Isicathamiya

I'm finding out about the history of South African music, and it's all fascinating, thanks to the combinations of traditions, influences, and the politics.

This track by Paul Simon and Ladysmith Black Mambazo you will have heard. I love the poetry in this track as well as the melody and instrumentation.

But should Simon have recorded and distributed it? At the time of its release, in 1986, there was a worldwide cultural boycott imposed on South Africa against the apartheid regime; theoretically no-one in the world should have listened to South African music, but thanks to the Simon album, Ladysmith Black Mambazo came to be known by a global audience.

What do you think? Is music separate from politics, governments and power? Is music a way of taking control, and taking power?

Listen to Isicathamiya music with a brief explanation here. (If you want to search more, try Zulu music.)