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.

Juluka
Juluka Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Chorus
Afrika kukhala abangcwele
EAfrika kukhala abangcwele wena
Afrika kukhala abangcwele
EAfrika kukhala abangcwele wena
Hlala
Hlala

He was born in the African dawn and orphaned to the land

So gentle in the eye he was as any woman's child

Repeat Afrika chorus

As he grew people told him, son, don't you trust anyone

You learn how to trust a stone
This is not gentle and then it breaks those
Who never learned how to be alone

Repeat Afrika chorus

And so he walked in the fashion of his lands
Until at last he cried out
Can anybody hear me, hear me, hear the song in my heart
There's a song to be sung that can heal these broken men
Let us sing and we'll walk through the dark
Hand in hand, hand in hand

Repeat Afrika chorus; move it up a half step or so and repeat again

Overall Meaning

The lyrics of Juluka's song "Juluka" talk about the struggles of a boy who was born in Africa and had to face the hardships of life at a very young age. He was orphaned and left to fend for himself in an unforgiving world. But even though he was struggling, he retained his gentle nature and fought to survive. As he grew older, he was warned not to trust anybody, and he was urged to learn how to trust a stone, as it will never betray him. The song encourages the people of Africa to come together and heal their brokenness through music.

The lyrics show the struggles faced by many people who are born in Africa, especially those who are orphaned and left alone to survive in a harsh world. The boy's story is one of resilience and strength, as he never gave up and continued to fight for his survival. The message in the song is the importance of trust, as well as the healing power of music. The boy discovers that there's a song that can heal broken men, and he encourages others to sing and walk together, hand in hand.

Line by Line Meaning

Afrika kukhala abangcwele
Africa cries for its holy men

EAfrika kukhala abangcwele wena
Oh Africa, Africa cries for its holy men

Afrika kukhala abangcwele
Africa cries for its holy men

EAfrika kukhala abangcwele wena
Oh Africa, Africa cries for its holy men

Hlala
Stay

He was born in the African dawn and orphaned to the land
He was born in Africa and raised by the land

So gentle in the eye he was as any woman's child
He was as delicate as a woman's child

As he grew people told him, son, don't you trust anyone
As he grew up, people advised him not to trust anyone

You learn how to trust a stone
You learn to rely on something unchanging and solid like a stone

This is not gentle and then it breaks those
This world is harsh, and it breaks those who are weak

Who never learned how to be alone
Those who never learned how to be independent

And so he walked in the fashion of his lands
He walked in the traditional way of his people

Until at last he cried out
Until he finally spoke up

Can anybody hear me, hear me, hear the song in my heart
Can anyone hear the melody in my heart?

There's a song to be sung that can heal these broken men
There is a song that can cure these broken souls

Let us sing and we'll walk through the dark
Let us sing together and face the darkness

Hand in hand, hand in hand
Hand in hand, let's walk together

Repeat Afrika chorus; move it up a half step or so and repeat again
Repeat the chorus 'Africa cries for its holy men' and raise the key slightly and repeat again

Contributed by Caden I. Suggest a correction in the comments below.

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