Christmas songs in South Africa

 We are going to expand our Christmas musical culture

a little towards less usual lands: we are going to

Africa, although it is true that the popularization of the

following Christmas songs is mainly due to the

African-American community.

 

1.- BETELEHEMU

The first of these is Betelehemu, composed by the musician

Nigerian Babatunde Olatunji and popularized in churches

African Americans in the mid-twentieth century. The title means

literally "Bethlehem" and is, of course, a tribute to the city

where Jesus was born.

 

2 .- SIYAHAMBA

Siyahamba is originally from South Africa and its title means

"We walk" in Zulu (for the phrase "we walk in the light of God"

that is repeated several times).

 

3 .– BANUWA, SING NOEL! (AFRICAN NOEL)

This song is quite peculiar because the melody has its origin in

Liberia (a small country in West Africa) but the original lyrics were

a love song and were even used as a lullaby (literally the song said

"don't cry pretty girl..."). Later, sometime in the twentieth century,

it was adapted into English for African-American communities

under the title African Noel (African Christmas) and has become a

song to Christmas.

By: Alexis Rios Piña