Zimbabwe: U.S. Court Orders Lion King Composer to Pay Comedian Learnmore Jonasi's Legal Fees After Joke Spat

What the report says

A U.S. federal court has ordered South African composer Lebohang “Lebo M” Morake to pay Zimbabwean comedian Learnmore Jonasi US$39,560 in statutory attorneys’ fees after a legal dispute tied to a joke about The Lion King’s opening Zulu chant. The report says the ruling followed Jonasi’s success in being recognized as the prevailing party under California’s anti-SLAPP law after Morake dropped his claims.

According to the article, the dispute began after Jonasi, also known as Learnmore Mwanyenyeka, appeared on a podcast and jokingly offered his own translation of the phrase “Nants' ingonyama bagithi Baba” from The Lion King’s “Circle of Life.” Morake, who was involved in creating and producing music associated with the film, then filed a multimillion-dollar lawsuit in California alleging defamation and misrepresentation, saying the comments made light of what he viewed as an important cultural work.

The court calculated Jonasi’s reasonable legal fees at the amount awarded, but declined to apply a higher multiplier that would have increased the payment. The article also says Jonasi paid only a small portion of his legal costs out of pocket because his lawyers discounted their fees while defending his free-speech rights.

The ruling did not decide whether Jonasi’s or the traditional translation of the chant was correct. Instead, it focused on the fee award and the procedural question of who prevailed after Morake withdrew his claims.