Siyahamba

"Siyahamba" is a Zulu chorus that emerged in a rural Protestant congregation, possibly in the former Natal province of South Africa.

It was during this tour that Fjedur's musical director, Anders Nyberg [sv], heard and recorded "Siyahamba" at a girls' school in Appelsbosch, Natal.

In 1984, Nyberg arranged "Siyahamba" for a four-voice setting and published it in a songbook and recording called Freedom is Coming: Songs of Protest and Praise from South Africa.

In 1994, GIA Publications included the song (under the title "We Are Marching in the Light of God") in Gather Comprehensive,[2] a hymnal widely used in American Catholic parishes.

However, after its introduction to Europe and the US by Nyberg in the 1980s, it was often used in the international effort to end the regime of racial discrimination in South Africa, particularly, because of its devotional message, in the campaign organised by Christian churches in the West.

Hawn[6] notes that cyclical forms tend to emphasize a spirit of community and allow for physical response during the performance.

(Lyrics may alternate marching with different verbs such as walking, dancing, singing, living, or praying, or the word God for love or peace in a less religious gathering.)