Book dossier

Shembe Hymns

by Carol Muller

Composed by Isaiah and Galilee Shembe between 1910 and 1940, IziHlabelelo zamaNazaretha--Shembe Hymns--is one of the earliest known books in the isiZulu language. Drawing on the poetic traditions of Izibongo, or Praises, as well as the Biblical Psalms and local renditions of African American Spirituals, these texts speak to conditions of oppression and suffering, but also to the will to joy and hopefulness in such moments. The hymns were translated by the late Bongani Mthethwa, and are edited and introduced by Carol Muller, who also produced the accompanying CD. --Book Jacket.