![Waka Waka (This Time For Africa) [The Official 2010 FIFA World Cup Song] (Single) album cover](/album_covers/196/shakira-waka-waka-this-time-for-africa-the-official-2010-fifa-world-cup-song-single/shakira-60121-waka-waka-this-time-for-africa-the-official-2010-fifa-world-cup-song-single.jpg)
[** feat. Freshlyground:]
Oooeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeehh*
You're a good soldier
Choosing your battles
Pick yourself up
And dust yourself off
Get back in the saddle
You're on the front line
Everyone's watching
You know it's serious
We are getting closer
This isn't over
The pressure is on
You feel it
But you got it all
Believe it
When you fall get up, oh oh
If you fall get up, eh eh
Tsamina mina zangalewa
Cause this is Africa
Tsamina mina, eh eh
Waka waka, eh eh
Tsamina mina zangalewa
This time for Africa
Listen to your God
This is our motto
Your time to shine
Don't wait in line
Y vamos por todo
People are raising
Their expectations
Go on and feed them
This is your moment
No hesitations
Today's your day
I feel it
You paved the way
Believe it
If you get down get up, oh oh
When you get down get up, eh eh
Tsamina mina zangalewa
This time for Africa
Tsamina mina, eh eh
Waka waka, eh eh
Tsamina mina zangalewa
Anawa a a
Tsamina mina, eh eh
Waka waka, eh eh
Tsamina mina zangalewa
This time for Africa
[Zolani sings:]
Ame la mejole biggi biggi mubbo wa ET to Zet
Asi tsu zala makyuni biggi biggi mubbo from East to West
Asi waga waga ma eh eh waga waga ma eh eh
Tendency suna tsibuye cause this is africa...
[Voice:]
Tsamina mina, Anawa a a
Tsamina mina
Tsamina mina, Anawa a a
Tsamina mina, eh eh
Waka waka, eh eh
Tsamina mina zangalewa
Anawa a a
Tsamina mina, eh eh
Waka waka, eh eh
Tsamina mina zangalewa
This time for Africa
[x2:]
Django eh eh [x2]
Tsamina mina zangalewa
Anawa a a
[x2:]
This time for Africa
[x2:]
We're all Africa
About This Song
"Waka Waka (This Time For Africa)" is a triumphant fusion of global pop and African musical traditions that transforms the metaphor of warfare into one of athletic competition and continental pride. The song draws its core melody and chant from "Zangaléwa," a 1986 Cameroonian military march by Golden Sounds, reimagining the original's themes of solidarity and strength for the football pitch. Shakira's lyrics cleverly use military imagery-"good soldier," "front line," "battles"-to frame the World Cup as both personal struggle and collective African moment, where players carry the weight of representing an entire continent often marginalized in global sports. The production brilliantly marries Shakira's Latin pop sensibilities with South African group Freshlyground's indigenous instrumentation, creating a sonic bridge between cultures that mirrors football's unifying power. The repeated Fang language phrases "Tsamina mina zangalewa" and "Waka waka" become hypnotic mantras of empowerment, their meaning less important than their rhythmic force and cultural authenticity. Beyond its role as a World Cup anthem, the song tapped into deeper currents of African renaissance and global recognition, arriving at a moment when the continent was asserting its place on the world stage through hosting its first FIFA World Cup. The track's infectious Afrobeat-influenced rhythm and call-and-response structure made it irresistibly danceable while carrying genuine emotional weight about perseverance and collective identity. Its massive global success demonstrated how sports anthems could transcend mere celebration to become vehicles for cultural pride and cross-continental dialogue.
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