Disclosure: this is the third time I have seen the Soweto Gospel Choir in five years. My objectivity is compromised. I am a Soweto swiftie, a ‘So-Go’ perhaps. I can’t get enough of these guys. How can that be? After all, this is a 14-strong choir (nine men, five women) accompanied by one musician on keyboard and another on traditional drums. They sing in six of South Africa’s 12 official traditional languages that non-Africans like me can’t understand a word of. Yet, once the voices soar and the dance beats incarcerate your feet, all you need do is surrender to the music gods and allow the endorphins to flow. You are hooked. As the choir’s emcee reminded us, you mightn’t understand the words, but you will understand “the feeling”. The history is important. Soweto is a township on the fringes of Johannesburg. It was and remains the heartland of the African National Congress, the movement that brought down the scourge of apartheid. The choir’s music, traditional dancing, ululating and colourful costumes are a part of that history. Central to it all, of course, is Nelson Mandela, ‘Madeeba’, the father of the movement. The touchstone song that brings this all together is Jikiojela/Rolihlahla Mandela, an anthem of love and gratitude to the man who made it happen. A political ensemble in many ways but So-Go is a real choir first and foremost. The vocal arrangements are complex and nuanced with multiple parts and layers. So-Go is also versatile. After about 40 minutes of traditional song, I was transported in the snap of a finger to the Mississippi delta as the group launched into the spiritual, This Little Light of Mine.We were also treated to Curtis Mayfield’s Amenand the Peter Gabriel/Kate Bush collaboration Don’t Give Up.The finale was Leonard Cohen’s Hallelujah,the song that has become the hymn to humanism. On this occasion, the choir’s exuberance, energy and skill enthralled the audience. The standing ovation at the conclusion was spontaneous and genuine. Modern South Africa has its share of socio-economic problems, but there’s no going back to the past and So-Go are the nation’s ultimate feel-good ambassadors. The more you engage with them, the more you want.