Amandla!

I'm normally not allowed to play my sixth Christmas present - Robyn has banned me because I get too upset watching it. It's N'Kosi Sikele i Africa as sung by the students of Witwatersrand university.

Nothing in life is as it seems. When South Africa shook off the chains of Apartheid it adopted what had been the anthem of the African National Congress as it's new national anthem. Except that, in the interests of unity, verses of Afrikaans poetry were added to it. Not every one is happy with that.

The struggle against Apartheid was one of the struggles of my life and when I was singing with The Workers Music Association Choir we were lucky enough (and very proud) to occasionally sing with the African National Congress Choir in exile in London. We did some great events including May Day at Alexandra Palace which I will never forget. We always sang N'Kosi Sikele including the glottle stops.

I remember the people we sang with and often think of those who travelled back to South Africa when they were still illegals and who fell or were tortured if they were caught.

Well, just as the new South African national anthem hasn't pleased everyone, the new democracy has not been matched by economic democracy or any kind of equality. Sadly that has resulted in many protests - including a couple of years ago the students of Witwatersrand University fighting against massive increases in tuition fees that no one from a township could afford to pay.

These are the students of Wits University singing their own powerful (African) version of the anthem. As the camera moves around the crowd, I see the faces of those who fell.

Amandla!
A Lotta Continua!
There is no force on earth that can defeat us!

Here's the link;

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GIkJFj1NWp4

Neil Harris
(a don't stop till you drop production)
Home: helpmesortoutstpeters.blogspot.com
Contact me: neilwithpromisestokeep@gmail.com