They are amazing. I saw them at King's cross station advertising, and an English man was their presenter who also introduced each song very nicely. The dancers are also very friendly, and the girls are really young! some look like 18 years old. One girl came out and shook hands with me. I was so happy about that!
The word " Umoja" has continental appeal. It used to express a political objective -unity; just like the word Uhuru! It is Swahili. I am a South Afrikan. Why can't we put tribalism aside and just enjoy the music? Others go to the extent of being ashamed of who they are! I have met a lot of Afrikans here in the US who tell me they are from SA but are lying! Then there are those who say they come from Southern Afrika! No! tell the truth! That's a region! Don't be ashamed of your country!
UMOJA ......is a Zulu slang ......meaning r u okey ??? it has nothing to do with Swahili .......We don't even speak Swahili in South Africa ........Zulu , Xhosa , Sotho , Tswana , Xitsonga , ndebele , Siswati , Vhenda , Sepedi , English and Afrikaans ....those r the eleven official languages spoken in South Africa .....from the true South African .....thank u !!!
@lungza You're full of sh!t and you know that. Todd repeats so many times throughout that recording that Umoja means "togetherness". If you checkout the the interview with Thembi on the extra features you'll hear her confirming that they borrowed that word from the western African Swahili word. Listen to the song Umoja too and you will understand what this show is all about. It's there on the recording. Stop pretending like you're South African than everyone else.
@Gospicnic Does this really makes u this upset ......well excuse my stupidity ........and how can anyone pretend to be more South African ...if they r actually 100 % .... South African ....calm down .....I will watch Thembi's interview if that makes u feel better .........adios !!!!
@lungza i watched this four times once in the US and in south Africa and twice in the Uk and listened to one Thembi saying , they decided not to pick any name from south Africa and went for swahili word UMOJA .
And before the show go round and read their notices , i read.
so either one of you is not telling the truth ...and mind you i am a Russian who is very much interested in African culture , it is my passion and my life ... unless you are trying to tell me something else ....thank you
@lungza watched this four times once in the US and in south Africa and twice in the Uk and listened to one Thembi saying , they decided not to pick any name from south Africa and went for swahili word UMOJA .
And before the show go round and read their notices , i read.
so either one of you is not telling the truth ...and mind you i am a Russian who is very much interested in African culture , it is my passion and my life ... unless you are trying to tell me something else ....thank you
Watched it this past Saturday in Johannesburg's Victory Theatre, final show before they left for overseas....flippin energetic and awesome. Oh got the DVD as well....it's for keeps!! Proudly and loudly South African.
OMW you gotta see this LIVE to feel the FULL impact of the explosive infusion of insane dancing, the singing, and African Drumming like you've never heard before. This has got to be one of the greatest shows I've ever seen in my entire life - and I'm not easily impressed. AMAZING!!!
i just love umoja watching it makes me proud to be a south african and a zulu, they are doing a fantastic job showing the youth of south africa that we can still be proud and excited about or culture.
As my comment said on the "Umoja - Spirit of Together 1" clip, I saw this show several years ago in New Zealand and the never ending energy that abounded on that stage was immensely powerful.
For those people who wish to leave perhaps 'ignorant' (no offense intended honestly) comments, please refrain from doing so as the African music is the basis for many of the world's modern dance culture and music!
A few corrections are in order. Those women are NOT naked. Nakedness is contextual and a person dressed in traditional African gear is not naked.
The Nguni languages (isiZulu, isiXhosa, siSwati etc) ARE Bantu languages and are not derived from KiSwahili, which itself is a mixture of Bantu languages and Arabic. KiSwahili emerged from the interaction of African people and the Arabs along the East African coast; therefore it is an African Language.
Truely u Zulu are amazing in every aspect aside from women half naked! the drums of urs showing exactly what u made of,true courage, anyone thinking of fighting u must listen soulely to ur drums, he might be just capable to come alive
Reminds me of the "dance of the newly circumcised" a rite that transitioned boy into adulthood. The energy and the creativity are as best as it gets and the rhythm and mirth of the performers are just superior!
