African Litany is the second studio album from South Africa

South Africa

The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...

n band Juluka

Juluka

Juluka was a South African music band formed in 1969 by Johnny Clegg and Sipho Mchunu. Juluka means "sweat", and was the name of a bull owned by Mchunu.-Career:...

, released in 1981. It features lyrics sung in English and zulu.

The first track, Impi

Impi

An Impi is an isiZulu word for any armed body of men. However, in English it is often used to refer to a Zulu regiment, which is called an ibutho in Zulu. Its beginnings lie far back in historic tribal warfare customs, where groups of armed men called impis battled...

, which became one of the band's hits, retells the story of the Battle of Isandlwana

Battle of Isandlwana

The Battle of Isandlwana on 22 January 1879 was the first major encounter in the Anglo-Zulu War between the British Empire and the Zulu Kingdom...

, won by the Zulu

Zulu Kingdom

The Zulu Kingdom, sometimes referred to as the Zulu Empire or, rather imprecisely, Zululand, was a monarchy in Southern Africa that extended along the coast of the Indian Ocean from the Tugela River in the south to Pongola River in the north....

, and was banned from the radio in South Africa at the time, but gained underground popularity. It remains a cult classic in South Africa and has now become mainstream to the point of often been associated with international sports events, in particular rugby

Rugby union

Rugby union, often simply referred to as rugby, is a full contact team sport which originated in England in the early 19th century. One of the two codes of rugby football, it is based on running with the ball in hand...

.

Musicians

• Sipho Mchunu
  Sipho Mchunu
  Sipho Mchunu is a Zulu musician best known for his partnership with 'white Zulu' Johnny Clegg in the band Juluka from the 1970s to the 1990s. Mchunu's Zulu compositions, vocals and guitar work brought traditional Zulu styles such as maskanda and mbaqanga to a wider crossover audience both in South...
  
   (Lead vocals, guitars, concertina)
• Johnny Clegg (Lead vocals, guitars, Umhuphe mouth, bow, Chipendani mouth bow)
• Johnny Boshoff (Bass guitar, percussion)
• Umvovo Shelembe (Vocals)
• Umncengeni Ngubane (Vocals)
• Derrick de Beer (Drums, percussion)
• Robbie Jansen
  Robbie Jansen
  Robert Edward Jansen was a South African musician and a folk hero in the Western Cape. He was born in Cape Town, South Africa.-Biography:...
  
  (Flute, sax)

Track listing

1. "Impi"
2. "African Sky Blue"
3. "Jarusalema"
4. "African Litany"
5. "Bull"-Man-Free
6. "Gijim'Beke"
7. "Heart of the Dancer"
8. "High Country"
9. "Mama Shabalala"
10. "Thandiwe"