#zulu praise songs

[jokeroutsubs]

[Eng Translation] Ruisrock festival programme lineup announced including Joker Out.

Original Finnish article from Turun Sanomat news published on 5 March 2024. English translation by @saallotar, proofread by gboleyn123 (Instagram).

Ruisrock programme extended with 23 new artists - including Joker Out from Slovenia.

Ruisrockin ohjelma täydentyi 23 esiintyjällä – mukana muun muassa slovenialainen Joker Out.

The Slovenian band Joker Out, coming to Ruisrock, became known to a large audience during the Spring 2023 Eurovision Song Contest.

Ruisrock announced 23 new acts on Tuesday, including Stormzy, Don Toliver, Alok and Joker Out. The festival's daily programme was released at the same time.

British rapper Stormzy has played a key role in bringing British rap music to global acclaim. Enhancing the international rap lineup are first-time visitors to Finland, Don Toliver, who came to wider attention with his collaboration with Travis Scott, and Trippie Redd, known for his melodic style. 

Alok, an electronic music producer and one of Brazil's most successful DJs, will bring the party and live entertainment to Ruissalo. The programme is further complemented by Sub Focus.

The line up of international artists will be strengthened by the much requested Slovenian indie rock band Joker Out, who came to the attention of a large audience at the Spring 2023 Eurovision Song Contest. The band, who are really taking off, has warm relations with Finland, as the lead singer Bojan became friends with Käärijä in Liverpool during the Eurovision Song contest.

Ruisrock's domestic rap and hip-hop lineup expands with several names. The genre-breaking and uniquely humourous Käärijä, the charismatic Cledos, Ege Zulu & Orchestre with a big live band and F, who has been praised for his visually inventive live shows. Additionally, the line up includes Hassan Maikal, who wowed with his single “Yksinäistä”, and newcomers Hugo&Ahti, whose only joint summer festival performance with the band will be at Ruisrock.

The pop lineup will be strengthened by various artists. Pop hooks will be served up by the darkly spoken Costee, Elsa Brotherus, who puts sensitivity into words, Evelina, known for her many chart hits, and Isac Elliot, one of Finland's most popular pop stars.

The new generation of Finnish rock will be represented by the lovable Luukas Oja, dystopian Finnish synth-pop by MODEM, and Rebekka Holi and Orvokki will lead the audience into the deep and artistic music world.

Business City and Good Boys will bring their own special mix of music to the festival, with no shortage of action. The line-up is completed by a new metal band, LASTOUT, which has attracted great interest both domestically and internationally.

Ruisrock will take place 5th-7th of July 2024 in Ruissalo, Turku. More artist announcements are expected later this spring.

[poly-mc]

I should probably introduce myself.

Hi🪷 I'm Poly MC, otherwise known as Fairwish, and I'm in polyamorous relationships with all 7 of the demon brothers in Obey Me!. This is my new Role Play account where I will be able to live out that dream🌼 Yay🎉

I would like to say hello to my role-play husbands @ask-belphegor, @stn-tmblr, @lucifer-morningst4r , @lord-of-burgers, @the-great-mammon-01, @asm0b4by, @l3v1uhthan (sorry for spamming and if I didn't add all of your different accounts). Hi🪻 I look forward to role-playing was your partner☺️ And hello to my sister-in-law, @8th-sisterlilith 🌻 I hope we can become good friends ☺️

Oh and my father-in-law, @celestial-realm-leader. Hi 🙂

And I would like to say hello to my role-play children, if you would do me the honour of having me as a parental figure (sorry, I couldn't quite figure out the colours thing and sorry for spamming you too) @cynthiathebettertwin, @aspenthetwin, @pridesson, @luv4j3llyfish , @moneyluvsdamien, @thestarandtheghost, @shu1ch1 and @joy-yeah. I look forward to role-playing as your Umi🌺 "Umi" is short for "umzali", which means "parent" in Zulu, which is one of my 2 cultures. My bio dad is Zulu and my other culture is Afrikaans.

IMPORTANT: This is not to be confused with the meaning of "umi" from any other languages (aside from the Japanese "umi", which means "sea". "Sea" is one of my pronouns. More on that in the next paragraph). I decided to use "umi" as a term for my children to refer to me, because it's derived from a gender neutral term for a parental figure (umzali = parent), in my culture. I also decided on this term, because it would be so much easier for a child to learn how to say when learning how to speak. So, it also makes sense for my children's developmental needs.

Speaking of which, I'm non-binary 💜🤍💛🖤 and my pronouns are sea/star. So in a sentence, it would look like: Sea is very happy to be here. Sea hopes you enjoy star poetry. So, me deciding to use "umi", along with my pronouns, works on multiple levels. Especially considering that I've always had a deep connection with the ocean, that I could never quite explain. But I think it's because my Zulu heritage originates from KwaZulu-Natal, a coastal province in South Africa.

Also whenever people refer to me, using these pronouns, it makes me feel like a fairy, sitting on a leaf and watching the ocean under a night sky😌 Like, I feel like a better version of myself. Like the me that I've always wanted to be🌌 That's right, bitch we're getting existential now! And I'm completely sober. It makes me feel like someone I can actually look up to, which I think is just absolutely insane🤯 I mean, I NEVER thought that I could feel that way. I've never seen myself as someone worthy of being looked up to, praised or admired by anyone, much less myself. But here I am! Making my inner child proud, just by using those pronouns, so ja☺️

Also, as I've mentioned, I'm Afrikaans and I LOVE Afrikaans music, so look forward to me posting English translations/interpretations for Afrikaans songs.

I also dabble in poetry, so look forward to that too. Though, some of my best poems I've written are in my old phone, which I spilled hot chocolate on. And now the motherboard is fucked😭

Here are the rules:

1. Asks are open.

2. No NSFW asks. I'm happily married, thank you. (Weed is fine, though)

3. Romantic asks are reserved for the brothers ONLY.

4. Please be respectful. No hate/bigotry will be tolerated here.

5. While I am NOT a mental health professional, despite what some of you may think, I am willing to listen to any struggles that you may have. So I can't give you any advice (because I don't know the full context of ypur situation and, once again I'm not a specialist) but if you need a friend who will listen, I'm here for you. However if you're looking for advice, then I suggest you go to a licensed professional.

And uh...what else?... Let's just have fun🤷🏽🎉

Oh! And if you have any asks about South Africa, please don't hesitate! I'd be happy to share🇿🇦 Who knows, I might actually learn something about my own country in the process ☺️

[birthofhiphop]

New Post has been published on https://www.birthofhiphop.com/afrika-bambaataa/

AFRIKA BAMBAATAA

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During the 1970’s, subcultures of New York City was permeated in gang culture, the biggest of the gangs was named ‘Young Spades’ and one of the most prominent members was Kevin Donavan. When his best friend was killed by police due to gang violence, Kevin wisely decided to choose a new outlet in life.

