Black Motion – Izulu Lam (My Heaven) Ft. Spice Drums, LivinSz, Joe Nina, Thabo Roy Mabogwane and Mpho Thobejane

The Zulu phrase means my sky, or my heaven, and the English bracket makes sure nobody misses it. In Zulu, the same word covers both the sky above and the weather, which gives it a wide feeling, as though heaven is something you can look up and see. In Nigeria we say “heaven na my side” or “my own don come” when we feel blessed, and it comes from the same place.

That is the nice thing about the idea. Heaven does not have to be a church word. It can be a person you love, a house you worked for, a quiet corner where nobody disturbs you. For one listener it will be a spouse, for another a childhood home. The title does not tell you which, and that is what lets everyone hear their own story in it.

The record appears on Pula le Maatla, with Spice Drums, LivinSz, Joe Nina, Thabo Roy Mabogwane and Mpho Thobejane on the credit. I like that the title includes its own translation. It feels like the people behind it want listeners from outside South Africa to be part of the moment without feeling left behind.

It fits the hour when the sun is going down, the noise is fading and you feel quietly grateful for what you have.

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