VA - South African Freedom Songs

South African Freedom Songs is a wonderful 2 CD set. One is an hour long radio documentary and one a CD of 25 South African freedom songs.

The documentary alone is a fascinating overview of the songs, who wrote them, how they evolved, what influences they show.

Where else but South Africa would the major commentators in a documentary about any kind of music be high ranking members of the government? Here we have interviews with:
A Deputy Speaker of Parliament (Baleka Mbete)
A Deputy Minister of Defence (Ronnie Kasrils)
A Minister of Environmental Affairs and Tourism (Pallo Jordan)
Also interviewed are Archbishop Desmond Tutu, veteran ANC leader Walter Sisulu, actor, writer and producer John Matshikiza. An historic recording of Nelson Mandela speaking after the Sharpeville massacre is here too.

Produced by Lucie Page and narrated by her with Shad Twala, the documentary places the songs in the context of the long struggle against apartheid and against a seemingly unbeatable military might.

South African Freedom Songs brings together the recordings, made with the help of the anti-apartheid movement, recorded outside of South Africa. Songs that were used to gather support for the struggle, that were sung at mass rallies in South Africa, at the training camps for the armed struggle, in the prisons in South Africa, and at anti-apartheid meetings, fund-raising concerts and anti-apartheid demonstrations around the world.

This is invaluable source material for the study of musicology and the way music and dance (in this case the Toyi Toyi) is used in struggles against repression.

South African Freedom Songs is dedicated to trade unionist, freedom fighter and song writer Vuyisile Mini who went to the gallows in South Africa singing his song "Naants indod emnyama Vervoerd" in 1964. As he and fellow activists walked through jail to their execution, the prisoners took up the song.

Release Notes:

"This is a very special disc. The first 12 parts are a radio documentary
produced for the South African Broadcasting Corporation on the musical tradition
underlying the struggle against apartheid and for freedom. You can hear Desmond
Tutu, Baleka Mbete, Walter Sisulu, Madiba (Nelson Mandela), and others recall
their struggles and the role song played. The remaining parts are the songs
themselves. Taken from archived materials, the sound quality is less than what
we have today, but the excitement comes blasting through anyway. This is more
than music; it is history as it happened; it is humanity at its noblest."

Documentary:

1. Introduction
2. Power of Freedom Songs
3. Roots of Freedom Songs
4. Church Influence
5. 1948-1960
6. Vuyisile Mini
7. 1960-1976 - Influence of
8. Post-June 16th
9. Toyi Toyi
10. Women
11. Liberation
12. Conclusion

Songs:

1. Rolihlahla
2. Sizakuba Dubula
3. Siza Ngena
4. Naants' indod' emnyama
5. Skokela Tambo
6. Ilizwe Ngelethu
7. Somlandela
8. U-Machel
9. Sobashiya Abazale
10. Welele
11. Freedom Charter
12. Izakunyatheli Afrika
13. Shayalan Amabala
14. Ayanqikaza
15. Toyi Toyi
16. Wobaleka
17. E Rile
18. Malibongwe
19. Ha Ke Sheba
20. Umkhonto
21. Golomendi Senzeni
22. Hamba Kahle Umkhonto
23. Nkosi Silelel' iAfrika
24. Makubenjalo
25. Toyi Toyi Beat

South African Freedom Songs (192 kbps)