- A Zimbabwean comedian faces a $27 million lawsuit over a joke about ‘The Lion King’ song.
- Composer Lebo M alleges false claims about the meaning of the iconic chant.
- The dispute has sparked debate over comedy, culture and artistic integrit
Grammy award winning composer Lebohang 'Lebo M' Morake, who is behind the iconic opening chant in the song 'Circle of Life' in 'The Lion King' movies, has filed a $27 million lawsuit against Zimbabewean comedian Learnmmore Jonasi for allegedly damaging his reputation by misrepresenting its meaning on a podcast episode.
On the One54 Africa podcast, Jonasi had claimed "Nants'ingonyama bagithi Baba," the opening African chant translated to "Look! There's a lion! Oh my god!" In a court filing dated March 16, Morake accused the comedian of disseminating "false statements of fact" about his composition. Morake maintained the chant specifically translated to "All hail the king, we all bow in the presence of the king."
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Morake alleged Jonasi's comments devalued the iconic song. The lawsuit argued this depreciation directly harmed Morake's professional reputation and the long-term value of his estate.
According to an Instagram video posted on March 13, which triggered the slander controversy, Jonasi acknowledged discussing the joke with Morake, leading to a reportedly tense confrontation. "When this man first approached me, he approached me with the attitude of saying that I am disrespecting his work, right? And I was like, 'No, actually, I am a big fan of yours. I actually love the song.' And therefore, this was just a joke, and comedy has always had a way of starting a conversation," Jonasi said. He added that the composer can now educate people, "I told him this. This is now your chance to educate people because now people are listening."
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Jonasi further alleged that Morake used derogatory terms, including "idiot" and "self-hating Black man," during the discussion about the comedic bit. The case has sparked debate around comedy, cultural interpretation, and the responsibilities of artists when engaging with iconic works.
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