Just to set the record straight, Swahili is indeed not spoken as one of the official languages in South Africa, but is very widely spread throughout Africa, especially the East. It is spoken in Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, DRC Congo,Rwanda, Burundi and Mozambique and even in the Middle East in Oman!
You can blame the Lion King for the misconception that all Africa speaks Swahili! The Western world has got a lot to learn about Africa!
Thanks for getting it straight for the rest of people.
But you know so many people don't know much about africa. We are even lucky that some know that africa is a continent. They mostly see africa as a contry which is very sad because there is so much to learn about this great continent. The different cultures and languages are unlike any other in the world, and that's why I love this continent of mine with all my heart. All we can do is to correct those who don't know or have little info.
History tells us that in AFrica there was the Bantu people and the San or Khoisan (sp). The Bantu are the ones with the Swahili language and other languges that come from it. The San have the Zulu, Ndebele, Xhosa, Tswana and languages like that. The main difference being that there are click sounds in san languages and nothing like that in Bantu languages
Theremaybe some similar borrowed words, but get your info right, Zulu never came from Swahili
I thought that Zulu and Xhosa (etc) people were Bantu people, and when they moved more south into Africa, and encoutered the "Khoisan" people, they just encorporated some of their language into their own, eg the words with clicks.
But it's true that for the show the creators borrowed the Swahili word for togetherness for the show.
There is just no way to survive 300 years of slavery, Decades of discrimination if you do not have this kind of energy in carved in your DNA. No doubt. But it is time we turn our energy against the ennemis of Africa, wherever they are!
zulu dance to me is one the the hardest forms of dance. it requires energy, passion and spirit. i am so proud of my heritage this is where dance and music as we know it today was born from....
That wsa absolutely fabulous! I especially appreciated the merging in of the outdoor dancing. This troupe is phenomenal. I've always loved African Dance and this is probably the most exciting I've ever seen!
wasn't there another show that was based in South Africa that was shown on PBS a few years back? I remember it was about a young man who was from a tribe and he went to go work in the mines and in the end he came back home. If someone can tell me the name of it I would greatly appreciate it.
Hi all the dances that are been presented in this groud the songs and the rythm together with the structure of entertainment used im 100% sure its zulu(one of the lanuages spoken in SOUTH AFRICA) and please vote if you agree!!! and enjoy your culture as im still learning and trying to find my roots.
you can be considered the greatest but its all in the way you personally feel about it and finding yourself.
Umoja is Zulu. It is a South African term and Swahili is not even spoken in South Africa. Non-Africans think that everyone in Africa speaks "Swahili". There are 11 official languages and Swahili is not one of them...
Swahili is spoken by a small percentage in South Africa and if you are from SA you must have heard Brenda Fassie singing in Swahili e.g nakupenda and wewe.
What if UMOJA is indeed ZULU and has nothing to do with Swahili, mainly because we South Africans have nothing to do with Swahili...Swahili is not the "AFRICAN" official language guys..
you are right thandi, swahili is clearly not the official african language but many languages originated from it and so you cant change that fact.unfortunately, looking back at history, umoja is indeed swahili but today it is incorporated into zulu as if it was originally zulu!
Guys i'll share with you, UMOJA is the word meaning greatest as (great, good) its ZULU which is one of the 11 LANGUAGES THEY HAVE IN SOUTH AFRICA none of those is swahili(its spoken in zimbabwe) not trying to confuse you guy. and the dance is about the great things we were been given by the creator like sex, nature, power and all.
4 people some weed!!
sibura 2 weeks ago
They are amazing. I saw them at King's cross station advertising, and an English man was their presenter who also introduced each song very nicely. The dancers are also very friendly, and the girls are really young! some look like 18 years old. One girl came out and shook hands with me. I was so happy about that!
mrcuteblackie 1 month ago
So excited! I am going to see this for the third time tomorrow!!!
sistagirl 1 month ago
The Zulu Tradition remain the most amazing culture in South Africa.
