Siyahamba is a South African hymn that became popular in North American churches in the 1990s. The title means "We Are Marching" or "We are Walking" in the Zulu language

Zulu language

Zulu is the language of the Zulu people with about 10 million speakers, the vast majority of whom live in South Africa. Zulu is the most widely spoken home language in South Africa as well as being understood by over 50% of the population...

.

History

"Siyahamba" originated in South Africa

South Africa

The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...

. It is said to have been composed c. 1950 by Andries van Tonder, an elder of the Judith Church. The original composition was in Afrikaans

Afrikaans

Afrikaans is a West Germanic language, spoken natively in South Africa and Namibia. It is a daughter language of Dutch, originating in its 17th century dialects, collectively referred to as Cape Dutch .Afrikaans is a daughter language of Dutch; see , , , , , .Afrikaans was historically called Cape...

 (with the title "Ons marsjeer nou in die lig van God") and was subsequently translated into Zulu by Thabo Mkize. In 1978, the Swedish choral group Fjedur toured South Africa at the invitation of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of South Africa. Afterwards, Fjedur's musical director, Anders Nyberg, returned to Cape Town to record traditional choral music. It was during this year that he heard and recorded "Siyahamba" at a girls' school in Appelsbosch, Natal

Natal Province

Natal, meaning "Christmas" in Portuguese, was a province of South Africa from 1910 until 1994. Its capital was Pietermaritzburg. The Natal Province included the bantustan of KwaZulu...

. Subsequently this song has been used around the world by schools in their prayers.

In 1984, Nyberg arranged "Siyahamba" for a Western four-voice setting and published it in a songbook and recording called Freedom is Coming: Songs of Protest and Praise from South Africa. In 1994, GIA Publications included the song (under the title "We Are Marching in the Light of God") in Gather Comprehensive, a hymnal widely used in American Catholic parishes. A year later, the United Church of Christ

United Church of Christ

The United Church of Christ is a mainline Protestant Christian denomination primarily in the Reformed tradition but also historically influenced by Lutheranism. The Evangelical and Reformed Church and the Congregational Christian Churches united in 1957 to form the UCC...

included the song, under the same title, in The New Century Hymnal .

Today, "Siyahamba" is often performed by children's groups in both sacred and secular environments. Occasionally, the translated lyrics are modified for a secular performance: for example, the English translation "We are marching in the light of God" becomes "We are standing in the light of peace."

Lyrics

The structure of the song is cyclic, rather than sequential: the lyrics consist of one phrase, repeated with permutations. Hawn notes that cyclical forms tend to emphasize a spirit of community and allow for physical response during the performance. This cyclical form, along with the meaning of the lyrics, may explain the song's popularity as a processional and offertory as well as a protest or marching song.

Afrikaans

Ons marsjeer nou in die lig van God,

Ons marsjeer nou in die lig van God.

Ons marsjeer nou in die lig van God,

Ons marsjeer nou in die lig van God.

Ons marsjeer nou, ons marsjeer nou,

Ons marsjeer nou in die lig van God.

Ons marsjeer nou, ons marsjeer nou,

Ons marsjeer nou in die lig van God.

Zulu

Siyahamba, ekukhanyeni kwenkos',

Siyahamba ekukhanyeni kwenkos'.

Siyahamba ekukhanyeni kwenkos',

Siyahamba ekukhanyeni kwenkos'.

Siyahamba, hamba, siyahamba, hamba, uh oh,

Siyahamba ekukhanyeni kwenkos'.

Siyahamba, hamba, siyahamba, hamba, uh oh,

Siyahamba ekukhanyeni kwenkos'.

Spanish

Caminamos en la luz de Dios,

Caminamos en la luz de Dios.

Caminamos en la luz de Dios,

Caminamos en la luz de Dios.

Caminamos, vamos, caminamos, vamos,

Caminamos en la luz de Dios.

Caminamos, vamos, caminamos, vamos,

Caminamos en la luz de Dios.

English

We are marching in the light of God.

We are marching in the light of God.

We are marching in the light of God.

We are marching in the light of God.

We are marching, we are marching, ooh,

We are marching in the light of God.

We are marching, we are marching, ooh,

We are marching in the light of God.

(Alternative versions of the lyrics may alternate marching with different verbs such as walking, dancing, singing, living, or praying, or the word "God" for love in a less religious gathering.)

Icelandic

Við göngum í ljósi Guðs

já, við göngum í ljósi Guðs

Við göngum í ljósi Guðs

já, við göngum í ljósi Guðs

Við göngum,

já við göngum

Úww, já ,við göngum í ljósi Guðs

Við göngum,

já við göngum

Úww, já ,við göngum í ljósi Guðs

Swahili

Twatembea nuruni mwake

twatembea nuruni mwake.

Twatembea nuruni mwake

twatembea nuruni mwake.

Twatembea tembea twatembea oho

twatembea nuruni mwake.

Twatembea tembea twatembea oho

twatembea nuruni mwake.

Portuguese

Caminhando sob a luz de Deus.
Caminhando sob a luz de Deus.

Caminhando sob a luz de Deus.
Caminhando sob a luz de Deus.

Caminhando, vamos.
Caminhando, vamos.

Caminhando sob a luz de Deus.