[ UPDATED: Wilfrido Vargas this week came forward to deny reports of a potential lawsuit against Shakira.]
The Waka Waka Gate -which I am proud to have partly initiated– is about to become more interesting.
Turns out Dominican composer Wilfrido Vargas is, like, pissed. Now, he claims Shakira plagiarized his song, El negro no puede.
Truth be told, neither Wilfrido nor Shakira can claim ownership of the now infamous Waka Waka. As you have been reading in this blog -and everywhere else for that matter- the song precedes both Vargas and Shakira. It is, in fact a popular African song based on an African military melody, Zangalewa, popular throughout the continent.
So, if anyone is about to get rich (or richer) with the Waka Waka, let’s dig a bit deeper and see who owes what to whom. And if anything comes out of this whole mess, this blogger wants her share. LOL.
Wilfrido Vargas denies having considered suing Shakira and admits he covered a popular African song (http://es.euronews.net/teletipos/313687-wilfrido-vargas-asegura-que-jamas-ha-pensado-en-demandar-a-shakira/).
Zangalewa, the band who owns the song, denied there was plagiarism and said they were being compensated for the adaptation in this May story (http://fr.allafrica.com/stories/201005120955.html).
THANKS KOKITA! I am glad that it’s settled.
With the song being used worldwide, I don’t think Shakira could have gotten away with using it without permission. The song has been used by other artists (even in The Lion King).
People like to jump on the bandwagon and they do not do the research before posting something and it’s not a good practice.
Wow! Wilfrido Vargas still alive?! That’s news! hahaha
Regarding anyone getting anything from this, I doubt it. Shakira, and FIFA have too much power=lawyers!
So dream on getting anything. =)
Come to think of it…Wilfrido should give me some money. Who thought he would be back on the spotlight, right? ha, ha, ha….