“The Circle of Life” Composer Lebo M Sues Comedian Over Translation Joke
Lebo M, the South African composer and singer responsible for the iconic Zulu chant in The Lion King‘s “The Circle of Life,” is suing Zimbabwean comedian Learnmore Jonasi over comments he made during a recent podcast appearance.
Jonasi appeared on the One54 Africa podcast last month and, in a now-viral clip, claimed that the iconic “Circle of Life” chant, “Nants’ingonyama bagithi Baba,” translates to “Look, there’s a lion. Oh my God,” in English.
Photo: OkayAfrica
Lebo M, who worked on both the original The Lion King film, The Lion King 2, and the 2019 live-action remake, did not find the joke funny.
“Jonasi’s reduction to ‘Look, there’s a lion. Oh my god’ is not a simplified translation — it is a fabricated, trivializing distortion, meant as a sick joke for unlawful self-profit and destruction of the imaginative and artistic work of Lebo M,” reads the legal complaint (via Billboard).
The Lawsuit
Lebo M is demanding $27 million in damages from Jonasi, arguing that his comments constitute defamation, libel, and business interference and could affect his longstanding relationship with Disney.
Photo: Pittsburgh Magazine
The composer, who is currently touring with Hans Zimmer in Europe, claims that he now “fears for his life due to Xenophobic comments.”
An Ongoing Feud
Lebo M’s lawsuit is the culmination of months of back and forth between the composer and Jonasi. Lebo M previously stated that he tried to have a conversation with the comedian, but it did not take.
Photo: The Stage
“It’s rather painful to see an ignorant wannabe comedian promote ignorance and it become so globally powerful,” said Lebo M in a March 4 Instagram video. “I did try to engage this young man, and he was so arrogant.”
For his part, Jonasi claimed that Lebo M did not really want to talk.
Photo: Arab World
“I realized that I’m not having a conversation with somebody that actually wants to do that,” said Jonasi in his video. “This person is literally not attacking the joke, but my character.”
