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Ithemba Endinalo (SATB)
South African Freedom Song; arr. Stacey V. Gibbs
Ithemba…the battle for freedom while denouncing Apartheid.
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Ithemba Endinalo
SATB, shekere
“Ithemba Endinalo” is an approachable and upbeat folk song of a people at war against the oppressions of Apartheid. The emphasis of the word ithemba leads the energy of the musical line while the text blends the emotions of struggle and hope. The tempo should be deliberate and the ‘call and response’ sections are cries of determination.
Composer’s Notes
“Ithemba Endinalo” is a folk song of a people at war against the oppressions of Apartheid. The emphasis of the word ithemba leads the energy of the musical line while the text blends the emotions of struggle and hope. The tempo should be deliberate and the ‘call and response’ sections are cries of determination. The shekere drum provides the musical pulse. Additional percussion is encouraged (e.g. egg shaker or djembe)!
-Stacey V. Gibbs, 2026
Text
Ithemba, themba endinalo mna,
yinkululeko mayibuye
Mavolontiya thathan’ iintonga
Nenzakala nguVerwoerd
Yini na, yini na, yini na mayibuye
-Traditional South African folk song
TRANSLATION:
The hope, the hope I have,
is freedom, let it return
Volunteers take up sticks
Verwoed* is destroying you
Oh no, oh no, oh no, let it† return
* The former prime minister of South Africa deemed “the father of Apartheid”
† freedom
$2.50 per licensed PDF
Michael Johnson –
The Minnesota State Moorhead Choirs sang this piece in collaboration with Cantus and it was transformative. It’s an arrangement that will unleash joy and important conversations from within your choir— conversations about the importance of community in the face of oppression. We will always treasure this arrangement!