Nancy Jacobs & Her Sisters - Mielieland (Meadowlands)

Nancy Jacobs And Her Sisters
Mielieland (Meadowlands)
Songwriter: Strike Vilakezi (c) 1956
Strike Vilakezi's 1956 anti-Apartheid song:
The lyrics of the song articulate 3 different voices. There is the voice of white people, trying to lure Sophiatown residents into leaving their homes and moving to Meadowlands, the government-decreed Black township. This is answered by the voice of the Tsotsis who speak out, simply, but firmly, against the forced removals. And, finally, there is the coda Sithando Sam, a third voice, which links the two stanzas.
Lyrics:
Otla utlwa makgowa arei
Are yeng ko Meadowlands
Meadowland Meadowlands
Meadowlands sithando sam
Otlwa utlwa botsotsi bare
Ons dak ni ons pola hier
Pola hier pola hier
Pola hier sithando sam
Translation:
You'll hear the whites say
Let's move to Meadowlands
Meadowlands Meadowlands
Meadowlands, my love
You'll hear the tsotsis say
We're not moving, we're staying here
Stay here, stay here Stay here, my love

[@ijustwannacommentnotmyreal9814]

So... anyone from IEB Music?

[@evapick1566]

Love the mushrooms popping up at the appropriate moment! Thanks for the fun.

[@thesandsie13the2nd]

love this song. have seen the mess that is meadowlands. they finally got indoor plumbing in the 90's

[@vigneshwerramamoorthi4009]

what a banger

[@anirudhmenon5280]

Agreed

[@antcol8]

Love

[@0ldfinger]

deceptively sweet

[@evapick1566]

Can you maybe tell us more about the lyrics?

[@rebeccaaman8339]

@@evapick1566 (From a handout my professsor gave me)
"A South African popular musician with the bold name of Strike Vilakazi wrote a song about a forced removal of Sophiatown. Vilakazi was a member of the Sophiatown artistic elite associated with Drum magazine which protested the removal. The bopping tune, called “Meadowlands,” makes the new neighborhood seem cheerful, but the lyrics
are more ambiguous. They contain verses in three different languages - Zulu, Sotho and an Afrikaans/African street slang called “Tsotsi-taal” (from the word “tsosti” meaning “gangster” or “thug”). The sense could be understood as pro- or anti-removal depending on how one parsed the wording in the different languages. The word used for “white people” was “maburu” which means “Boers.” State censors considered the song pro-removal and thanked Vilakazi for his support. Black record buyers were more likely perceived it as protest. This protest song has had a
long life, not least because it has a swinging infectious tune with great harmony. "

[@evapick1566]

Thank you, @@rebeccaaman8339.
So interesting!