Ene ele Ngwanyana - "The was a little girl" (a Children song from the Batswana people in South Africa and Botswana)
Language: Setswana
The song translates to
Ene ele ngwanyana, // There was a little girl,
a dutse letlapeng. // sitting on a rock.
A ntse a lla ka nako tsotlhe. // Crying all the time.
Ema ngwanyana. // Get/Stand up little girl,
o phimule dikeledi. // and wipe your tears.
O kgete o mo ratang, // Choose the one you like
o tlole tlole naye. // and play with her.
This song is sung by a group of young girls as part of playing games. They form a circle surrounding one girl who is placed at the centre of this circle. She, at the centre of the circle, performs or acts out the narrative of the text in the song.
The group sings: there was a little girl sitting on a rock, crying all the time. The girl at the centre must sit on a rock/chair or on the floor and act as if she is crying. The group continues: get up/stand up little girl and wipe your tears. She must stand up and wipe her tears. The group continues further: choose the one you like and play with her. The girl at the centre must look around the circle, point and walks towards whomever she has chosen. The chosen girl from the group must likewise walk towards the girl at the centre. The two girls at the centre of the circle now have to hold hands together, skip/hop/swing/dance around the circle while the group sings the last phrase: choose the one you like and play with her. The dance stops at the end of the song and the original girl at the centre joins the group while the new girl acts out the text in the repeat of the song.
Setswana Text is translated into English by Mr. Bernett Nkwayi Mulungo