Zamina mina (Zangalewa) - Meaning and Translation

Zamina mina (Zangalewa)
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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.
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 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.
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.


FOR MORE DETAILS AND INFORMATION, VISIT:
http://www.e-forwards.com/2010/05/zamina-mina-zangalewa-translation-meaning-and-lyrics/