Amandla!

In preparation of my trip to South Africa, I’m reading Nelson Mandela’s autobiography, Long Walk to Freedom. It’s a very compelling read, and provides a personal perspective on his extraordinary life. Additionally, the book reads like a primer for effecting revolutionary political and social change.

In the book, Mandela makes reference to the Nkosi Sikelel’ iAfrika (Long Live Africa), which was a song of protest and has become the new national anthem. He always describes it as beautiful, but doesn’t offer much in the way of illumination. His writing is compelling if unremarkable.

I was pleased, then, to watch Amandla! A Revolution in Four Part Harmony. It’s a feature-length documentary which discusses the modern history of South Africa in the context of freedom and protest music. It’s Buena Vista Social Club meets Cry Freedom, and effectively tells the story of the fall of apartheid through song. Prominent musicians, freedom fighters and writers are interviewed, and the film does an exceptional job of weaving their stories and music together into a compelling film. The director is perhaps overly enamoured of the bleached-out, high-contrast style and there’s a few ill-advised ‘dramatizations’, but for the most part it’s an excellent film. I was especially pleased to be able to hear Nkosi Sikelel’ iAfrika. Like most of the music in the film, it is indeed beautiful.

Incidentally, I’m now interested in reading a popular 20th century history of South Africa. If anyone has any recommendations, let me know.