Yes, I am much closer to south african music than cuban music. Way easier to enjoy the music THOUGH I don't speak any African dialect or languages and I speak a bit of Spanish. Miriam makeba is divine. I Only heard her first when I heard she passed a while back. Since then, I have been hooked. Her album Patak Patak I think it is called is a classic. I have a great great brown album of hers, vinyl, and a cd with harry Belafonte for groovy sensual tunes.