South African composer Lebo M has filed a $27 million lawsuit against Zimbabwean comedian Learnmore Jonasi over a viral podcast remark about the Zulu chant in The Lion King's Circle of Life. Lebo M claims the comedian's translation distorts his artistic work and has led to threats. The case highlights tensions between comedy and cultural representation.
Lebo M, whose full name is Lebohang Morake, composed and performed the opening Zulu chant “Nants’ingonyama bagithi Baba” in “The Circle of Life” for the 1994 original The Lion King movie and its 2019 remake. On March 16, he filed a lawsuit in response to a clip from Jonasi’s appearance on the podcast One54 Africa, where the comedian stated that the chant translates to “Look, there’s a lion. Oh my god.” Lebo M asserts that the chant is royal praise poetry with the true meaning “All hail the king, we all bow in the presence of the king,” relying on metaphors. The complaint describes Jonasi’s version as “a fabricated, trivializing distortion, meant as a sick joke for unlawful self-profit and destruction of the imaginative and artistic work of Lebo M.” It seeks $27 million for defamation, libel, and business interference, citing potential harm to Lebo M’s Disney relationship. Lebo M also reports fearing for his life from xenophobic comments and being confronted on tour with Hans Zimmer in Europe. His lawyer, Michael Younge, argues Jonasi presented the remark as factual knowledge rather than a joke, potentially bypassing First Amendment protections for comedy. Prior social media exchanges escalated the dispute: Lebo M called Jonasi arrogant and ignorant in an Instagram video on March 4, after the comedian dismissed his concerns. Jonasi responded on March 14, saying he was open to a collaborative clarification video until Lebo M labeled him “self-hating,” shifting the attack to his character. A representative for Jonasi did not comment by March 17.
