Amandla! A Revolution in Four Part Harmony

From 1948 to 1991, apartheid was the governing political policy in South Africa. In this period, the freedom of the black population was increasingly curtailed. The right of assembly, the freedom of association and the freedom of speech were undermined more and more. But with the oppression, the protest grew, at first mostly non-violent, but later on armed resistance was offered more frequently. This struggle claimed many human lives. For example, a campaign in 1960 against the passes that every black South African always had to carry was followed by a terrible bloodbath in Sharpeville, and in Soweto in 1976 many youngsters were killed after a student demonstration against the introduction of Afrikaans into the curriculum. This film reconstructs the history of the fight against apartheid, which lasted for more than forty years, but concentrates on the important role that music played in the process. Different former resistance fighters and musicians, including Miriam Makeba and Hugh Masekela, tell their stories. Numerous songs of freedom originated in the street and the underground resistance, but were promptly banned. But once they came out, they rapidly spread and became a source of strength and comfort for the black community. Incorporating stories of those who survived the struggle, aptly illustrated by archive footage, the film demonstrates that music and the fight against apartheid are inextricably connected.