“If you can’t beat these people physically with weapons, you can scare the shit out of them with songs” Hugh Masekela

Amandla: a revolution in four part harmony is a powerful and emotional documentary about the role music played in resisting and eventually overthrowing apartheid in South Africa. Lee Hirsch, who spent nine years working on the documentary, combines archival footage, news footage, interviews with famous exiled singers such as Miriam Makeba or Hugh Masekela, and also accounts coming from lesser known artists and singers who were a part of the struggle movement and oppressed and sent to prison for their work. The final product, the documentary itself, is a brilliant and inspirational movie that shows how important the role of music can be in the making of a revolution.

”Amandla!” begins with the exhumation, in post-apartheid South Africa, of the remains of Vuyisile Mini, a composer and activist who was killed in 1964, who is now given a proper burial. It then looks at music and musicians in various historical moments in time, and its role in very different ethnic communities. Brilliantly enough, the movie is a gradual journey through anti-apartheid struggle and how it was reflected in songs and dances. For that matter, we are only progressively introduced to the bigger picture in which the entire South Africa gets united through songs, in the quest to end apartheid.

Some of the scenes that stand out are the ones in which we are being told about a Zimbabwean phenomenon (now banned in Zimbabwe by president Mugabe, because it was used against him) called toyi-toyi that was introduced and adapted by South African activists. The toyi-toyi is a peaceful protest in which thousands of people march, dance and sing liberation songs. The director makes a smart move by exploring how the phenomenon was reflected by the oppressor (represented by former policemen and public officials) and the oppressed (the singers and activists interviewed.) This creates an interesting tension and a conflicting mood about the social aspects of apartheid.

Why watch the movie?

Besides exploring the role played in the making of the revolution, “Amandla!” also puts an emphasis on the healing power of music. We see people being killed and buried, and other people celebrate their sacrifice through singing. This movie is about the hundreds of thousands of people who were killed, tortured or forced to leave the country. It is about the nameless heroes of the struggle, whose names will never be known but whose sacrifice will always be remembered through songs. It is a wonderful, touching, insightful experience that should be lived by all of us who have an interest in African contemporary issues. It is at least we can do.

A.O. Scott, writing a movie review for the New York Times makes a very astute commentary about the movie that I will leave you with:

“Their words [the activists’, the singers’ and the others interviewees’]– and their songs, which are movingly presented with archival clips and many new shots taken by Lee Hirsch’s film crew — are unforgettable. Their tears become our tears. Their laughter becomes ours, too — for as Hirsch shows, the anti-apartheid movement had room for humor, dance and rejoicing.”

This documentary is rated 10/10

You can watch the trailer here Embedding disabled by request)

And amazingly enough you can also watch the entire movie here (Embedding disabled by request, as well):