Hello!

About ten years ago, my university chorus learned a Zulu song from a chorus from Pretoria. I have a recording of one of our performances of this song. I have now taught the song to my community chorus and we will be performing it soon. Our area has many deaf people, and we always perform with a sign-language interpreter. I can remember the basic translation of the song, and a few of the specific words, but the sign-language interpreter really wants a more specific translation so that her interpretation will match correctly with the music. Here's the thing - we learned the song quickly from the Pretoria chorus, then got help from a guest artist from Zimbabwe who worked with us all semester but didn't necessarily know that song. So I have a hunch that between all of us, some of the spellings and pronunciations got a little...questionable.

The song was titled Yenkululeko. The general translation we were given was "This is the day of independence. Embrace it and you shall be cleansed of your sins."

The lyrics, minus numerous repetitions:

Yenkuleko
Ifikile imini yenkululeko
Nansiya leyo'imini
Iole imini yenkululeko
Ifikile imini yenkululeko

Nansiya leyo’mini yona yenkululeko
Uzo thethe lewa’izono Aleluya
Ifikile imini yenkululeko

Can anyone shed some light on this and correct any strangeness?

Thank you !
Kristy

hi,

Yenkululeko
of the freedom

Ifikile imini yenkululeko
the day of freedom is here

Nansiya leyo'imini
there is that day

Iyo le imini yenkululeko
this is the day of freedom

Ifikile imini yenkululeko
the day of freedom is here


Nansiya leyo’mini yona yenkululeko
there is that day. that of freedom.

Uzo thethe lewa’izono Aleluya
you will be forgiven of your sins, Haleluya

Ifikile imini yenkululeko
the day of the freedom is here

as i was translating this, the song came back to me.
i think i sort of remember the whole song now...
nice.

---Ciaa.