May
5
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Meaning of the dialect:
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Zaminamina means come.
-
Waka waka means Do it – as in perform a task. Waka is pidgin language meaning walk while working.
-
Zaminamina zangalewa means who asked you to come?.
-
Wana means it is mine.
-
Zambo means wait.
Anawam means I did/ Yes I
so…
zaminamina zangalewa
anawam aa
Who called you/ asked you to come?
Yes, I did.
Zamina mina (Zangalewa)
Zangalewa of Cameroon
“Zamina” or “Zangaléwa†is a 1986 hit song, originally sung by a makossa group from Cameroon called Golden Sounds who were beloved throughout the continent for their silly dances and costumes. The song was such a hit for Golden Sounds that they eventually changed their name to Zangaléwa, too.The song pays tribute to African skirmishers (a.k.a tirailleurs) during WW2. Most of the band members were in the Cameroonian Army themselves and used make up, fake belly and fake butt for comic relief.
The song is still used today by soldiers, policemen, boy scouts, sportsmen and their supporters, usually during training or for rallying.
The men in the group often dressed in military uniforms, wearing pith helmets and stuffing their clothes with pillows to appear like they had a swollen butts from riding the train and fat stomachs from eating too much. The song, music historians say, is a criticism of black military officers who were in league with whites to oppress their own people. Or at least, some of it was. Some of it, as far was we can surmise, is gibberish.
From Spanish Wikipedia:
This song is a priori language interpreted Fang, corresponding to areas of Gabon, southern Cameroonin Equatorial Guinea and a little east of the Central Africa. Being so popular, this means that many times they sing the song without knowing the meaning.
Za engalomwa language means Fang “Who sent you?”: this is the question of a Cameroonian military source to another foreigner, according to Guy Dooh, Zangalewa group. The term Zangalewa can also come from an expression in Ewondo: Loé wa za anga?, it would be “Who called you?” Cameroon is a multiethnic, multilingual, and not all the soldiers could speak Ewondo, so it is very likely that over time the term wa za anga Loé became the Zangalewa that we know today.
When the young recruits of the Republican Guard Cameroon complained about the rigors of military life, their employers or fellow old people used to raise this question: Loé wa za anga?, which actually meant something like: “nobody has forced to join the army, so stop whining! “
The lyrics, which are in a Cameroonian dialect called Fang, go like this:
Zaminamina oh oh
Waka waka eh eh
Zaminamina zangalewa
Anawam ah ah
Shakira’s new song for the 2010 World Cup:
This song was chosen because it’s both a tribute to African music, with the World Cup being held in South Africa, and a nod to the folks back home who’ve partied to this song since way back in 1987 when the song rose to prominence thanks to West African DJ’s in Cartagena.
Before Shakira many other artists around the world sampled this song. Some of them are :
Las Chicas Del Can
The Surinamese group Beatmachine. Their version is called “Samina Mina†just like Shaki’s.
Adane Best
The movie The Lion King also feature samples reference of this song.
Waka Waka Lyrics
You’re a good soldier
Choosing your battles
Pick yourself up
And dust yourself off
And back in the saddle
You’re on the frontline
Everyone’s watching
You know it’s serious
We’re getting closer
This isnt over
The pressure is on
You feel it
But you’ve got it all
Believe it
When you fall get up
Oh oh…
And if you fall get up
Oh oh…
Tsamina mina
Zangalewa
Cuz this is Africa
Tsamina mina eh eh
Waka Waka eh eh
Tsamina mina zangalewa
Anawa aa
This time for Africa
Listen to your god
From Spanish Wikipedia:
Detailed translation
- Za / mine / mine / hé hé. in other pronunciation (Zar ou Zak mine mine)
- Come / you / you / he he. (Literal translation)
- Come, come (translation adapted)
- Wa / ka.
- You-ti-action. (Literal translation)
- you do. (Translation adapted)
- za / an / ga / le / wa /
- who / have / do action / called / you / (literal translation)
- Who called you? (Translation adapted)
- Ana / wam / ha / ha
- com / yo-me / himself / herself (literally)
- me, yeah (translation adapted)
- Yang / hé hé
- Waiting / hé hé
Full display translated
- Come, come hé hé
- you do, you do hé hé
- Come, come
- Who called you?
- yes, I am
- hé hé expected
- hé hé expected
- Come, come
- Who called you?