  Kevin he was exposed to music through his mother’s vast record collection and his felt that music was also a good way to prevent his community from getting involved in crimes. He began to inspired many youngsters to choose music over violence through this genre later to be called “Hip Hop”.

  Deeply moved by the movie ‘Zulu’, Kevin traveled to Africa, where he encountered a tribal chief by name ‘Bhambhatha’. He became enthralled by both, the nation, as well as this tribal chief, which made him change his name to Afrika Bambaataa.

  Afrika Bambaataa became of hip-hop culture’s most influential pioneers.

  Bambaataa began throwing parties around the neighborhood, His style of music was liked by many, playing music of every musical genre to establish hip-hop as an aesthetic form based on juxtaposition and appropriation. He heavily embraced Techno Pop and the Yellow Magic Orchestra from Japan, as well as Kraftwerk from Germany. soon he was in demand at various social gatherings. Bambaataa’s following grew rapidly and his recognition as the borough’s preeminent DJ became widespread.

  Bambaataa didn’t just confine his talent to party places but also stood up for social and political causes. He formed ‘Universal Zulu Nation’ during this period which comprised of many artists who wanted to bring a social change through music.

  Bambaataa relegated the four elements of hip-hop as rapping, DJing, breakdancing and graffiti, giving the varied movements of late seventies inner-city youths in New York City a definitive coherence. Bambaataa linked conflicting theories into a cultural mixture that promoted positivity and community, providing a strong social conscience to an African American art form often mislabeled as negative.

  In 1980s Bambaataa came to be known as one of the best musicians in The Bronx, and came to be known as the ‘Master of Records’. He formed two rap crews during this period – ‘Jazzy 5’ and ‘Soulsonic Force’.

  Afrika Bambaataa and the ‘Soulsonic Force’ released of the single ‘Planet Rock’ which went on to become a chartbuster, and Bambaataa was showered with praise by music lovers world-wide. Two years later this team went on to release albums named ‘Looking for the Perfect Grenade’ and ‘Renegades of Funk’.

  Bambaataa pioneered the musical genre Electro Funk incorporating the rich culture of the South Bronx which is now called “Hip-Hop”, the pure funk sound of Parliament Funkadelic, George Clinton and Sly Stone with a touch of electronic music from Yellow Magic Orchestra, and German sounds from Kraftwerk. This musical mashup called Electro Funk was the critically acclaimed song Planet Rock, which he recorded with The Soul Sonic Force, and is still revolutionary til today.

  Universal Zulu Nation brought together Hip Hop’s elements of peace, unity, love and having fun.

[greensparty]

Stuff I’m Looking Forward to in November

We’re now deep into Q4 of 2022. In addition to Daylight Savings Time Ends (Fall Behind on 11/6), Election Day (11/8), Veterans Day (11/11), and Thanksgiving (11/25), here is what’s on my radar this month:

Movies:

Weird: The Al Yankovic Story 

In 2010, one of the funniest parodies on Funny or Die was a music biopic trailer Weird: The Al Yankovic Story with Aaron Paul as an exaggerated version of Weird Al. Now that short movie trailer has become a feature-length movie with Daniel Radcliffe as Al. The real Weird All is a co-writer, producer and cast member as record exec Tony Scotti. Premieres 11/4 on Roku Channel (movie review coming soon).

The Fabelmans

Steven Spielberg’s new drama is a semi-autobiographical drama about an Arizona family in the 1950s as the child is learning about the magic of film. I am so there! Opens 11/11.

Black Panther: Wakanda Forever

I named the first Black Panther my #8 Movie of 2018. It lived up to the praise! The sequel opens 11/11.

A Christmas Story Christmas

It’s been 39 years since the now-classic A Christmas Story was released. Now Ralphie and many of the other original cast members are back for the sequel premiering 11/17 on HBO Max.

She Said

The story of the New York Times breaking the story about Harvey Weinstein in 2017 is getting the movie treatment with an impressive cast. Opening 11/18.

White Noise

Noah Baumbach has been on a roll and his new one is a disaster movie, but the way he’d do it. Opens in limited released on 11/25 before Netflix premiere in December.

Music:

Phoenix Alpha Zulu 

French indie rocker Phoenix have been on my radar since the 00s. In September I saw the band live for the first time at Roadrunner and they put on a great show. The band’s 7th album drops 11/4.

Bruce Springsteen Only the Strong Survive

The Boss is doing an entire covers album of R&B classics. Similar to his Peter Seeger cover album he did, this is going to be The Boss bringing his sound to someone else’s songs. Album drops 11/11.

Smashing Pumpkins Atum: Act 1

Smashing Pumpkins are releasing their rock opera in three parts with Act 1 dropping 11/15. Act 2 will be released 1/31/22 and Act 3 (as well as the physical box set) drop on 4/23/22.

Neil Young and Crazy Horse World Record

What a year this has been for Neil Young and Crazy Horse fans. Over the Summer, they released the Toast, originally recorded in 2001. The band’s new studio album drops 11/18.

TV:

Wednesday (Netflix)

This new series about Wednesday Addams got my attention when I heard Tim Burton was producing / directing. Premieres on 11/23.

The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special (Disney +)

The Guardians of the Galaxy are probably the most fun characters in MCU since they are kinda sarcastic and funny. They have a holiday special featuring Kevin Bacon as himself (connecting Marvel to the Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon game in one degree now!). Premieres on Disney + on 11/25.

Fake Holidays:

In addition to Black Friday (11/25), Cyber Monday (11/28) and Giving Tuesday (11/29), I’m excited about Record Store Day Black Friday on 11/25!

[gtbaze]

Big Zulu looking for schoolgirl in viral video, who’s praised by Chris Brown 

United States musician and award-winner, Chris Brown, has showered a South African young singer with praise and even posted the video clip on his social media page. Brown headed to Instagram and posted a video of a young pupil who is seen singing Big Zulu’s song, Ubaba Ulala Nami in a classroom. The South African schoolgirl didn’t only wow Brown but also Big Zulu who is now pleading with South…

[burlveneer-music]

Thandi Ntuli - Blk Elijah & The Children of Meroë - concept album from South African keyboardist/singer/composer

Blk Elijah & The Children of Meroë, is a story about the mystery of awakening, re-birth or re-MEMBERING.

After a long, solitary sojourn in Exile, from Self and from the Truth, it speaks to the treasures of joy, hope through uncertainty, self-compassion and other lessons gathered on the journey Home.

