I Love Waka Waka!

May 3, 2010 by Brown Shuga

I had to listen to it about 3 times before I decided I liked the song…

I love the song, but if this is the official video then I have a problem… where are my boys?

P.S. The song is not an original song by Shakira and Freshly Ground… and here is a bit of information on its origins:

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. It is also widely used in schools throughout the country as a marching song and almost everyone in the country knows the chorus of the song by heart.

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.

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 song for the 2010 World Cup^[1] Waka Waka (This Time For Africa) sample this song 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.^{[citation needed]}

Before Shakira many other artists around the world sampled this song

Source: Wikipedia

What’s the beef? The song sounds cute and I think she delivered the words rather well! I love Shakira, and I know it’s weird for her to sing for the African soccer theme song but really, they weren’t complaining when various artist were singing “We Are The World” to collect money to give to their picky asses!

Global Voices in English » South Africa:2010 FIFA World Cup theme song raises interesting views on Tue, 4th May 2010 7:08 pm

[...] Shuga of JustCurious, an entertainment blog, says he loves the song but has a problem with the official video: I had to listen to it about 3 times before I decided I liked the song…I love the song, but if [...]

S'matsatsa sa Welkom! on Tue, 4th May 2010 10:40 pm

its a NO for me!

The Sportlite on Thu, 6th May 2010 2:55 pm

Just heard/watched for the first time – not bad…I just don’t understand why they had to sample a Cameroonian song. What are are they going to sample when they eventually host the World Cup in 3010?

Well, now we know what it means to host a FIFA World Cup – FIFA decides.

I can’t wait for the football…

Lee on Wed, 26th May 2010 8:44 am

I like the song…its not bad, why people complain is beyond me…maybe its because Shakira is in it, i dont know……

Nnyalleng on Tue, 8th Jun 2010 9:29 pm

I have never been inlove with a song like this before, and no not because it is the world cup and all.. I LOVE AFRICAN MUSIC!! i have been dancing to this song since i have heard it. Go Cameroon. I am from SA!!

Cnglema on Tue, 8th Jun 2010 11:41 pm

Love it-love it!

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I Love Waka Waka!

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