Ladysmith Black Mambazo – Journey of Dreams

Re-released to coincide with the group’s upcoming concert in Hyde Park for the 2012 Olympic Festival, this is the story of the great South African singing group, Ladysmith Black Mambazo; Ladysmith being the name of Shabalala’s rural hometown; Black being a reference to oxen, the strongest of all farm animals; and Mambazo being the Zulu word for axe, a symbol of the group’s ability to “chop down” any singing rival who might challenge them

 

This musical documentary shows the immediate popularity they received from the audiences of the world and the winning of the now-famous Grammy Award for their first US album, ‘Shaka Zulu’ and features those wonderful collaborations with Paul Simon on ‘Homeless’ and ‘Diamonds on the Soles of her Shoes’.

 

‘Journey Of Dreams’ unfolds the aspirations of a people to whom music is much more than entertainment. To black Africa music is voice, a rallying cry, a mode of worship. On every one of those levels, the ten-piece Ladysmith Black Mambazo are a yardstick by which other vocal ensembles are measured.