A South African comedian is being sued for $27 million over a viral joke that mistranslated the iconic “Circle of Life” chant in Disney’s “The Lion King.”
Lebohang Morake — the Grammy-winning South African composer behind the film’s opening Zulu vocals — filed a federal civil complaint in California on March 16 against the comedian, Learnmore Jonasi, alleging that the translation is false and damaging to his life’s work.
Jonasi, whose legal name is Learnmore Mwanyenyeka, could not immediately be reached for comment on Friday. No attorney information was listed for him.
In a GoFundMe campaign he launched to cover legal fees, Jonasi called the lawsuit “unjust.” By Friday afternoon, the campaign had raised more than $16,000.
Disney did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Last month, Jonasi appeared on the One54 Africa podcast, where the host sang the chant and asked him what it meant. “You said nothing,” Jonasi
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