Ladysmith Black Mambazo is the South African 'a capella' chorus that accompanied Nelson Mandela to Oslo to accept the Nobel Peace Prize. The end of Apartheid in South Africa was, for me, a cause for celebration at least as powerful as the demolishing of the Berlin Wall.

Most of the lyrics on this CD are in a language I can't even recognize, though I know it must be one of the many tribal languages of South Africa. But the emotions these men convey in their singing are international - pride, endurance, brotherhood, reconciliation. The roots of such harmonies are in themselves a statement of reconciliation, half drawing sap up from pre-colonial African music yet half drawing nutrients from the European missionaries who taught more than they intended.

My recent reviewer's tour of world music - Bali, Mexico, China, Iran, Japan, Mali - wouldn't be complete without this stopover in the township of Ladysmith. This is my personal favorite of all the many Black Mambazo recordings.