukhala intombazane
The crying is from a young girl

Ithi, "wemama, ngiyesaba ukuya emzini
She says, "Mama, I am afraid to go to the house of my husband-to-be

Bathi ibodwe liyashisa
They say his family is difficult

Wenhliziyo zami sezimbili
My heart is divided into two

Enye ithi angihambe, enye ithi angibuye le khaya"
One heart says I should go, the other heart says I should stay at home and not get married

Thula mntanami nawe uyazi
Be quiet, my child, you already know

Thula mntanami isoka lizokuthatha
Be quiet, my child, a young man will take you away to marry you

Thula mntanami nawe uyazi
Be quiet, my child, you already know

Thula mntanami, uzohamba le khaya
Be quiet, my child, you will leave your family and home to join your husband's family

Isoka lizokuthatha
A young man will take you away to marry you