Most of the time when we think of the music of South Africa, we think of the immense variety of "indigenous" music, from Maskanda to Township Jive and so much more. We don't hear much of the musical contributions of the Dutch, or even of western music. But lately we have been seeing the impact and interpenetration of cultures that resulted from colonization in films like Karoo Kitar Blues. Another film debuting this week, Beautiful in Beaufort Wes (also located in the Karoo) reflects the popularity of the singer-songwriter idiom. For here in this dusty small town, we find one of South Africa's most noted poets and troubadors, Gert Vlok Nel. As the camera wanders in and out of the lives of the town's inhabitants, Nel accompanies it with songs reminiscent of Tom Waits and Leonard Cohen. The songs capture the loneliness, the longing and also, the love that infuses the film.  Is it "world music?" Perhaps not, but watch the film, and then decide whether or not you have visited a unique place, and been changed from the journey.