 This is a song written in 1897 by Enoch Sontonga. He is a teacher at the Methodist Mission school in Nancefield, near Johannesburg. The style of this music is similar to the European sacred music. It firstly became the African National Congress hymn, then the first part of the South African anthem. It was also adapted in order to be the anthem of Tanzania and Zambia, also sung in Namibia and in Zimbabwe. Anecdotally, some recent researches situated his tomb, and it was named a protected monument on September 24, 1996, on the Heritage Day. A monument in his memory was disclosed by Nelson Mandela. This song was covered, translated and adapted in many African countries. Christian Jusselme was born in 1960. He has been a musical education teacher at collège Marie Laurencin and at lycée René Cassin, Tarare, Rhône, since 1989. As his students asked him to do so, he created a gospel choir in the high school in 1994. They sing spirituals, gospels, soul music and world music. They worked together with famous bands and artists and released 6 CD and one DVD. |