The story takes place in the realm of the protagonist's inner world. Her mind, her heart, her Spirit! Each character or each song brings up the different aspects of her complex and wonder-filled "Inner-verse". An "inner-verse" reflecting the outer world in which she finds herself in.

Blk Elijah, who is more a Presence than a person, is the Voice that reflects the archetype of the Divine Mother and the protagonist's Highest truest most authentic Self. She is the catalyst of awakening and the guide who once surrendered to, gently guides her, and all the Children of Meroë, back to wholeness.

Recorded at DYERTRIBE STUDIOS, PRETORIA on 17,18,19 February 2022. All songs written, arranged & produced by Thandi Ntuli except 'Amazing Grace' Portuguese lyrics, written by Tlangelani Gabriela Sophia Ngwenya and 'Izibongo' taken from the full text of the Ntuli Family Praises, written by Rev Gedlana Ntuli in his diary as he heard the praises from his father. Rev. Ntuli, great-grandfather to Thandi, transitioned in 1936.

Thandi Ntuli: Piano, Keyboards, Rhodes, Synth, Vocals, Programming, Backing Vocals. Sphelelo Mazibuko: Live Drums Keenan Ahrends: Guitar, Backing Vocals (track 8) Shane Cooper: Double Bass, Electric Bass, Backing Vocals (track 8) Nompumelelo Nhlapo: Percussion Mthunzi Mvubu: Alto Saxophone, Flute Ndabo Zulu: Trumpet Hope Masike: Spoken Word (track 1)

[ujesuunobubelenami-blog]

South African Gospel Song "Zonke Izinto Ziphila Ngemigomo Nemithetho Ebekwe NguNkulunkulu"

I Iminyaka eyizinkulungwane eziningi idlulile, futhi isintu sisathokozela ukukhanya nomoya onikwe nguNkulunkulu, sisaphefumula umphefumulo okhishwe nguNkulunkulu uqobo Lwakhe, sisathokozela izimbali, izinyoni, izinhlanzi kanye nezinambuzane ezidalwe nguNkulunkulu, futhi sithokozela zonke izinto ezinikezwe nguNkulunkulu; imini nobusuku kusaqhubeka nokudedelana; izinkathi zonyaka ezine ziyadedelana ngokujwayelekile; amahansi andiza esibhakabhakeni ayahamba kulobu busika, futhi asabuya entwasahlobo elandelayo; izinhlanzi emanzini aziyishiyi neze imifula namachibi—ikhaya lazo.

II Izihlonono emhlabathini zicula ngokuzinikela ngezinsuku zehlobo; izinyendle otshanini zivungazela kamnandi zihambisana nomoya ekwindla; amahansi ahlangana abe yimihlambi, ngenkathi izinkozi zihlala zizodwa; imihlambi yamabhubesi iziphilisa ngokuzingela; amaphiva aziqheli otshanini nasezimbalini…. Lonke uhlobo lwesidalwa esiphilayo phakathi kwezinto zonke siyahamba siphinde sibuye, bese sihamba futhi, izinguquko eziyisigidi zenzeka ngokucwayiza kweso— kodwa okungaguquki yizazela zemvelo kanye nemithetho yokuphila. Ziphila ngaphansi kokuhlinzeka nokondla kukaNkulunkulu, futhi akekho ongaguqula izazela zazo zemvelo, futhi akekho ongaphazamisa imithetho yazo yokuphila, futhi akekho ongaphazamisa imithetho yazo yokuphila.

Kwethi Izwi Livela Lisenyameni

Funda Okwengeziwe: zulu gospel songs list

[passionate-reply]

This week on Great Albums: one of my favourite “hidden gems” of the mid-1980s, Blancmange’s *Mange Tout* is about as extra and in-your-face as it gets, full of dense arrangements, gender-bending bombast, and musical instruments from Southern Asia.

Welcome to Passionate Reply, and welcome to Great Albums! This time around, I’ll be taking a look at one of my favourite hidden gems from the mid-1980s, the sophomore LP of Blancmange, entitled Mange Tout.

Despite their relative obscurity today, particularly in comparison to many of their contemporaries, Blancmange weren’t total strangers to the pop charts. Their first full-length LP, 1982’s Happy Families, would yield the biggest hit of their career: “Living on the Ceiling,” which peaked at #7.

Music: “Living on the Ceiling”

While it never got to be a chart-topper, “Living on the Ceiling” is still an unforgettable track in its own ways. Perhaps its most distinctive feature is its use of the traditional Indian instruments, the sitar and tabla. While 80s synth-pop is certainly full of Orientalism, most of the references you’ll find are pointing to the Far East, and the perceived aesthetic sophistication and techno-utopian futurism of China and Japan. Aside from certain works of Bill Nelson, Blancmange were pretty much the only ones engaging with South Asian musical themes. Blancmange’s instrumentalist, Stephen Luscombe, grew up in London’s Southall neighbourhood, which had a high population of immigrants from Southern Asia, which led him to a lifelong interest in Indian music. Combined with electronics, it makes for a totally unique sound, which ends up sounding better in practice than it might in theory.

While any time White European musicians turn to alternative cultures as artistic tools, there’s a valid cause for some degree of criticism and concern, there’s also an artsy, left-field un-hipness about Blancmange, who seemingly drew from Indian music not only alone, but purely for sonic enjoyment. Unlike the exotic fantasies spun by groups like Japan, none of Blancmange’s songs seem propelled by any specific idea or ideology about India, but rather seem to tackle common pop themes of love and heartbreak against a seemingly *non sequitur* musical backdrop. While we, as listeners, might have strong associations with particular sounds, this is ultimately more cultural than innate, and there’s really no reason why a composition with Indian instruments must revolve around some theme of “Indian-ness”; it isn’t like people in India don’t also fall in love. However you feel about these influences, the role of Indian instruments is only increased on Mange Tout, where they appear on multiple tracks, including the album’s most successful single, “Don’t Tel Me.”

Music: “Don’t Tell Me”

On Mange Tout tracks like “Don’t Tell Me,” not only do the instruments return, but so do the session musicians who had performed on “Living on the Ceiling”: Deepak Khazanchi, on sitar, and Pandit Dinesh, on the percussion instruments tabla and madal. “Don’t Tell Me” is a track with a lot of pop appeal, lightweight and singable, which makes it a bit surprising that it was actually the final single released from the album. It certainly impresses me that Blancmange managed to create such bubbly and finely tuned pop, given that neither of their core members came from any formal or technical background: Luscombe had had a history in avant-garde music ensembles, and vocalist Neil Arthur became interested in music via the DIY culture of punk. Their first-ever release, the 1980 EP Irene & Mavis, sounds more like Throbbing Gristle than Culture Club, but they somehow managed to arrive at something quite sweet and palatable in the end. That said, it’s also possible for sweet to eventually become too sweet--and this line is provoked on the album’s divisive second single, “That’s Love, That It Is.”