- yes, I am
Another part of the song says:
- When I push on the right, you push on the left, when I push on the left, you push on the right …
Shakira Waka Waka lyrics found on http://www.directlyrics.com.com/shakira-waka-waka-lyrics.html
This is our motto
Your time to shine
Dont wait in line
Y vamos por Todo
People are raising
Their Expectations
Go on and feed them
This is your moment
No hesitations
Today’s your day
I feel it
You paved the way
Believe it
If you get down
Get up Oh oh…
When you get down
Get up eh eh…
Tsamina mina zangalewa
Anawa aa
This time for Africa
Tsamina mina eh eh
Waka Waka eh eh
Tsamina mina zangalewa
Anawa aa
Tsamina mina eh eh
Waka Waka eh eh
Tsamina mina zangalewa
This time for Africa
Don’t Forget Father’s Day
http://fathersdayfun.blogspot.com/
http://www.e-forwards.com/category/fathers-day/
What is the direct translation of the words:Tsamina mina zangalewa
Anawa aa Waka Waka?
Thank you.
Meaning of the dialect
Zaminamina means come.
Waka waka means Do it – as in perform a task. Waka is pidgin language meaning walk while working.
Zaminamina zangalewa means who asked you to come?.
Wana means it is mine.
Zambo means wait.
And what’s Anawaa
not sure -Anyone know?
Maybe it means anywere, just guessin..
Wikipedia in English does a poor explanation of the song origins and its lyrics, calling it giberish. This is totally wrong. A much better explanation and a true translation of the song’s lyrics can be found in wikipedia spanish http://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zangalewa
for example, zangalewa is translated as come, but it really means ‘who has called you / who has sent you’ in an ironic sense more in the line with its use as a retort expression ‘nobody ask you to join us (in the military) you came on your own will. so, do not complain’… that is one of the reasons the original singers video shows so much military stuff
Great job John! I was curious about the meaning of the song and I had to search a while in the web for information but I found all the answers here.
Thanks!
Anawam means I did/ Yes I
so…
zaminamina zangalewa
anawam aa
Who called you/ asked you to come?
Yes, I did.
do you know what the lyric of lady singing in the middle of song??
i dont know why i am addicted to this song,
but i love it!
what dose Django mean?
‘Django eh eh
Django eh eh
Tsamina mina zangalewa
Anawa a a ‘
i like to know what i am singing all day long.
THANK YOU. -iSa<3
@ AQ: There is a tribe called ”Beti” in Cameroon, the lyrics are in Beti. ”A na wam” means ” oh my mother” because in the beti culture, when you face difficulties or you don’t know what to do in an unexpected situation, you call your mother, as she remains the greatest source of inspiration and strengh.
I am Beti, living in Dubai.
thank youuuuu sooo much
Thank’s for the explanation. I’m from Brazil and in portuguese I didn’t find anything, and this text helped me so much.
Bye
thank u very much for ur wonderful explaination for the song..here in india we liked this song very much.. we used to download the song and lyrics and sing…
wish u all a happy FIFA 2010 SouthAfrica ..WAKA WAKA
very well explained!!!
waka waka!!
Hi John,
here is a link to your site: http://de.answers.yahoo.com/qu.....437AANV2zC
And on the german yahoo main-site (http://de.yahoo.com/) is a link to the site before today (with the headline “what means waka-waka?”). I think, thats the explanation for the german traffic on your site….
The answer to your question why that much people from Germany are visiting your blog is simple. There was a question at Yahoo Germany regarding the meaning of Waka Waka. And the main answer referred to your Blog. Actually this question is promoted on the starting side of Yahoo. Lots of people can see this question and as nobody knows what Waka Waka means they all click on your page. You see it is a very simple answer to your question.
ihr dummen husos was wollt ihr eig. ? habt ihr nix inner hose oder wat ? selbst der jan weiß bescheid undso !
I can just guess that all the germans get referred by this website:
http://de.answers.yahoo.com/qu.....437AANV2zC
It’s currently featured on the front page of Yahoo germany on http://de.yahoo.com/
This might answer your question…
Hi John,
someone on Yahoo! Germany asked for the meaning of Waka Waka and the answer links to your site.
Greetings from Munich,
Markus
http://de.answers.yahoo.com/qu.....437AANV2zC
There are so many people from germany on your website, because you are linked by Yahoo-Germany!
waka waka! 😉
“Kann mir jemand sagen, warum so viele Menschen aus Deutschland sind meine Seite besuchen? Ich wäre sehr daran interessiert zu wissen. Danke
John”
=> cos your page is quite on top on google.de if you enter the non-english lyrics of the waka song ^^
germans come from yahoo – where they asked a question about the translation waka waka and someone posted your website as explanation.
greets
caroline from ger
Kann mir jemand sagen, warum so viele Menschen aus Deutschland sind meine Seite besuchen? Ich wäre sehr daran interessiert zu wissen. Danke
John
Kann mir jemand sagen, warum so viele Menschen aus Deutschland meine Seite besuchen? Ich wäre sehr daran interessiert es zu erfahren. Danke
John
a.) weil die seite toll ist und weil…
b.) guckst du hier ???
