Deborah Lukalu - Pamoja Lyrics
Lyrics
D’un seul Chœur D'une seule voix Toucher les cœurs et les nations Mille et une voix, un message Chanter les merveilles du royaume
Kwa mapendo inawezekana Avec nos flammes et nos appels Nous irons jusqu'au bout Pour partager les rêves Oh oh oh oh Ohooooh
Let's share the dearms!
Ni maajabu! Tosimbana Maboko Ni maajabu! sa bonté nous établit Avec Jésus! Nous sommes la lumière du monde. Ooh ooh ooh oh oh oh oh Ooh ooh ooh oh oh oh oh
(Eh ni Maajabu! Ehehh) Ni maajabu! Tosimbana Maboko (Tosimbana maboko!) Ni Maajabu! sa bonté nous établit (avec Jésus! Oohh eeeh) Avec Jésus! Nous sommes la lumière du monde. Ooh ooh ooh oh oh oh oh Ooh ooh ooh oh oh oh oh
Pour partager les rêves (Oui pour partager les rêves). Oh oh oh oh ohhhh Let's share the dreams! The dreams ....ohhh ohh
(Ni maajabu Tosimbana Maboko) L’unité du Saint-Esprit! (Ni maajabu, Sa bonté nous établit) Nous irons jusqu’aux extrémités de la terre! (Avec Jésus! Nous sommes la lumière du monde.) Oh tu es Dieu
Tu ne changes pas Oui Il règne Nul n’est comme toi Ehhh eeeehhhhehhh Oh ni Maajabu! Ah ah ah
Ni maajabu! Tosimbana Maboko (Let's sing together now!) Ni maajabu! sa bonté nous établit Avec Jésus! Nous sommes la lumière du monde. Ooh ooh ooh oh oh oh oh
Uko Mungu wa ba mungu We mfalme wa bafalme Wohh
Pamoja tuta weza! Pamoja eh eh! Na Yesu tuta weza! Pamoja Eh eh!
Le miracle est possible eh! Elongo naye ekosimba ah! Le miracle est possible! Let us stay together!
Pamoja tuta weza (Maajabu! Maajabu!Maajabu!) Pamoja eh eh !(ni Maajabu!). (come on everybody) Na Yesu tuta weza! (Maajabu! Maajabu! Maajabu!) Pamoja eh eh! (ni Maajabu!). (Let’s go! Come on everybody) Pamoja tuta weza! (Maajabu! Maajabu! Maajabu!) Pamoja eh eh !(ni Maajabu!). (come on everybody)
Beto simbana maboko, (Tenons nous main dans la main) Kintuadi beto ke sala bimangu. (ensemble nous ferons des exploits) Na yesu betu ke kuenda na ntuala. (Avec Jésus nous irons de l'avant) Bumosi ke salaka ngolo, (L'union fait la force)
Tosangisi mingongo, to yembi na motema pour voir ton talent s’exprimer Elekya na motema makambo eko changer eh to kamwisa mokili elongo eh
Maajabu!
Video
Deborah Lukalu et les artistes Maajabu - PAMOJA
Meaning & Inspiration
Deborah Lukalu’s "Pamoja" leans heavily into the communal—the Swahili title itself signifying a collective "togetherness." In an era of atomized, hyper-individualized piety, there is a certain theological weight in hearing a chorus insist that we cannot—and should not—go it alone. However, as one listens to the repetition of "Pamoja tuta weza" (Together we can), a systematic mind must pause. If we are not careful, we risk sliding into a secularized optimism that mistakes human coordination for the movement of the Holy Spirit.
The lyric "Sa bonté nous établit" (His goodness establishes us) is the necessary anchor here. It is the ontological corrective. We are not "established" by our unity or our "togetherness." We are established by His goodness—the agathos of God. When Lukalu sings of us being the "lumière du monde" (light of the world), the danger is to think the light originates in the collective. But the light is borrowed. We are merely the reflectors of the Imago Dei restored in us. If the church is a city on a hill, it is only because the Sun of Righteousness has risen upon it. Without that caveat, "together we can" is merely a motivational slogan, as hollow as any corporate mission statement.
I find myself lingering on the phrase "L’unité du Saint-Esprit." This is where the song gains its necessary heft. True unity isn’t a social construct achieved through collaboration or holding hands ("Tosimbana maboko"); it is a pneumatic reality. It is the Spirit who binds the body of Christ across linguistic and cultural divides. When Lukalu invites us to "share the dreams," I find myself wanting more precision. Dreams are fleeting, subjective, and often narcissistic. What we are actually called to share is the burden of the Cross and the reality of the Resurrection.
There is an inherent tension in this track. It vacillates between a communal imperative ("We will go to the ends of the earth") and an acknowledgment of divine sovereignty ("Tu ne changes pas"). This is good. It keeps the song from becoming a mere celebration of human potential. We move forward because He remains immutable. We hold hands because He first held us.
Is the song "theologically anemic"? Not entirely. It avoids the trap of focusing exclusively on the subjective feeling of being together. By anchoring our unity in His goodness and the specific identity of Jesus, Lukalu moves the lyrics toward something more robust than fluff. Yet, I am left wondering: in our rush to "share the dreams" and "do exploits," do we leave enough room for the theology of suffering? The church is indeed stronger together, but strength in the Kingdom is often found in weakness, in the emptying of self, and in the quiet endurance of saints who may never see the "miracles" the chorus insists are possible. I appreciate the call to action, but I hope the listener remembers that being "established" by His goodness often involves a breaking, not just a building.