Music: “That’s Love, That It Is”

In contrast to the lighter “Don’t Tell Me,” “That’s Love, That It Is” is utterly bombastic, with a vicious intensity. The instrumentation and production style is dense to the point of being borderline overwhelming. By this point in his life, Stephen Luscombe had recently discovered that he was gay, and his time spent in nightclubs that catered to the gay community provided another pillar of Blancmange’s signature sound: the influence of the queer disco tradition, which is almost certainly the source of this tightly-packed instrumental arrangement style. Blancmange never seem to be mentioned in the same breath as other stars of queer synth-pop like Bronski Beat, Soft Cell, and the Pet Shop Boys, presumably due to the combination of their overall obscurity and the fact that Luscombe was never the face of their band, but I see no reason not to include them in the same pantheon of camp. Speaking of queerness, it’s also worth noting how Blancmange played with gender, particularly on their cover of “The Day Before You Came.”

Music: “The Day Before You Came”

A solid eight years before Erasure’s iconic Abba-Esque, Blancmange offered their own interpretation of an ABBA classic with “The Day Before You Came.” In their hands, it’s a languid dirge, and a meditation on quotidian miseries for which the titular event seems to offer little respite. The unchanged lyrics, portraying the narrator working in an office and watching soap operas at night, are subtly feminine-coded, but the deep and unmistakably masculine voice of vocalist Neil Arthur seems to muddle those connotations. While it is a cover, I’m tempted to sort it into the same tradition as Soft Cell’s “Bedsitter” and the Pet Shop Boys’ “Left To My Own Devices,” as a work which musically elevates the everyday life of a campily self-obsessed character to the sort of melodrama the narrator perceives it to have.

I’ve spent a lot of time praising the instrumental side of their music so far, but it’s also true that Blancmange wouldn’t be Blancmange without Arthur’s contributions. The presence of his rough and untrained voice, with the added gruffness of a Northern accent, draws a line between these tracks and a typical pop production, and he sells us quite successfully on the gloomy, ominous feeling of tracks like “The Day Before You Came” and the album’s lead single, “Blind Vision.”

Music: “Blind Vision”

On the cover of Mange Tout, we find an assortment of seemingly unrelated items, which form a sort of graphic wunderkammer against a pale beige backdrop. Perhaps the best theme that could be assigned to them is that of travel--we see several means of transportation, such as a boat, a motorbike, and an airplane flying above a map, as well as items that can be taken as symbols of exotic locales, such as a North American cactus, and an elephant and Zulu nguni shield from Africa. Only the harp is clearly evocative of music itself--and this instrument won’t even be found on the album! The album’s title, “Mange Tout,” suggests that we are getting “full” Blancmange, or “all of” Blancmange. Taken together, the cover and title seem to imply that this album is stuffed to the brim, and contains a whole world of musical ideas. I would definitely agree that that’s a major motif of the album: it’s audacious, explosive, and free-wheeling. It very much feels like an album that was put together on the back of a first initial success, with a pumped-up budget and bold creative vision, and hence pulls no punches. Perhaps the most compelling feature of Mange Tout, and the primary reason I recommend this album so highly, is its unbridled enthusiasm for what it’s doing. Even in its ostensibly experimental moments, Mange Tout feels not like an album that is “trying” something, but rather one that boldly and assuredly proclaims the things it does, and embraces a kind of “more is more” maximalism.

In hindsight, it’s easy to see Mange Tout as the creative as well as commercial peak of Blancmange’s career. Their follow-up release, 1985’s Believe You Me, is far from the worst album I’ve ever heard, but it definitely doesn’t feel quite the same as the “classic” Blancmange works, adopting a more middle-of-the-road, radio-friendly synth-pop direction, with less of the South Asian influences and experimentation that really set them apart in the saturated synth-pop landscape. While not a work devoid of merit, Believe You Me was a relative commercial dud, and the duo would split soon after, chiefly citing personal and creative differences--though they did have a brief reunion in the early 2010s.

Music: “Lose Your Love”

My favourite track on Mange Tout is “All Things Are Nice,” which, alongside the neo-doo-wop “See the Train,” would be classed as one of the more experimental tracks on the album. Full of tension, “All Things Are Nice” alternates between eerily whispering vocals from Arthur, and a variety of samples from other media--which was still a relatively cutting-edge technique for the time. “All Things Are Nice” is almost certainly the most conceptual track on the album: as samples discuss world war, and Arthur whispers that “we can’t keep up with it,” the song is probably to be interpreted as a commentary on the runaway nature of technology and so-called “progress” in the modern age. The titular assertion that “all things are nice” seems to be ironic--or perhaps it embodies a sheer love of chaos and unpredictability, for their own sake, which would certainly fit the album’s mood. It also feels like it might be a sort of defense of the album itself: like I said, *Mange Tout* is serving us “all of Blancmange,” and isn’t it fun to get to have all of something? That’s everything for today--as always, thanks for listening!

Music: “All Things Are Nice”

[unkulunkulumuhle-blog]

Zulu Gospel Song | “UNkulunkulu Uyabazisa Labo Abamzwayo Nabalalela Yena”

[dian-dreams]

I've been asking myself more and more these days if the language barrier is a real thing in music. I keep wondering, is it true that you could never fully connect to art if it's in a language you can't speak?

It isn't like with visual media, where everyone's supposed to have all these different interpretations. everyone sees the same thing, you just have to hope the subtitles aren't shitty. artists making visual media will deal with the occasional asshole saying they don't want to read subtitles but for the most part, most people will manage to find beauty in films, videos, and paintings no matter where the artist is from. it seems that things are different when it comes to music and i wonder why.

my whole life, I've been singing and dancing to songs in languages i can't speak a word of. a lot of my favorite songs and albums are in languages i barely understand, i couldn't even have a conversation in them. but it's never changed the fact that these songs could move me, they'd make me smile and cry and fill me with strong emotions for people that I'd never met. my parents managed to learn english just by listening to Michael Jackson, Destiny's Child, and Mary Mary on repeat for about 3 years. they'd be listening to all these popular american songs on the radio, not understanding a single word of it, but still dance along and belt out every word as if they did. my mother's even told me about the days everyone in the neighborhood would huddle up by their little TVs and watch american films - they didn't know what was going on, even nowadays we'd be watching something and they still don't get it, even though they've been speaking it for over a decade now. but they still find fascination in "good" art. art that makes you feel something.