http://de.answers.yahoo.com/qu.....437AANV2zC
funxt der link so nicht ? link doesn’t work that way
diese zwei teile zusammensetzen ..dann?
part1. http://de.answers.yahoo.com
part2. /question/index?qid=20100609045437AANV2zC
first p/c part 1. then p/c part 2.
does it work?
thanks for the translation!
i guess so many germans are visiting this post because you were it was linked here: http://de.answers.yahoo.com/qu.....437AANV2zC
at least this is how i got here:)
Thank’s for the explanation. I’m from Berlin Germany and in portuguese I didn’t find anything, and this text helped me so much.
Bye
you’re linked on yahoo germany:
http://de.yahoo.com/ (“Was bedeutet “Waka Waka””)
-> http://de.answers.yahoo.com/qu.....437AANV2zC
greetings from germany!
Hi John
I’m another visitor from Germany 😉
Your site is linked on the German Yahoo!Answers versions under “What does waka waka mean?”
And now yahoo uses it as a “news topic” on their main page.
It’s also the first Google result, so that’s probably why.
Thank you for the translation 🙂
Because your site is linked on Yahoo in Germany…
http://de.answers.yahoo.com/qu.....437AANV2zC
They ask about the meaning of “Wakka Wakka” 🙂
Thank you
Take care
John
hier der link:
http://de.answers.yahoo.com/qu.....437AANV2zC
A lot of peolpe from Germany visit your blog, because we want to know what “Waka Waka” means.
Thanks
Joe
good job man
thanx alot
[…] answer for meaning of Zamina Mina Zangalewa and translation of the song Waka Waka is at: http://www.e-forwards.com/2010.....References : […]
thanks to all for the valuable information… im very much fond of the song…. wish u africa all the best..waka waka…
Thank you very much for all this explanation. I’ve been trying to know the right translation, I finally found it.
Greetings from Peru (South America)
thanks to you people for the meaning
thank you very much. it is very informative.
Greetings from Kuala Lumpur (Malaysia)
Thanks for your great info.
Hi John,
first of all: “Nice work man!”
Second: You got another watch from Germany *smile*
Now
@ Marisa
“Django” is a Romani word meaning “I awake.”
Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Django
Shakira seems to use it exactly on that part, where the original song contains the “Zambo” (meaning wait, as explained on top).
I didn’t find any other possible explanation. But maybe others do.
@ Adam
You say the lyrics are in Beti and you are Beti.
Maybe you could tell, if the lyrics in the Shakira-Version sung by the other women (in the middle of the song) are Beti too. And maybe you could translate it.
Text is:
“Awela Majoni Biggie Biggie Mama One A To Zet
Athi sithi LaMajoni Biggie Biggie Mama From East To West
Bathi . . . Waka Waka Ma Eh Eh Waka Waka Ma Eh Eh
Zonke zizwe mazi buye
Cuz this is Africa”
I know,.. Parts are english, but I’m interested in the rest.
I’m trying to translate the lyrics to German, so I need to understand it a little better.
Maybe John or Adam could answer some more questions to me.
I read your “Detailed translation” and “Full display translated”
But since word by word translation often fails to correctly transport the meaning I wonder, if the lyrics could be translated in direct speech like this:
Zaminamina oh oh – Come on, come on
Waka waka eh eh – Do it, do it
Zaminamina zangalewa – Who called you?
Anawam ah ah – Yes, I did
greetings from Hamburg, Germany
[…] a hidden, indirect advertisement for Nike? (Note: insert sinister audio file here.) I kid you not. Waka waka means Do It. Coincidence? (Note #2: insert annoying, surprising drum sound […]
@ Marisa again
I’ve listened to the song some more times by headphones.
It seems even Shakira is singig “Zambo”.
It sounds like “Djambo” which feels tho sound simmilar to “Django” and it isn’t good to hear because of the overlaying music.
Greeting from Germany 😉
main hobby .nice wakawaka
rocking song tsaminamina waka waka this time for africa but now time for argentina
Thanks for the information~
“Waka Waka eh eh~â€
Like the song~
Greeting from China~
The lyrics are so catch, that since first day I am hooked up to the song. The words are very electrifying and boost up your adrellin when you feel low during siesta. Now I know the meaning from this site. Thanks for providing us the translation.
Rajesh @ New Delhi, India.
just love the explanation , i was looking everywhere for the meaning of the song but this is the best. its simple and explain everything so thnx
I like thiz site