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"Asimbonanga" (We have not seen him) is a revolutionary song which incorporates both English and Zulu and which not only touched South Africans but also found worldwide acclaim. Johnny Clegg, an anthropologist, musician, dancer, and writer, released "Asimbonanga" together with his second band Savuka (We have risen/awakened) in 1986 during the civil war. Clegg knew the song would never be released at that time, as the SABC (South African Broadcasting Corporation) would not release any multiracial music.

In 1986, the government declared a State of Emergency, and Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela was moved to solitary confinement in order for the government to have private access to him. At the time, the SABC controlled all forms of media and defined what viewers/listeners were exposed to. Which is why, to the average South African household, Nelson Mandela was still an unknown entity or "just another imprisoned terrorist."

"Clegg knew the song would never be released at that time, as the SABC (South African Broadcasting Corporation) would not release any multiracial music"

Johnny Clegg's efforts and musical genius, against all odds, played a vital role in changing this. The law stated that no interracial band could perform in public places. So, dressed in the traditional Zulu warrior fashion, Clegg toured in townships and in private locations, in universities and churches. Many concerts were broken up by police intervention, resulting in Clegg and his band Savuka being arrested on several locations. Word of mouth about their act spread like wildfire.

The song begins with a chorus. Johnny Clegg calls out “Asimbonanga” and he's followed by his band in a stirring tribal Zulu fashion. The a cappella opening is emotional, even to non-Zulu speakers: “We have not seen him. We have not seen Mandela in the place where he is, in the place where he is kept.” The verse is then repeated as instruments are introduced. After the chorus, the first verse is in English. There is no direct mention of Mandela, but rather intricate analogies are used. Clegg paints a vivid sketch of Cape Town: “The sea is cold and the sky is grey. Look across the island into the bay.” Between 1846 and 1931, Robben Island, because of its isolation, was a hospital for lepers and the mentally ill, and from 1961 onward, it also served as a maximum security prison for political prisoners, in which Mandela spent 18 years. The verse continues: "We are all islands until the day comes we cross the burning water." "We are all islands" refers to segregation. Each nation, tribe, and ethnic group is an island, until they all cross the burning water.

The second verse refers to a seagull flying across the sea. It is a symbol of freedom, of black and white, of being able to cross the waters. The verse continues as a lamentation: "Broken silence is what I dream. Who has the words to close the distance between you and me?" Which brings us to the three martyrs brought up in the song: Steve Boko, Victoria Mxenge, and Neil Agget, all dead because of their anti-apartheid struggles.

"'Asimbonanga' (We have not seen him) is a revolutionary song which incorporates both English and Zulu and which not only touched South Africans but also found worldwide acclaim"

This song has been sung and appreciated the world over, but one performance will always come to mind: Frankfurt, Germany, 1999. Unbeknownst to Johnny Clegg, Nelson Mandela himself came on stage while the song was being performed. “I was taken by a wave of such amazing emotions,” Clegg later told the Associated Press. “I wrote that in 1986 knowing it was going to be banned and not knowing if he [Mandela] was ever going to be released because were in the middle of a civil war. Thirteen years later, in a new South Africa, I'm playing the song, and the very man I wrote it for walks on stage and sings it with me.”

Today, "Asimbonanga" has played at the opening of Springbok rugby games, and it has been covered by international and local artists, including Joan Baez and the Sowetho Gospel Choir.

Lyrics:

Asimbonanga (We have not seen him) Asimbonang' uMandela thina (We have not seen Mandela) Laph'ekhona (In the place where he is) Lah'ehleli khona (In the place where he is kept) Asimbonanga (We have not seen him) Asimbonang' uMandela thina (We have not seen Mandela) Laph'ekhona (In the place where he is) Lah'ehleli khona (In the place where he is kept) Oh the sea is cold and the sky is grey Look across the Island into the Bay We are all islands until comes the day We cross the burning water Chorus: Asimbonanga (We have not seen him) Asimbonang' uMandela thina (We have not seen Mandela) Laph'ekhona (In the place where he is) Lah'ehleli khona (In the place where he is kept)Asimbonanga (We have not seen him) Asimbonang' uMandela thina (We have not seen Mandela) Laph'ekhona (In the place where he is) Lah'ehleli khona (In the place where he is kept) A seagull wings across the sea Broken silence is what I dream Who has the words to close the distance Between you and me? Chorus: Asimbonanga (We have not seen him) Asimbonang' uMandela thina (We have not seen Mandela) Laph'ekhona (In the place where he is) Lah'ehleli khona (In the place where he is kept) Asimbonanga (We have not seen him) Asimbonang' uMandela thina (We have not seen Mandela) Laph'ekhona (In the place where he is) Lah'ehleli khona (In the place where he is kept) Steve Biko, Asimbonanga (We have not seen him) Asimbonang 'umfowethu thina (We have not seen our brother) Laph'ekhona (In the place where he is) Laph'wafela khona (In the place where he died) Victoria MxengeAsimbonanga (We have not seen him) Asimbonang 'umfowethu thina (We have not seen our brother) Laph'ekhona (In the place where he is) Laph'wafela khona (in the place where he died) Neil Aggett Asimbonanga (We have not seen him) Asimbonang 'umfowethu thina (We have not seen our brother) Laph'ekhona (In the place where he is) Laph'wafela khona (in the place where he died) Hey wena! (Hey you!) Hey wena nawe! (Hey you and you too!) Siyofika nini la' siyakhona (When will we arrive at our destination?) Asimbonanga (We have not seen him) Asimbonang' uMandela thina (We have not seen Mandela) Laph'ekhona (In the place where he is) Lah'ehleli khona (In the place where he is kept) Asimbonanga (We have not seen him) Asimbonang' uMandela thina (We have not seen Mandela) Laph'ekhona (In the place where he is) Lah'ehleli khona (In the place where he is kept).