i don't speak creole, japanese, spanish, korean, hindi, or zulu but a handful of my favorite songs are in those languages. if you could see me singing along to tricot you'd think i was fluent in japanese. it's always been like that where i grew up, from all the weddings I'd be forced to go to, to all that songs I'd stumble upon on youtube, i always managed to find something beautiful. I've cried myself to sleep listening to things i didn't understand in a typical way. i think music makes you feel things because it has no language barrier. it transcends language.

it'll never stop being surprising to me that the west, usually the us, doesn't seem fond of most languages. i always thought that music was the one thing that would make everyone forget that some of us looked different, or came from different places. i thought music for everyone else was what i saw when everyone was dancing to oliver ngoma at a wedding even though none of us were from gabon. i thought music was just shared emotions. languages are just sounds. mere sounds. there are so many emotions that don't have words attached to them and yet we still treat it like it's everything.

i know it's something a lot of other africans can relate to. as well as latin americans and people from the caribbean and some europeans (mostly french people). but i wish everyone on the planet felt this way. i mean its great to find out a song is about something close to your heart, and it always sucks to find out this one musician you really like has been singing songs about praising fascists and dictators. but those kinds of things exist even if its a song of your mother tongue. i wish i never had to hear "you listen to xyz? you don't even understand what they're saying!" ever again. i wish we didn't shun certain artists because we don't want to do the work of asking what lyrics mean. you'd think more people would take advantage of the technology we have now. you'd think we'd appreciate the people who dedicate so much time and energy and effort to help us understand things a lot better. but nooo you'd rather miss out on something amazing.

music will always be more than just words to me. i wish more people felt that way. i also wish i was alive to enjoy zouk machine more

[shabba-zams]

I'M NO MANIAC

Hold big regard for kinship, tradition and culture, I could give a lecture

I'm sky high - herbivore, like a turkey vulture I'm a carnivore

Canibal, I mean omnivore coz I love greens, like Popeye And Spinach, I lick bean

Flick flick, root Chakra, keep you grounded, kiss your forehead, illumination

Wham bam, burn incense this instant

Smoke in house, reminisce about my late aunt, Eugenia

Healing from a heartbreak of a love that never happened

Should never happen, wait what just happened?

You a bad bitch, downward doggy, hit it from the back, is that good B?

Meow-moo, look at that arch, Doja, Cat-Cow mi amor

Heart's aching, beneath I'm hurting although surface looks perfect

Instantly regretting the mistake I made, egghead getting laid

I was broke, couldn't think straight, Im still great, it's just that I hate

Constantly stressing, hope you not late, I'm Wylin, red fox

Sorry mate, don't put me on the spot unless we hot box

You a hot mess, you burn, guilt trip, in hell I burn, 12 stroke soul snatcher, soul searching,N2O, inhale, I burn, I'm trippin

My goodness, Zulu goddess, Tsonga royalty in her DNA, your highness hello, hi, my love I profess

Pussy power tricking, that tightness, finesse crazy like madness, she drippin

Her cookie jar I'm Double dippin, like yes ya, I praise ya, I'm smitten

You praise Ja, pet name for your small pussy... Poor lil kitten

Obsessed With fitness, admire her loyalty, I stay under her spell

First We gel, then repel, we then rebel, plz say you could not tell I fell for you girl!

I confess, your strange quirks remind me of my old ex

Guardian angel, I see your halo, okay bye! In darkness you my star

Naledi always shine bright, never dim light, eyes can adjust right?

No girl, tell me how could I not fall for you girl?

If I see you all day and night? Medicate then meditate

Last and first light I see you, it's hard to wake me up, ICU

Namaste, send u love and light. Hugging u gud nyt then imma go unless it's midnight, my pants is tight right and u hug me tight tight cutie, in my ear, QTip, u whisper get the light, deep throat  gimme the green light, tonight you looking so tasty

It's not right, lockdown got me all thirsty, see, I'm nasty

I'll eat you out, gimme a big tip, face chair, take a sit please

Gangsta champagne, notorious bubbles I sip sip, are you pleased?

You a tall glass of sexy B, I mean u sassy B, sexy beast I gotta drink, drunk

In love with your positive energy, you love the inner me and you know I'm not the enemy, I love you

Juju, like bad energy, shoo shoo, telling me to go, I don't go

Feeling ur feng shui imbalance, tryinna find balance, yoga

So much green in my blood stream, feelin like Hulk or Yoda

I'm 1 with the force, a gulf stream directing ur flow, go

Heavy flow that weigh a ton, period. I go deep, you flow deep like the Nile, you lovin it

Tid bit in denial, plz don't judge unless you take a 9 mile walk if the shoe fit

Wise mentor, needed to blow off steam, oh no you make me sing, I never meant to...

I'm spiritual, Ultralight beam, living the life of Pablo, green

I see no light, stuck in the dark, this don't feel right

Fight what I feel, fight! I know you like what I write, right? I'm still Steve like Biko, because I write what I like

You're spiritual, Ivy crown it'll be alright, fight!

Where you been? Spiritual journey, Wrote you a song of love, don't panic, it's platonic agape kind

You're kind, im sorry, please forgive me, God bless us

Never meant to sex ya, sext ya, yes ya I never meant to

Hurt ya, my day 1 let me be in your team, I'm your hype man and you my wing man, who knew, man?

I'm a new man, never wanna be in u ma'am, that's Truman, like Harry

Like Harriet, You talk truth ma'am, ur woke now, mental slavery chain breaker

Lead, take leash, give me my freedom, Tubman. Ass like Baartman, I'm joking, I'm through man!

Is it true man? You got a new man?

I'm glad you found uThando & Peace!

I see your glow in the dark , I watch you grow, from head to toe

Lock down, No sexercise, just exercise, oblique workout, body shaping up, you shake shit up

Look down, fvck shit up, I fantasize under the mistletoe, kiss kiss that phat pet peeve,

I mean the size of that cameltoe, kiss kiss like it's NYs Eve

Family Feud like Steve, We lip lock, she bad bad like Eve

Stuck with you like gridlock, bad bitch my ride or die!

The love you show, I dunno who to tell that u just ring my bell

Blue balls, plain torture, ungshaya ding dong, that just rings wrong

Playing mind games like ping pong, saw my dp then ask for my dick pic like "Big Z u got big dick print"

I tell her to quit playin and show her it's just resting, I'm a grower

Picture a Big black gun in your hand, click glock

Lick big black cock in my hand, and get a big tip

Love your big tats,small tits, nip slip, vrm vrm, you own me like pinkslip

4 play lick clit, that pink pink

Big lie like, just the tip, truth is I just wanted to hit twice, then dip twice like, dip dip

Double Pussy grip, like grip grip

Our late night tap dance routine like

Double tap like, tip-clit-grip-grip, skip, tip-clit-grip-grip

Sending mixed signals, wearing no bra, black tank top, Grey gym pants, exciting my BBC then saying NO BRA!

