‘Amandla’ review: Blood, tears and music of the struggle 29 Jan 2021 The Amandla Cultural Ensemble’s 1982 LP, recorded and published in the Soviet Union, electrified the anti-apartheid movement (Melodiya Russian Imp) Out of the crucible. Warrior army of a new age. Despising gas, batons, bullets. Defying centuries of slavery. Advancing without care on armoured cars. Striking metal with clenched fists. Warrior cry, “Amandla” rising in every throat. So begins this, in many ways, extraordinary record. A sonnet reflecting real-life struggle, the blood-chilling yet heartwarming stanza above is intoned over a spiritual blues of trombone dimensions by B Kagaole, with the dignified delivery of a man who knows his cause is just and the solid resilience of one who will never give up his fight.