AMANDLA!, which means power in the Xhosa language, is a soul-stirring documentary that uses exclusive interviews and rare, never-before-seen film footage to document the vital role that music played in the nearly half-century struggle against apartheid in South Africa. It weaves together many previously unrecorded songs of liberation into a fabric that also includes newsreel footage of historic speeches and organized rallies. Interspersed with the music are interviews with black and white South African dissidents and numerous renowned musicians, including former exiles Miriam Makeba, Hugh Masekela and Abdullah Ibrahim. Although apartheid ended more than a decade ago, memories of brutailty and tragedy are never far from the minds of the interviewees. With Mandela′s release from captivity and election to the nation′s presidency, South African musicians regained their voices. The film shows how modern-day artists have drawn from their troubled history to create new music of freedom and equality.