Queens Of iGwjio: How A Cultural Singing Practice Helped Banyana

Banyana Banyana are arguably the most spirited team at this year's Women's World Cup. Here's how the practice of igwijo has carried them in the tournament.

Check it out! 

What's the story?

Whether they're singing on the bus or the change rooms, the voices of the Banyana players has echoed beautifully at this year's Women's World Cup.

The practice of igwijo has given Banyana extra motivation in their World Cup journey so far, with footage of the players singing and dancing in unison doing the rounds of social media after their historic win over Italy.

Read: 'Bunch Of Winners': SA Goes Wild Over Banyana Win

Let's take a closer look...

Banyana carried by igwijo spirit

iGwijo forms part of the fabric of South African football with basically every team practicing before and after a match, mainly the former.

Gwijo is known as the practice of collective singing, heavily embedded in South African Xhosa culture and it takes the form of call and response. 

This form of singing has been a consistent theme in Banyana's success at last year's WAFCON and now the Women's World Cup.

Normally led by goalkeeper Andile Dlamini and other senior players like Thembi Kgatlana of Bambanani Mbane, Banyana's gwijo has stolen the hearts of many football fans, both locally an internationally.

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Videos of Banyana's players heading into games in full song and dance has given fans a glimpse into how important igwijo is to the team's preparation and yesterday's win over Italy also showed that igwijo plays a huge role in the team's celebrations.

Here's a look at Banyana practicing igwijo, singing well known songs such as "Asinavalo" and "Hamba wena".