Advent song for December 11: Inkanyezi Nezazi, South Africa

Thanks to Donna for suggesting this lovely song, which I vaguely remember from that time it was used in a Heinz baked beans ad back in 1997. This is the full-length version, first recorded in 1992, and the video I’ve chosen features lyrics in both Zulu and English, in which language the song is called “The Star and the Wiseman”.

You already know all about Ladysmith Black Mambazo, the isicathamiya (traditional Zulu music) choir founded by Joseph Shabalala in the 1960s after he heard their voices in a series of dreams, and if you are lucky you’ll have seen them performing on one of their many international tours. They are almost more of a brand than a band these days, but the gorgeous sound they make is as spine-tingling as ever: