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| Waka Waka (Shakira) |
 |
(Spanish) |
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The official song for the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa. It features Southafrican band Freshlyground and is performed by Colombian singer Shakira. It was sung at the opening ceremony in Johanesburgh. It is based upon a traditional African soldiers' song named Zangalewa. That song is still used today almost everywhere in Africa by soldiers, policemen, boy scouts, sportsmen and their supporters, usually during training or for rallying. It is also widely used in schools throughout the continent especially in Cameroon as a marching song and almost everyone in the country knows the chorus of the song by heart. The song was also popular in Colombia since 1987, where it was known as "The Military" and brought to the country by West African DJs.
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 isn't over
The pressure's 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
Eh eh...
Tsamina mina Zangalewa?
Cuz this is Africa
Tsamina mina eh eh
Waka Waka eh eh
Tsamina mina zangalewa
This time for Africa
Listen to your God
This is our motto
Your time to shine
Don't 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
This time for Africa
Tsamina mina eh eh
Waka Waka eh eh
Tsamina mina zangalewa
Anawa ah ah
Tsamina mina eh eh
Waka Waka eh eh
Tsamina mina zangalewa
This time for Africa
....
We're all Africa!
PICK YOURSELF UP= If you pick something up, you lift it from the ground (or from a lower surface). If you pick yourself up, you get up again after falling down without any help.
DUST YOURSELF OFF= To dust off is to remove the dust from something. If you dust yourself off, you remove the dust off yourself.
SADDLE= A piece of material you fasten to the back of a horse (the top) so that you can seat on it in a safer way. (see picture)
In a battle, if you’re riding a horse and fall to the ground, you get dirty, so you have to get up, dust yourself off, go back onto the horse and get ready to keep fighting, you can never give up, that’s the message of the song.
FRONTLINE= The most dangerous part of a battle because it’s made up of the first soldiers, so they are the ones to first clash against the enemy.
WE’RE GETTING CLOSER= We are approaching, getting nearer.
THIS ISN’T OVER= This hasn’t finished, this isn’t the end. “To be over” = to finish.
THE PRESSURE’S ON= You feel the psychological pressure.
YOU’VE GOT IT ALL= You have everything you need.
BELIEVE IT= Be sure of it, don't hesitate.
Tsamina mina zangalewa? = (Fang language from Cameroon) who called you?
CUZ (AmE)= Coz (BrE) = (col.) because.
Tsamina mina= (Fang lang.) Come.
Waka waka= (Fang lang.) Do it.
THIS TIME FOR AFRICA= Now we’ll do it for Africa.
MOTTO= A slogan. A brief statement of beliefs or ideals and may either be a sentence or a short phrase.
YOUR TIME TO SHINE= Your moment of glory. This is your chance to do it great and get everybody’s admiration.
DON’T WAIT IN LINE= Don’t be queuing, waiting your turn, letting others be first.
Y VAMOS POR TODO= (Spanish) And let’s give it all; let’s risk it all; let’s go for it.
RAISING THEIR EXPECTATIONS= If you raise your expectations you expect more because you think a better result is possible, so you expect a better result.
GO ON= Come on, go ahead, do it.
FEED THEM= Give them what they want (literally means: give them food to eat)
NO HESITATIONS= Don’t falter, be sure you’re going to do it right. If you hesitate, you don’t know if you should do it or not, or you don’t know if you will be able to do it or not, so “hesitation” is the act of hesitate.
YOU PAVED THE WAY= (literally: you prepared the road) You are ready for this because you have been trained and prepared to do it now.
GET DOWN= Fall down. Feel sad, depressed or demoralized.
Anawa= (Fang lang.) Yes, I did (it’s the answer to the previous question “Tsamina mina zangalewa?” = “who called you?”). So basically this means:
- who asked you to come here?
- I invited myself (because I have the right to be here) = I don’t need invitation.
(But we can also considered that the one answering is Africa itself, so to the question “who asked you to come?”, Africa answered “I did”.)
This song is comparing the World Cup competition with a battle, so footballers have to go onto the pitch and fight to win the battle like real soldiers. In fact, the chorus of this song is based on an old African warrior song. That’s why this song wants to encourage footballers to go to “the battle” with high expectations, and if they are defeated, instead of getting down and losing hope they must get up again and get ready to keep fighting. Because, as Shakira says in the Spanish version of this song, this is “la única justa de las batallas”, “the only fair war”.
Another song for the World Cup which, in practice, got to be almost as official as this one: Wavin' Flag.
This version was released by Shakira in English and Spanish. Watch the Spanish version here: Porque esto es Africa.
This is the original African song on which Shakira's version is based: Zangalewa.
You can also sing to the karaoke version of this song: Waka Waka -karaoke.
Official → Music
