Asimbonanga
| "Asimbonanga" | |
|---|---|
| Song by Savuka | |
| from the album Third World Child | |
| Language | Zulu, English. |
| Released | 1987 |
| Format | CD, cassette |
| Genre | Afro-pop, Worldbeat, South African traditional. |
| Length | 4:51 |
| Label | Capitol |
| Songwriter(s) | Johnny Clegg |
| Producer(s) | Hilton Rosenthal |
"Asimbonanga", also known as "Asimbonanga (Mandela)", is an anti-apartheid song by the South African racially integrated band Savuka, from their 1987 album Third World Child. It alluded to Nelson Mandela, imprisoned on Robben Island at the time of song's release, and other anti-apartheid activists. It was well received, becoming popular within the movement against apartheid, and was covered by several artists including Joan Baez and the Soweto Gospel Choir.
The Afrikaner National Party (NP) was elected to power in South Africa in 1948, and remained in control of the government for the next 46 years. The white minority held all political power during this time, and implemented the system of apartheid.Savuka was formed in 1985 by many of the members of the band Juluka, often credited with being the first racially-integrated band in South Africa, though frontman Johnny Clegg has stated that that was not the case. Savuka was also a mixed-race band, containing three black South Africans and three whites. Savuka, which means "awakening" in Zulu, played music that drew on Zulu traditions as well as on Celtic music and rock music, and became popular with both black and white South Africans.
Black South African leader Nelson Mandela was imprisoned on Robben Island in 1962. "Asimbonanga" was written while he was still in prison, and its lyrics alluded to his absence from society, as well as mentioning other anti-apartheid activists by name, including Steve Biko (who was also the subject of the 1980 Peter Gabriel’s song “Biko”), Victoria Mxenge and Neil Aggett. The song, described as "elegiac", included choruses sung in Zulu and verses sung in English. The title of the song translates approximately to "We can't see him" or "We have not seen him", and refers to the "need South Africans had for their persecuted icon." "Asimbonanga" has been described part of a trend that emerged within South African music after the 1976 Soweto uprising, of combining politically conscious lyrics with jive and dance rhythms. This style has been variously called "township jive", "township soul", and "bubblegum."
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