Greetings from Gregory da Silva he Famous Eggman of South Africa in Germany
Email: eggmanfestival@gmail.com
eggmancapetown 1 month ago
Very Good
koibateq 7 months ago
ningivusela usinga thanx for uploading
sthamza1 8 months ago
This has been flagged as spam show
I have seen this show 4 times in Belgium and the Netherlands. It is beyond belief! I am waiting for them to come back. I will be there.
underafricanskies 9 months ago
I have seen this show 4 times in Belgium and the Netherlands. It is beyond belief! I am waiting for them to come back. I will be there.
underafricanskies 9 months ago
i had the fortune of watching this show live, 3 years ago, such an amazing experience, for everyone who loves music, this show its just perfect.
armansinlado 10 months ago
This has been flagged as spam show
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darshi48 10 months ago
awesome for eyes, awesome to litsen, great music,
sharkurban 1 year ago
The word " Umoja" has continental appeal. It used to express a political objective -unity; just like the word Uhuru! It is Swahili. I am a South Afrikan. Why can't we put tribalism aside and just enjoy the music? Others go to the extent of being ashamed of who they are! I have met a lot of Afrikans here in the US who tell me they are from SA but are lying! Then there are those who say they come from Southern Afrika! No! tell the truth! That's a region! Don't be ashamed of your country!
mzimkhulunyeka 1 year ago
What a perfomance,!
88motho 1 year ago
UMOJA ......is a Zulu slang ......meaning r u okey ??? it has nothing to do with Swahili .......We don't even speak Swahili in South Africa ........Zulu , Xhosa , Sotho , Tswana , Xitsonga , ndebele , Siswati , Vhenda , Sepedi , English and Afrikaans ....those r the eleven official languages spoken in South Africa .....from the true South African .....thank u !!!
lungza 1 year ago
@lungza You're full of sh!t and you know that. Todd repeats so many times throughout that recording that Umoja means "togetherness". If you checkout the the interview with Thembi on the extra features you'll hear her confirming that they borrowed that word from the western African Swahili word. Listen to the song Umoja too and you will understand what this show is all about. It's there on the recording. Stop pretending like you're South African than everyone else.
Gospicnic 1 year ago
@Gospicnic Does this really makes u this upset ......well excuse my stupidity ........and how can anyone pretend to be more South African ...if they r actually 100 % .... South African ....calm down .....I will watch Thembi's interview if that makes u feel better .........adios !!!!
lungza 1 year ago
@lungza i watched this four times once in the US and in south Africa and twice in the Uk and listened to one Thembi saying , they decided not to pick any name from south Africa and went for swahili word UMOJA .
And before the show go round and read their notices , i read.
so either one of you is not telling the truth ...and mind you i am a Russian who is very much interested in African culture , it is my passion and my life ... unless you are trying to tell me something else ....thank you
gunge211 10 months ago
@gunge211 a russian oh my god.we spend our culture very far.what do you like in african culture?have you ever been in africa if yes where?
playmat974 9 months ago
@lungza watched this four times once in the US and in south Africa and twice in the Uk and listened to one Thembi saying , they decided not to pick any name from south Africa and went for swahili word UMOJA .
And before the show go round and read their notices , i read.
so either one of you is not telling the truth ...and mind you i am a Russian who is very much interested in African culture , it is my passion and my life ... unless you are trying to tell me something else ....thank you
gunge211 10 months ago
Omg this is just too nice .....been watching this vid bout 20 times !!!!
lungza 1 year ago
we have a cd of this hte full ting
labuckzz 1 year ago
Love that womans smile when she finishes dancing through the girls!!!! Priceless..
vwoke 1 year ago
Watched it this past Saturday in Johannesburg's Victory Theatre, final show before they left for overseas....flippin energetic and awesome. Oh got the DVD as well....it's for keeps!! Proudly and loudly South African.
