Ilembe: Honoring Shaka Zulu

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Product Description In the late 1700s, the Zulus were an obscure tribe of less than 2000 South African natives, ruled by a petty chief and seemingly doomed to eventual extinction. But when one charismatic and cunning young warrior, Shaka Zulu, emerged from this small, disorganized clan, the path of South African history changed forever. In a span of less than two decades, Shaka Zulu united the Zulus with various neighboring tribes into a single powerful force that helped give birth to a proud nation. Today, Shaka Zulu is regarded as one of the greatest leaders in African history. His combination of warrior discipline, visionary leadership, innate creativity, and unshakable belief in a united nation continues to resonate to this day in South Africa. He is revered as the single figure who gave birth to the indomitable fighting spirit of the Zulus - the same spirit that enabled South Africans to persevere amid the European domination of their homeland for nearly two centuries of apartheid. Ladysmith Black Mambazo, the GRAMMY® Award winning vocal group from South Africa that has conquered nations in its own way with a joyous and spiritually charged brand of vocal music and native choreography, pays tribute to this historical icon with their new Heads Up International release, "Ilembe: Honoring Shaka Zulu". "Ilembe" celebrates not only Shaka Zulu but the sense of perseverance, creativity and pride that he has inspired in generations of descendants. From the Artist "He was a warrior, an athlete, a singer, a dancer, a visionary, he was so many things," says Joseph Shabalala, lead singer and founder of Ladysmith Black Mambazo. "He was a diplomat too. He could talk about differences in a civilized way, but he was also very proud. If you said, `No, I'm not going to cooperate,' then he would say, `Alright, let us see who is the boss.'" "There have been so many generations that have come and gone since Shaka was king of the Zulus, but there are still many hearts and minds to be conquered," says Shabalala, who converted to Christianity many years ago yet continues to balance his spiritual convictions with his cultural roots. "There are still many people who need to be filled with the spirit of unity and hope that Shaka embodied. We are trying to remind people of the importance of what this man did. That was my purpose, to bring the people back to the roots of their culture." P.when('A').execute(function(A) { A.on('a:expander:toggle_description:toggle:collapse', function(data) { window.scroll(0, data.expander.$expander[0].offsetTop-100); }); }); About the Artist Two decades ago, Paul Simon introduced the musical genius and boundless spiritual energy of Ladysmith Black Mambazo to the pop music world via his groundbreaking 1986 recording, "Graceland". Eight years later, due in large part to the efforts of Ladysmith Black Mambazo and other South African artists bearing witness to racial inequality in their homeland, the centuries-old practice of apartheid came to an end in South Africa. See more