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A LION'S TRAIL

The Trail

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 An African man sings and plays guitar in front of a field that is surrounded by a thin barbed wire fence. A group of women, including Solomon Linda’s daughters, gather silently in a circle.
In the 1920s, Zulu singer Solomon Linda composed “Mbube,” a hit melody in his native South Africa. Decades later, it skyrocketed to the top of the international pop charts as “The Lion Sleeps Tonight.” A LION’S TRAIL follows this beloved song’s rocky history, from South Africa to Brooklyn and back, asking why Linda died penniless—while American artists made millions off of his music.
The Film | The Song | The People | Filmmaker Bios | Filmmaker Q&A | Learn More | Talkback | Site Credits

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