Simphiwe007 1 year ago
i also dont get to be bored i just hate the fact we are always under estimated as africans and yet we are good and the best in the word.
nonhlahlaful 1 year ago 3
Just love it!
Almavoz 1 year ago
wow,theyre so talented
samukelisiweful 1 year ago
OMW you gotta see this LIVE to feel the FULL impact of the explosive infusion of insane dancing, the singing, and African Drumming like you've never heard before. This has got to be one of the greatest shows I've ever seen in my entire life - and I'm not easily impressed. AMAZING!!!
TheZuluPrincess 1 year ago
25 june 2007 lol i was turning 17 how nnice im 20 now. UMOJA alwys on point
NostradamusPages 1 year ago
c´est une dance superbe
MrDakodak 1 year ago
africa for ever, like it. proud to be african
felyshahh 1 year ago 2
Saw this inLondon twice!! Loved it!!!
kelikel2 1 year ago
@kelikel2
lucky! tell me about this Umoja where are they from (South Africa?) thanks
Bahiyabelly 1 year ago
i just love umoja watching it makes me proud to be a south african and a zulu, they are doing a fantastic job showing the youth of south africa that we can still be proud and excited about or culture.
daPrincess0071 1 year ago
Simply beautiful!
Lots of energy and fitness here, otherwise one can collapse!
tonnired 2 years ago
I was in South Africa and did pop in to watch Umoja....it was incredible!. The power of the drums, vocals, dance...simple no words to describe!
ferne71 2 years ago 2
WOOOOOW!!!!
TheAnnestube 2 years ago 3
This comment has received too many negative votes show
I just don't see what's so great about this?
AssasinMonkeys 2 years ago
@AssasinMonkeys What is great to you is nothing to everybody else.
ushotee 2 years ago 3
u sound like one of my relatives!
BubbaTheRedneck100 2 years ago
AssasinMonkeys: Just give ur eyes to the blinds because you have no good use of them.
omoibile 2 years ago
i saw them live. it was great !!!!!!
darbella1 2 years ago
beautifulllllllllll
felyshahh 2 years ago
As my comment said on the "Umoja - Spirit of Together 1" clip, I saw this show several years ago in New Zealand and the never ending energy that abounded on that stage was immensely powerful.
For those people who wish to leave perhaps 'ignorant' (no offense intended honestly) comments, please refrain from doing so as the African music is the basis for many of the world's modern dance culture and music!
Appreciate the art for what it is.
Peace.
Paatuki 2 years ago 3
A few corrections are in order. Those women are NOT naked. Nakedness is contextual and a person dressed in traditional African gear is not naked.
The Nguni languages (isiZulu, isiXhosa, siSwati etc) ARE Bantu languages and are not derived from KiSwahili, which itself is a mixture of Bantu languages and Arabic. KiSwahili emerged from the interaction of African people and the Arabs along the East African coast; therefore it is an African Language.
pasheshooz 2 years ago 8
ignoramous
sistagirl1234 2 years ago
Truely u Zulu are amazing in every aspect aside from women half naked! the drums of urs showing exactly what u made of,true courage, anyone thinking of fighting u must listen soulely to ur drums, he might be just capable to come alive
awqad 2 years ago
Reminds me of the "dance of the newly circumcised" a rite that transitioned boy into adulthood. The energy and the creativity are as best as it gets and the rhythm and mirth of the performers are just superior!
kamerunite 3 years ago
I have seen UMOJA at least 6 times in South Africa.. and could see it 60 more times. I ABSOLUTELY LOVE IT!
paulwoodruff10 3 years ago 7
i can watch this video a millinon times and never get bored
devonswifey 3 years ago 34
@devonswifey Me too ! I saw this show in miami 3 times on the row
barukatube 9 months ago
Just to set the record straight, Swahili is indeed not spoken as one of the official languages in South Africa, but is very widely spread throughout Africa, especially the East. It is spoken in Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, DRC Congo,Rwanda, Burundi and Mozambique and even in the Middle East in Oman!
