Mantra (pronounced by the band as M-uh-ntr-uh) is a meditation on the self. Directed to mntana ka ma - meaning "child of the soil" - the lyrics express a series of positive self-aspirations. By chanting this mantra, we affirm our identities and seek protection for ourselves and our spirits in everyday life.

While mntana ka ma can be directly translated as "mother's son," in IsiXhosa and IsiZulu contexts, ma encompasses a broader understanding. Mntana Ka Ma symbolises a universal child, a child of the soil.

The phrase lilizela wena mntana ka ma, which we interpret as a call to celebrate, can also specifically mean a call to ululate. Ululation is a vocal technique practised around the world, and in the South African context, is often used during moments of celebration, such as weddings.

The spoken-word piece began with a real experience. At a Cape Town show, a stranger on a staircase commented on Fabian's hair and told him to wash it. The remark seemed minor at the time, but its weight settled later: the experience of being made to feel less than in one's own country. The line appears in the piece as it was spoken, and the words around it are a response to it.

The "colonial man" the piece addresses is not a race or a lineage. It does not refer to a person for being white or of white ancestry. It describes an attitude: privilege that assumes it owns the world, and that a material upper hand allows a person to act and speak as they please while treating others as lesser. The piece speaks to that attitude rather than to any individual.

Although the piece can sound angry, it moves through several emotions, from sadness and powerlessness toward empowerment, reaching for Steve Biko and Black Consciousness as a source of strength. The anger comes from pain, and from love rather than hatred. It is directed at a sickness to be named rather than at any person, and the piece holds that expression is a first step toward change.

"It's a feel-good, sing-along song that we hope resonates with everyone who hears it."

SANELE BLAAI

"Beyond the meaning and beyond what it sounds like, 'Mantra' is music, and music is our source of peace and joy."

CHUCKIE ALEXANDER, COMPOSER

"The first step to change, I feel like, is expression."

FABIAN ARRIES SELOTE