2008 album from the Grammy Award-winning South African vocal group. Ilembe is a tribute to the South African cultural icon Shaka Zulu. In the late 1700s, Shaka Zulu united the Zulus with various neighboring tribes into a single powerful force that helped give birth to a proud nation. Today, Shaka Zulu is regarded as one of the greatest leaders in African history. His combination of warrior discipline, visionary leadership, innate creativity, and unshakable belief in a united nation continues to resonate to this day in South Africa. He is revered as the single figure who gave birth to the indomitable fighting spirit of the Zulus: the same spirit that enabled South Africans to persevere amid the European domination of their homeland for nearly two centuries of apartheid. Ilembe celebrates not only Shaka Zulu but the sense of perseverance, creativity and pride that he has inspired in generations of descendants. 12 tracks.