You can blame the Lion King for the misconception that all Africa speaks Swahili! The Western world has got a lot to learn about Africa!
ajmenon 3 years ago 2
Thanks for getting it straight for the rest of people.
But you know so many people don't know much about africa. We are even lucky that some know that africa is a continent. They mostly see africa as a contry which is very sad because there is so much to learn about this great continent. The different cultures and languages are unlike any other in the world, and that's why I love this continent of mine with all my heart. All we can do is to correct those who don't know or have little info.
mnj51 3 years ago 4
is the first dance and actual traditional zulu dance??
trishasinger 3 years ago
Awesome performances in Toronto!
Panstyx 3 years ago
Someone needs to study their history right!
History tells us that in AFrica there was the Bantu people and the San or Khoisan (sp). The Bantu are the ones with the Swahili language and other languges that come from it. The San have the Zulu, Ndebele, Xhosa, Tswana and languages like that. The main difference being that there are click sounds in san languages and nothing like that in Bantu languages
Theremaybe some similar borrowed words, but get your info right, Zulu never came from Swahili
murumewaT 3 years ago
I thought that Zulu and Xhosa (etc) people were Bantu people, and when they moved more south into Africa, and encoutered the "Khoisan" people, they just encorporated some of their language into their own, eg the words with clicks.
But it's true that for the show the creators borrowed the Swahili word for togetherness for the show.
rantazz23 3 years ago
Is it me but like the woman at 7:51 has really huge hips.
Awsome video though, I really enjoyed watching this.
Kittylover9393 3 years ago
No, its just You.
kindomofghana 3 years ago
@Kittylover9393 : I know this is old, but couldnt help bt reply. that's the thing with us Africans, we can never get too big to dance!
TheZuluPrincess 1 year ago 27
These guys r soo amazing, saw them live, and i must say what an incredible experience!
jimmychooshoes0512 3 years ago 2
first time i see these dancers, just amazing, viva africa!
uls76 3 years ago 2
amazing I really want to see them!
ShelbyAfrica 3 years ago 2
Talk of a rush of Adrenaline!!! this goes beyond talent! Mercy!!!!!
ochienol 3 years ago 3
Trust Me People..
I've watched them FIVE times and they ARE GREAT.. Wow.. I would Love To see them AGAIN!..
It'sone of those shows where you feel as if you are up on stage paricipating in the FUN..
Wow... I Know I DID LOL!.. :)
Annie10k 4 years ago
great video... makes me want to shake a tail-feather...
dhille 4 years ago
i had a field trip for it it was amazing
faith1034 4 years ago
they worked so hard do to this very hard but i have to do this for an africain party celebration at my school
blessing4002 4 years ago
I wanna see Toko again.
DanielKeithMorrison 4 years ago
che bella musica, grande spettacolo e una cultura meravigliosa
ANTIQUARIATOSCIPPA 4 years ago
i saw this tonight .. it was amazing
EGirl12 4 years ago
wow! Where does this production show at? In the USA?
WONDAWOMAN 4 years ago
African sistas men... you rock my world. bless.
fayahsoul 4 years ago
This video deserves ten stars. I'm so proud of my heritage. Thank you for this video, I will show it to my children.
Peace to everyone
MADMAHD 4 years ago
wonderful....!!!
ebenlove25 4 years ago
There is just no way to survive 300 years of slavery, Decades of discrimination if you do not have this kind of energy in carved in your DNA. No doubt. But it is time we turn our energy against the ennemis of Africa, wherever they are!
kamerunite 4 years ago 5
Wow! This was beautiful and amazing!
SoulByDzyne 4 years ago 2
zulu dance to me is one the the hardest forms of dance. it requires energy, passion and spirit. i am so proud of my heritage this is where dance and music as we know it today was born from....
n2destiny 4 years ago 2
Now those are some real women. Love the performance Thanks for posting
Blacksentinel 4 years ago 5
I love it!!!
