African Litany

African Litany
African Litany
Studio album by Juluka
Released	1981
Recorded	1981
Length	40:59
Labels	EMI/MINC (original South African release); Rhythm Safari (current releases)
Producer	Hilton Rosenthal
Juluka chronology

Professional ratings
Review scores
Source	Rating
Allmusic	^[2]

African Litany is the second studio album from South African band Juluka, released in 1981.^[3] It features lyrics sung in English and isiZulu.^[4] The album shared musical similarities with Juluka's first album Universal Men, which featured a fusion of South African music, Western folk music, and jazz, but featured more diverse topics in its lyrics. "Heart of the Dancer" explored Clegg's introduction to ngoma dance, while "Mama Shabalala" tells a story of an elderly woman seeking a home, sharing strong continuity with songs from Universal Men. The first track, "Impi", which became one of the band's hits, retells the story of the Battle of Isandlwana, won by the Zulu Kingdom against the British,^[4] and was banned from the radio in South Africa at the time, but gained underground popularity. It remains a cult classic in South Africa and has now become mainstream to the point of often been associated with international sports events, in particular rugby. Two later songs, "African Sky Blue" and "High Country", also explore the theme of colonialism.^[4]

Track listing

"Impi" (Clegg)
"African Sky Blue" (Clegg, Mchunu)
"Jarusalema" (Clegg)
"African Litany" (Clegg)
"Bull-Man-Free" (Clegg, Mchunu)
"Gijim'beke" (Mchunu)
"Heart of the Dancer" (Clegg)
"High Country" (Clegg)
"Mama Shabalala" (Clegg)
"Thandiwe" (Mchunu)

Personnel

Johnny Clegg - vocals, guitar, mouth bow^[1]
Sipho Mchunu - guitar, percussion, vocals^[1]
Johnny Boshoff - bass guitar, percussion, vocals^[1]
Derek de Beer - drums, percussion^[1]
Robbie Jansen - flute, saxophone, vocals^[1]

Additional personnel

Umvovo Shelembe - vocals^[1]
Umncengeni Ngubane - vocals^[1]

References

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 "African Litany". AllMusic. Retrieved 15 April 2026.
↑ Allmusic review
↑ "Scatterlings Club". Archived from the original on 12 April 2009. Retrieved 1 June 2010.
1 2 3 Pithouse, Richard (2025). "Johnny Clegg and the Poetry and Politics of Migrant Labour". In Drewett, Michael; Spini, Lucilla (eds.). Johnny Clegg: Critical Reflections on His Music and Influence. NYU Press. pp. 83–112. ISBN 978-1-77614-964-3.

[AllMusic-1] 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 "African Litany". AllMusic. Retrieved 15 April 2026.

[2] Allmusic review

[3] "Scatterlings Club". Archived from the original on 12 April 2009. Retrieved 1 June 2010.

[Pithouse-4] 1 2 3 Pithouse, Richard (2025). "Johnny Clegg and the Poetry and Politics of Migrant Labour". In Drewett, Michael; Spini, Lucilla (eds.). Johnny Clegg: Critical Reflections on His Music and Influence. NYU Press. pp. 83–112. ISBN 978-1-77614-964-3.

[1]

[2]

[3]

[4]