In a rural area two hours north of Johannesburg, South Africa, a massive camp-fire is roaring, warming the bodies of 150 South Africans against a cool spring night in late September. The fire lights their faces as they sway back and forth, singing. Most of those gathered range in age from 11 to 17, but there are older men and women scattered among them, mostly in the front, leading the songs or the dances that sometimes accompany the music. There is no other noise in the night, just the sound of these 150 voices raised together, singing the same words over and over again, so that the words become a rhythmic chant.

Aye, Sizanani goes on,
Sizanani goes on,
Sizanani goes-oes-oes on.

By Elizabeth Chiles Shelburne – Amherst College '01
Photos (c) 2009 Marc Altman

Read the Whole Article from Amherst Magazine Winter 2010