Apple bong is crack bong, big flop wearing your pink flip flops, I need a drink,J walk drunk, hit, bong, bang, drive, buy smoke, fly, sky, high five, YouTube The Fives, whats the matter? GBV

All lives including those you call low lives matter, no 1 deserves murder.

Deep chats kid, Katt Williams crack me up, have a break Kit Kat

I'm a lil sad but real glad u not mad at me brick brack, red fox

Need my quick fix, Red on Netflix like Raymond, cross you off my hitlist, at least at last, the blacklist, NBC

No chick flicks miss, unless you aiming to get this, BBC

I don't aim, shoot shot once and don't miss, easy, ABC

Cupid tryinna shoot me dead but misz, shit shot, no Mrs, thank God

Thot thought she a hot shot coz she smoke pot, no BS she not hot

Cold as horse shit that's not hot, bust a nut, I might not

I'm a lit lad who thinks they a big bad, Wolf, with a sick head

You heard? Sometimes it's hard when u in my bed, think with other head instead like getting head

Play dead after I beat meat, you knock-knock, I'm cumin, you come in, your bad timing is not charming

I see myself in you, pun intended, idea planted in my head

For real tho, I see your hoeish ways, long gone are my hoeish days

Sometimes I think u poison like Ivy, I'm batman, no avengers

Scavengers, a mad woman and a bad man, Savages in our own league

First punch throwers, they hate us, crack bong hitters, they not us, we avenge us,

You lead, I school ya, screw ya, liquids in ur insides like IV

Drip drip, said fuck it, big deal, do u even care how I feel? Bad state of mind, took shrumz, now I'm havin a bad trip

Craving a road trip, cruze down memory lane, replay bad clip, is it weird that I loved that silhouette video? Press play

Get liquid withit

Going toe-to-toe, I kill and bury Big Trill, made my 1st mil

Then blew it, dead lyricist, I'm just a ghost writer

I see changes, a stoner girl turn to a rave girl as the nyt ages

I once told her, trust the rock of ages like John

Serial killer with rage on Pages, I was angry at God like Sean

Now i'm easy like solving for X- Kid'o,

That's annoying, ward off tiny mosquito

Go against me, that's a non starter, kiss my ass lips

I talk shit, no stutter or slight lisp like L-Tido

In the city of gold its all or nothing, that's a no brainer

No brain huh? Black lip bastard, faith like mustard seed

Don't call me bastard, transform to Luke Cage then hit rib Cage like

Nicholas, can't stop me like an urban legend... Ghost rider

I sound fictitious like ghost busters, but I'm quite real like Klingon

I stick like glue, here's a clue:

Day of the week: Monday

Feeling: baby Blue and itchy

Scratch my balls I'm jiggy, sweet melanin black queen like B

Fluent in your love language B, catch 22, paradoxical

Hypocritical, stereotypical, philosophical.

[lostintranslaation]

Here’s the Ukuthula essay exactly one (1) person asked for! (@dredfulhapiness I luv u and thank u for urging me to talk about things nobody else cares about)

Ukuthula  kulo mhlaba wezono (Aleluya) igazi likaJesu linyenyez’ ukuthula

Usindiso kulo mhlaba wezono (Aleluya) igazi likaJesu linyenyez’ usindiso

Ukubonga kulo mhlaba wezono (Aleluya) igazi likaJesu linyenyez’ ukubonga

Ukukholwa kulo mhlaba wezono (Aleluya) igazi likaJesu linyenyez’ ukukholwa

Ukunqoba kulo mhlaba wezono (Aleluya) igazi likaJesu linyenyez’ ukunqoba

Induduzo kulo mhlaba wezono (Aleluya) igazi likaJesu linyenyez’ induduzo

~

Peace in this world of sin (Halleluja) the blood of Jesus brings peace

Redemption in this world of sin (Halleluja) the blood of Jesus brings redemption

Praise (gratefulness) in this world of sin (Halleluja) the blood of Jesus brings praise (gratefulness)

Faith in this world of sin (Halleluja) the blood of Jesus brings

Victory in this world of sin (Halleluja) the blood of Jesus brings

Comfort in this world of sin (Halleluja) the blood of Jesus brings

 Let’s start at the very beginning, shall we? 

Ukuthula is a Zulu prayer written during the apartheid in South Africa. It’s a song of peace, and of victory when victory seems nowhere in sight. It’s written and performed in the call-and-response style, which is especially popular in South Africa. The caller sings first, usually a lone voice set apart, and then the rest of the chorus joins in in haunting solidarity with the caller. It’s beautiful. It’s one person standing up for what they believe in, and, in doing so, giving multitudes of others the courage to do the same. It’s a prayer for peace, redemption, praise, faith, victory, of comfort in this world. 

I can’t speak for anyone else but myself, but I’m a firm believer in the idea that some works of art can find their way into your life in exactly the right moment. And after the year we’ve had, I feel even more strongly about it. 

On November 16th, 2019, one of the counselors at my school took his own life. 

Coming to school that next day was an experience I don’t think I would be able to describe if I wanted to. 

My first class was choir. After discussing the events that had taken place the night before, my choir was given the rest of the period to spend in solidarity. Whether that meant talking with each other, doing homework to distract ourselves, or just being together. But we couldn’t do that. We needed to sing.

So we sang.

We marched out to the common area of our school, joined hands, and sang.

Ukuthula.

Usindiso.

Ukubonga.

Ukukholwa.

Ukunqoba.

Induduzo.

Ukuthula.

I don’t think I need to tell you it didn’t sound good. It was teary and voice crack-y and heartbreakingly solemn. Almost eerie as the caller’s voice, shaken with tears, echoed alone through the space, then was followed with the power of a 50-voice choir. 

On the darkest of days, hope and beauty can still be found in community and music. Those two forces have the power to heal things that seem unrecoverable. And with everything that’s going on today, music is more important now than it ever has been. While it can’t fix all of our problems, it can show us what’s most important. What’s most important is our humanity. That we’re all the same, under everything. 

That we’re all in this together. 

[globalworship]

RIP Joseph Shabalala

Much of the text below is excerpted from a New York Times article by Jon Pareles here: https://www.nytimes.com/2020/02/11/arts/music/joseph-shabalala-dead.html

Joseph Shabalala, Ladysmith Black Mambazo Founder, Dies at 78.

His choral group acquired an international following and won Grammys after collaborating with Paul Simon on the album “Graceland.”

