The Lion King’s Circle Of Life Translation Ignites A Feud

A viral moment about one of Disney’s most beloved classics, The Lion King, has somehow become the source of a major feud between two artists.

Comedian Learnmore Jonasi skyrocketed in popularity after his very first audition on America’s Got Talent. His outstanding stand-up material about his experiences as a foreigner in the United States landed him the number 5 spot on season 19 of Simon Cowell’s popular talent show.

However, Jonasi’s previously squeaky-clean image was tarnished after he mistranslated the iconic opening song of The Lion King, Circle of Life. The comedian claimed in a video on One54 Africa’s Instagram account that the first line of the song simply said, “Look, there’s a lion. Oh my God.” The video quickly went viral, with many Disney fans finding it hilarious that the lyrics were as deep as they thought.

One person who didn’t find it funny was Circle of Life’s composer, Lebo M. He took to social media and publicly called out Jonasi for not double-checking to see if he was correct before poking fun at it. He explained that the actual translation was “Oh hail the King. Bow in the presence of the royal family.” The musician was so offended that he accused him of being “arrogant” and an “idiot.” Additionally, Lebo also stated that he was a disgrace and a “wannabe comedian.”

Lebo claimed that when he reached out to Jonasi, he refused to admit that he was wrong and wouldn’t apologize for the misunderstanding. He also believed that the comedian was being disrespectful towards African culture and was willing to compromise his integrity just to get a few laughs.

Although the composer had a lot of valid points, Jonasi quickly posted a response video defending himself. According to him, the conversation went down very differently. He said that Lebo was the one who was being rude and defensive. Jonasi explained how he was willing to learn from his mistakes and even wanted to collaborate on a video with him about the incident. However, the attitude that he received from the musician made him not want to apologize or engage with him any further.

The feud between these two artists is essentially a “word against word” situation. What went down between them happened in private and seemingly not through a text or written message exchange, so there is a lack of proof regarding who is embellishing the truth. Regardless, two adults behaving this way towards each other over a Lion King song does not do either of them any favors.