"African Sanctus" is the best-known of Fanshawe's works. It was composed after Fanshawe had made journeys to Africa up the river Nile between 1969 and 1973. The shape of his journey forms the shape of a cross. This had a religious meaning for Fanshawe. He made recordings on tape of the people he met singing their traditional music. A lot of this music had never been recorded before. When he returned home to Britain he composed the "African Sanctus". Some of the recordings he had made in Africa are played as part of the performance. The choir who sing live at the concert are singing some of the words of the traditional Christian Latin Mass.