Mr. Shabalala began leading choral groups at the end of the 1950s. By the early ’70s his Ladysmith Black Mambazo — in Zulu, “the black ax of Ladysmith,” a town in KwaZulu-Natal Province — had become one of South Africa’s most popular groups, singing about love, Zulu folklore, rural childhood memories, moral admonitions and Christian faith.

In 1987, Mr. Simon produced Ladysmith Black Mambazo’s first major-label album, “Shaka Zulu,” which won a Grammy Award. The group went on to enjoy global recognition, including four more Grammys, decades of extensive touring and guest appearances with Stevie Wonder, Dolly Parton, Josh Groban, George Clinton and many others.

Joseph Shabalala — his full name was Bhekizizwe Joseph Siphatimandla Mxoveni Mshengu Bigboy Shabalala — was born on Aug. 28, 1941, near the town of Ladysmith, where his parents, Jonathan Mluwane Shabalala and Nomandla Elina Shabalala, worked on a white-owned farm.

Mr. Shabalala often said that a series of dreams he had in 1964 had led him to reshape the music of the group, which became Ladysmith Black Mambazo. He refined an a cappella Zulu choir style called isicathamiya — “stalking style” — which had grown out of song-and-dance competitions in hostels for migrant mineworkers, an urban adaptation of rural traditions.

Mr. Shabalala’s version of isicathamiya was built on plush bass-heavy harmonies, call-and-response drive and dramatic contrasts of soft and loud passages, along with choreography that included tiptoeing moves and head-high kicks.

He announced his retirement from Ladysmith Black Mambazo in 2014; three of his sons — Sibongseni, Thamsanqa and Thulani — are in the current lineup of the group.

Excerpted from https://www.nytimes.com/2020/02/11/arts/music/joseph-shabalala-dead.html

https://www.npr.org/2020/02/11/804788290/joseph-shabalala-ladysmith-black-mambazo-founder-dies-at-78

https://www.bbc.com/news/entertainment-arts-51458177

https://www.facebook.com/LadysmithBlackMambazo/?tn-str=k*F

+++

The national radio in South Africa sent him off with this: "Ulale ngoxolo Tata ugqatso lwakho ulufezile." (Rest in peace, father, your race is complete.)

Joseph Shabalala, the founder and leader of Ladysmith Black Mambazo, in performance in Johannesburg in 2002. Alexander Joe/Agence France-

+++

‘Gospel Songs’ by Ladysmith Black Mambazo  (2000/2002) is a double CD they released. Almost all of the 32 songs are sung in Zulu. Ebay currently has the best prices.

My UK journalist friend did an interview with the band at https://www.mixcloud.com/george-luke/ladysmith-black-mambazo-in-their-own-words/?fbclid=IwAR3DgErmBdo5kdcnzgES0mm22cK3FY1G3z1-1NomEEtSDtRanliShiEwWoo

+++

Shabalala was an ordained minister in the Pentecostal Church of God of Prophecy, having become a Christian in 1976. He said he hopes his music shows people “how to be good to God, how to praise God, how to respect, how to forgive each other . . .”

The group recorded many hundreds of songs. Here are 2 song videos. The first is partially in English, from their acclaimed performance at the Montreux Jazz Festival in 2002 - titled “King of Kings.”

+++

An older song:  lifklie Ivangelie (The gospel has arrived)

[fakazavibes]

Mankosi – Isizwe

Mankosi – Isizwe Mp3 Download: Isizwe song by Mankosi Fakaza with the Mp3 Download of the Lyrics new hit 2020 song from South African singer.

Listen to Mankosi 2020 songs Free Mp3 Download

Download Mp3:

[magica-pseudoacademica]

While narrative and oratory were important resources in recasting their identity, Nazaretha women also used non-verbal means. Isaiah [Shembe] had cast Nazaretha women as biblical heroines who defended "Israel", frequently invoking the character of Jephthah's daughter to do so. For pilgrimages and church meetings, female converts garbed themselves in the dress of a modern Jephthah's daughter, wearing a white gown named by themselves and Isaiah as umJafeta ("Jephthah"). Thus attired, Nazaretha women played the role of spiritual warriors, travelling the country and fighting on behalf of the church. Women also cultivated their skill at dance. Historically, dance was a display of military prowess; it demonstrated both bodily discipline, and solidarity with one's peers. Women's prowess at the holy dance of the church was widely praised as evidence of their valour. It was only confirmed celibates who were considered "worthy to dance for Jehovah". While dancing, women would sing regimental war songs of the old Zulu kingdom, choruses such as, "Drive them away, Lord of the nation of Mpande, We overcame them at Hlobane." Women also sung new war chants, ones composed by Isaiah. [...] Both outsiders and members of the church were impressed by the display of female asceticism on show in dance and song performance.

Joel Cabrita, Text and Authority in the South African Nazaretha Church (2014)

[honeylikewords]

the baby asks you have been answering are so cute!! so i have to ask-- what do you think t'challa and his queen are like preparing to welcome a little panther to their kingdom?

Oh, how wonderful! I’m excited to do more T’Challa content, and hopefully I do right by him and his canon!

(Again, I refer to my original disclaimer on my first T’Challa post, wherein I state that while I am white and cannot, in any way, speak to the black experience, I want my Black Panther content to be explicity inclusive of black readers, who are usually negelected in the fic community. I hope my work pays its dues to the important and necessary presence of black readers and creators, and that they feel represented here! I’m also dedicated to doing my research and doing it well, so if there are any inaccuracies portrayed here, absolutely tell me and I’ll work on amending them.)

So, without further ado, here we go!

I researched birth rituals from a number of the tribes that contributed to the design and culture of Wakanda. The two that stood out the most were the Zulu tribe and the Himba tribe, who both have very strong ritual histories for birth culture.

For the Zulu people, especially Zulu traditionalists, no marriage is truly permanent until a child is born. While Wakanda has moved into a more progressive understanding of marriage, one that includes validation that, yes, a marriage is permanent, binding, and important, even without the prescence of children as a possibility, birth and childbearing are still seen as noble and important tasks, and, if willingly carried out, should be respected.

Certainly, for the royal family, there is an expectation to carry on the line. There is no immediate pressure, necessarily-- it’s not as if Queen Ramonda was breathing down T’Challa’s neck to have children-- but it is an honor to uphold the royal lineage, and an honor that T’Challa does not take lightly. He’s known ever since he was a child that it would be his responsibility to take the throne and, yes, to one day pass it down to a child of his own, should fate be permitting.

So, yes, even before he was married, he made it very clear to his beloved that he anticipated children in his future, and wanted to be sure that she anticipated that, too. He understood if she didn’t want that for herself, or couldn’t, for whatever reason, and was ready to handle whatever happened next, for better or worse. But he was immensely pleased (and secretly giddy) that she, too, wanted children, and was ready for that stage to come in their future together.

