Traditional music is woven into the identity of a people in a way that is at once recognisable and fundamental, and it is also the means of expressing that identity to others. When it is played, the music immediately evokes the cultural homeland where it originates, as if the land itself were singing. An art without language (although often paired with poetry), it communicates the essence of identity through tonal and rhythmic systems developed over generations. And because it is the universal language of humanity, it is a cultural ambassador par excellence, easily reaching its listener in a place beyond discourse, distrust, or misunderstanding and finding resonance in the heart of another. It is a direct means of recognising our own identity, our own self, reflected in the other. Our cultural identities give us roots in this world from which we can grow and interact within our communities and in harmony with others. Knowing who we are and where we came from is crucial for understanding others. And traditional art is key in shaping that identity. The beauty of traditional music in all its myriad moods can pierce veils of separation between peoples because it issues from a place in the human soul that understands the oneness of humanity underlying its multiplicity of forms. When it falls silent, a pathway to understanding between cultures shuts down.