Umntu ehlobile

for Ugubhu and voice

“This is a traditional young people’s song from the Zulu clan, implying that ‘girls are not to be impressed by fine clothes alone; however well-dressed a man may be, we can still disappoint her, can’t we!’ The actual words are rather obscure, in themselves. Princess Magogo explained the gist of the text as implying that a young suitor can never be sure that he will win approval, and if he is rejected he usually blames some detail of his attire; for instance, his head decoration may have looked like a rib and seemed ridiculous to ridiculous to the girl he was courting” (Rycroft, 1976).

Reference:

Rycroft, D., 1976. The Zulu Bow songs of Princess Magogo. International Library of African Music, Vol 5 no. 4, 41 – 97.