Once married, T’Challa became very, very excited for the prospect of children. He may seem calm and collected, and that’s because, in many ways, he is: through years of practice and a naturally level head for leadership, T’Challa can keep himself in check and in line. But every time he thought about his child, the offspring of his love to a woman who fills his heart with overflowing joy, he would start smiling, even in the most serious of situations.

Sometimes Okoye would catch T’Challa staring wistfully out a window at the Wakandan skyline and wave her hand in front of his face, breaking the reverie.

“My king? Is all well?”

“Mhm, yes,” he’d mumble dreamily. “I was just thinking about... little socks.”

“...Little socks?”

“Yes, you know,” T’Challa would say. “As in for babies. I wonder if M’Baku has any good seamstresses, what with his having so many children and being in the cold climates...”

He gets daydreamy about the baby. It’s just a fact of life.

Similarly, it’s also a fact that in the Himba tribe, there is a belief that a person’s life does not start on the day they are born, nor when they are conceived, but when they are dreamed up inside their mother’s mind.

The Himba believe that once a woman begins to want to have a child, she should go away from her village and sit under a tree, meditating until she can hear “the song of her child”. After that, she can return to the village to go and conceive her child, though the child is already made real in her mind. It’s a truly beautiful sentiment, and one that is surely still intact in Wakandan culture.

For T’Challa’s wife, she began to think about having a child pretty early. Now, it wasn’t a truly settled idea, but more of a sudden burst of thought, like a little bubble popping, especially in the months before the wedding. “One day, you’ll be having a baby with him,” her mind would say. “One day, perhaps very soon.”

She didn’t let the thoughts solidify too quickly, since there was so much to deal with, but after a while, she began to seriously ruminate on the idea. And once that rumination took place, she knew that the spiritual conception was already beginning, according to tradition and to her own heart.

She probably went to talk to Queen Ramonda in private about the feelings, and about how Ramonda had handled the thoughts when it was her time. Ramonda was very supportive and warm, encouraging her to take the time to go and meditate, to listen for the song of her soon to be child, should all forces work in their favor.

So she did. She took a day away from the royal duties to go and rest in a field alone, sitting under a broad tree and watching the grassy plains before her rustle in the wind. She waited and quieted her mind, letting time roll past without concern. It took a while, a long while, of concentrating, then losing focus, then trying to concentrate again, and just when she was becoming frustrated with herself, she felt a wave of calm come over her.

And in the wind that whispered through the grass and the fronds of the tree up above, in the sounds all around her, the ones she observed in her silence, she could hear a melody forming.

That was the voice of her child, calling to her, telling her things would be alright, and that they’d be here to see her soon. They were beginning their journey from concept into conception.

When she came back to the palace, T’Challa found her and asked her where she’d been.

“The Dora said you’d gone out by yourself; no guard, no communication...” he mumbled, hands clasping her cheeks. “I was worried.”

“Don’t worry,” she said back as she pressed up to kiss his forehead. “I have some very, very good news.”

T’Challa tipped his head sideways like a curious kitten, making the confused but intrigued face his wife has learned to love, to giggle at.

“A little panther sang to me today,” she said, taking his hand.

It took him a moment to understand, to put together the solitude, the quiet, the singing... and then his face broke into a great, big, gap-toothed grin, the light inside of him beaming out and shining in his eyes, wonder surrounding him.

“Really, my love? You-- you’re ready? They sang?”

She nodded, and he gripped her waist, an unsuppressable laugh of joy bubbling out of him. Then he lifted her and spun her around, uncaring of what anyone else saw or thought.

“Our baby,” he breathed, glowing. “Our baby!”

“Our baby!,” she echoed back.

Both of them were overwhelmed and warmed to their cores by the moment, because there’s something indescribably beautiful about excitement for the future, and the promise of facing that future hand in hand with someone beloved. T’Challa was, quite frankly, moved to tears, thinking of his child’s spirit visiting his wife, telling her that it was time for them to come into the world.

When they were in private and able to be emotionally intimate, he expressed the depth of his joy and his tears came without shame, and she cried, too, both of them swept up in the love that they were able to experience together. Knowing that before them lay a lifetime spent together, but now with the inclusion of a new life, one made with their love, made with the reality of their union.

It’s a wonder beyond comprehension, and neither of them needed to explain away the feelings. They just lived them, experienced them, and let their hearts guide them where they needed to be: together.

In the following months, there’d be much preparation, gearing the kingdom up for the arrival of a new royal. There would be so much excitement in the kingdom, since the royal family is beloved and respected nearly universally in Wakanda! Even M’Baku would come and pay his respects, bringing gifts for the new baby.

“Hopefully this Udaku will be able to hold up in a fight,” he bellows, chuckling at his own joke, standing next to piles and piles of rich furs, handmade baby toys and ceremonial tools, and more gifts than is probably necessary. He just really wanted to show off what a good dad he is, and make a splash to show that none of the other gift-givers respect and honor T’Challa and the new baby as much as he does. That cheeky man.

Shuri is delighted, too, to start developing technology for the new Udaku baby. Not exactly smartphones or tablets for baby to play with, but something more useful, more constructive. Those arenas of vibranium sand that can form themselves into moving models could be revamped, Shuri imagines, perhaps as a changing and shifting play-pen for the baby... T’Challa insists that she not experiment on her nephew or niece, but she assures T’Challa that she wouldn’t be experimenting on the baby.

“Just experimenting with the baby,” she laughs. T’Challa finds it a little less funny, but still smiles. He knows she’ll care for that baby and protect them with her life (not that he’d ever allow harm to befall either of these, his prized people).

To come would be a great many celebrations; many of the tribal cultures use song and dance to greet and celebrate the arrival of a new baby, and so nearly every tribe in Wakanda would have a separate celebration to pay homage to the new royal-- for example, the border tribe might bring woven blankets made to honor royalty, like Basotho blankets. For the more religious cultural aspect, there would certainly be the praising and thanking of Bast for the gift of the baby, and praying for safe passage and protection during their lifetime.

But most importantly, there would be the gathering of family to bring this child into the world and to let them know how loved they are, how honored, how cared for. That they will be descended from kings and warriors, but also from parents who love one another and their child with all their hearts and souls.

So, in short, T’Challa and his queen would be the most loving parents in the world, and their preparations for the little panther’s arrival would, without a doubt, reflect that love.

(Here are some of the sources used to find historical and cultural information for this post. Here is an article about the Kamba tribe, one about the Zulu tribe, and the Himba tribe, and a list of some of the tribes referenced to and from in the film Black Panther!)