“He Mdjadji” by General MD Shirinda & Gaza Sisters — Decoded!

Revisiting the classics of Xitsonga music. 🥁

Song title

  • He Mdjadji.

Title meaning

  • Hey Mdjadji (woman’s name).

Song artist

  • General MD Shirinda & Gaza Sisters

Song album

  • Nkulungwani wa Nwalungu vol. 1 (1977).
Husband: He Mdjadje!
Wife: Ha! Mina ni ta muka ni ya kaya!"
Husband: Swi lo yini nkata mina? 
Wife: Ni karhele ku sika hi ndlala.

Explaining “He mdjadji.”

“He Mdjadji” by General MD Shirinda & Gaza Sisters is a migrant labourer’s lament about his undomesticated wife, Modjadji. Set in apartheid, the song tells of a man ready to leave her and return to his homeland because she doesn’t cook or do much around the house. But Modjadji isn’t having it. General MD Shirinda is troubled — even if he were to marry a rural wife, she too might leave, because women of this era no longer wanted to be reduced to maids. They wanted to enjoy city life, free from the domestic expectations of marriage back home.

“Keep exploring, keep learning, and let the language guide you.“

Ahee! 🤗

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