2gunzG 4 years ago
That wsa absolutely fabulous! I especially appreciated the merging in of the outdoor dancing. This troupe is phenomenal. I've always loved African Dance and this is probably the most exciting I've ever seen!
spokenlife 4 years ago 3
I love the merging of the outside dance with the indoors...
Afrikan people are truly a great mystic, beauty and then some. I am proud to be a distant child of Afrika.
Can we get this on DVD?!
Sahbisun 4 years ago 2
Yes you can get it on DVD. The best time to do it is when they perform in your hometown. If not i believe its on the net. :)
Afrobabe 4 years ago
Do you live in toronto?
fayahsoul 4 years ago
Yup.
Afrobabe 4 years ago
Well i do too. Where about do you live?
fayahsoul 4 years ago
BEAUTIFUL! Such precision and grace... I'm proud to be Afrikan too!
ChoklitMa 4 years ago
Brilliant! Proud to be Afrikan.
Afrobabe 4 years ago
So wat??? hide your profile if u dont have anything to say....for sure u are not from South Africa...no need to reply..Thanka
TumiZA 4 years ago
i think he meant it as a compliment
rantazz23 4 years ago 2
friggin A!!! Is there a VHS or DVD out on this show?
aaliya777 4 years ago
wasn't there another show that was based in South Africa that was shown on PBS a few years back? I remember it was about a young man who was from a tribe and he went to go work in the mines and in the end he came back home. If someone can tell me the name of it I would greatly appreciate it.
amtraklover 4 years ago
Hi all the dances that are been presented in this groud the songs and the rythm together with the structure of entertainment used im 100% sure its zulu(one of the lanuages spoken in SOUTH AFRICA) and please vote if you agree!!! and enjoy your culture as im still learning and trying to find my roots.
you can be considered the greatest but its all in the way you personally feel about it and finding yourself.
ENJOY>>...AFRICA ENJOY...ITUMELE...BINA..O OPELE!!!!!
segwetlhane 4 years ago
I'm so proud to be called an African. Yithi impela esipheth' ubukhosi!
bellesibb 4 years ago 2
Umoja is Zulu. It is a South African term and Swahili is not even spoken in South Africa. Non-Africans think that everyone in Africa speaks "Swahili". There are 11 official languages and Swahili is not one of them...
ivanego 4 years ago
Swahili is spoken by a small percentage in South Africa and if you are from SA you must have heard Brenda Fassie singing in Swahili e.g nakupenda and wewe.
cuttiesx 4 years ago
sorry man, but 'umoja' is indeed originated in swahili. its been taken over into zulu!!!
Philani10 4 years ago 3
What if UMOJA is indeed ZULU and has nothing to do with Swahili, mainly because we South Africans have nothing to do with Swahili...Swahili is not the "AFRICAN" official language guys..
babythandi 3 years ago
you are right thandi, swahili is clearly not the official african language but many languages originated from it and so you cant change that fact.unfortunately, looking back at history, umoja is indeed swahili but today it is incorporated into zulu as if it was originally zulu!
Philani10 3 years ago
Guys i'll share with you, UMOJA is the word meaning greatest as (great, good) its ZULU which is one of the 11 LANGUAGES THEY HAVE IN SOUTH AFRICA none of those is swahili(its spoken in zimbabwe) not trying to confuse you guy. and the dance is about the great things we were been given by the creator like sex, nature, power and all.
segwetlhane 4 years ago
Aa wena swahili is not spoken in zimbabwe..its spoken in kenya.
macvim 4 years ago 2
umoja
mahadebe 4 years ago
Is the word umoja used in one of the South African languages? It is Swahili too.
parissupuu 4 years ago
They group is based there. So I think that is Swahili.
alfrheitta 4 years ago
@alfrheitta umoja means " its fine" and its purely south african
NostradamusPages 1 year ago
@NostradamusPages Umoja means " unity " in swahili...ppl dont speak swahili in SA.
olivia23 1 year ago
@alfrheitta But we dont speak Swahili in South Africa...
simpyotto 1 year ago
echt vette shit!!!
jeffie0320 4 years ago