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.
Walima'mabele
Juluka Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Why don't you sing about the leaves and the dreams?
Why don't you sing about the rain and the birds?
'Cause mister I've seen
Mud coloured dusty blood
Bare feet on a burning bus
Mud coloured dusty blood
On the road to Mdantsane
On the road to Mdantsane
On the road to Mdantsane
I've seen a
Mud coloured dusty blood
Why don't you sing about the fish in the sea
Why don't you sing about the blue sky?
Why don't you sing about a fantasy
'Cause mister I see
Mud coloured dusty blood
Bare feet on a burning bus
Mud coloured dusty blood
Broken teeth and a rifle butt
On the road to Mdantsane
On the road to Mdantsane
On the road to Mdantsane
Siz feet under an African sky
Mud coloured dusty blood
Bare feet on a burning bus
Mud coloured dusty blood
On the road to Mdantsane
Mud coloured dusty blood
The lyrics of Juluka's song Walima'mabele are a call to action for artists to use their platform and music to shed light on the harsh realities of life in Africa instead of just singing about the beauty of nature or abstract concepts. The songwriter questions why artists don't sing about the African moon, leaves, rain, or birds instead of addressing the brutalities witnessed on the road to Mdantsane, a township in South Africa. The singer claims to have seen "mud coloured dusty blood" and describes individuals with broken teeth and those physically harmed by police brutality. However, amidst the violence and corruption, there still exists a beautiful African sky under which people in the region persist in their struggles.
Line by Line Meaning
Why don't you sing about the African moon?
Why not express and celebrate the beauty of the African moon through song?
Why don't you sing about the leaves and the dreams?
Why not sing about the hope and aspirations embodied in the leaves and dreams of Africa?
Why don't you sing about the rain and the birds?
Why not celebrate the natural blessings that come with rain and the music of birds through song?
'Cause mister I've seen
Because I have witnessed firsthand the atrocities that cannot be ignored or forgotten.
Mud coloured dusty blood
The violence and suffering in Africa is ever-present and pervasive, leaving the earth stained with blood and dust.
Bare feet on a burning bus
People are forced to endure unimaginable discomfort and pain, even while traveling.
Broken teeth and a rifle butt
The brutality of war and oppression is evident in the physical injuries inflicted on people.
On the road to Mdantsane
This specific location serves as a symbol of the broader struggle and hardships faced by the people of Africa.
Why don't you sing about the fish in the sea
Why not celebrate the abundance of nature and the sea's bounty as a source of sustenance and prosperity?
Why don't you sing about the blue sky?
Why not draw attention to the beauty of the sky, a universal symbol of hope and possibility?
Why don't you sing about a fantasy
Why not use art and imagination to explore a world that could be, free from the struggles and injustices of the present?
'Cause mister I see
Because I am aware of the stark contrast between those idyllic images and the harsh reality of life in Africa today.
Siz feet under an African sky
There is a strong connection between the people of Africa and the land they inhabit, and the sky above serves as a reminder of that bond.
Contributed by Mila K. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@johnwise7693
Lyrics:
Ngaze ngahamba mina
Ngashona emoliva
[I have journeyed until I came to the land of Mooi River]
Umhlaba waphenduka kulonyaka
[For this year the earth has been changed]
Ilanga lakhipha umkhovo etsheni
[The hot sun drives creatures out from under the stones]
Imvula kayikho madoda
[Oh man, there is no rain]
Umuntu walima' mabele
[And a person has ploughed his millet]
Chorus:
Walima' Mabele [he has ploughed the millet]
Walima' Mabele imvula ka yikhoo
[He has ploughed the millet and there is no rain]
Madoda [Oh men]
Walima' Mabele uusizi lupbhokile
[He has ploughed the millet and destitution is rife]
Madoda
Walima' Mabele
The sky is clear across the land
Not a cloud for empty hands
Who has undone the rain?
Waiting for a windy day.
To blow them along to a land of plenty
Will I every see your people here again?
'Cause I heard them singing
Chorus
Families turn the dry earth
Burning, burning, burning
Who has undone the rain?
Can it be the answer lies
In a smile from forgotten times
Will I ever see your face again?
'Cause I heard them singing
Chorus
Who has undone the rain
I heard your people calling out
On the dry plains of Africa
Nothing grows, nothing shows a breath of life
Dry dust in the morning light
I heard them singing
Give them your love -- lead them to a land of plenty
Will I ever see your people here again?
I heard them singing -- I heard them calling out your name
Will I ever see your face again?
@grantaylward7385
I feel proud to be south african when i hear this music and long live his music and ideologies of what should and could have been a great spirit in this great country of ours
Rip J
@smkatshwa
One of my all time favourites... !!!
@ivanstrydom9949
Beautiful!
@mikeprehm8200
This is a happy sounding song but it actually talks about the draught.
@johnwise7693
Yes. It is a very sad song about people being displaced by drought. It was written before climate change became widely apparent. It is prophetic.
@sbudaklipgat369
Remembering South Africa's very own ubaba johnny clegg🙏 thank very much
@ScotsRonin
The first song of Juluka I ever heard. From the first drum beat I was captured. I became a follower and a fan; collected his albums and their music for years. The day he died, I felt the loss - too many things to say of how much he and his music impacted me. The world will never know another like him, nor does it look like we're producing such musicians any longer.
@musingsofafootballfan
Same ❤
@thesandsie13the2nd
hamba uye ezingelusni umfowethu. you will be missed. sleep well johnny till we meet again i love you
@anneberne2660
I love this song! It warms my soul.