“The Singing Revolution”
chronicles the Singing Revolution
movement as both history lesson and
cautionary tale.
At first glance the story
of an extraordinary set of circumstances, “The
Singing Revolution” also stands as an intimate
portrayal of people: ordinary, every-day
people who refused to believe that freedom was
out of their reach.
A glance back to the 20th
century offers up a European history
dominated by mass conflict and confrontation: World
Wars I and II, the division of Germany, the
Iron Curtain, the Cold War, Soviet subjugation of
Hungarian and Czechoslovakian independence
movements—Europe and the western
world today were shaped by these events and
more, shaped by the actions of (and
reactions to) leaders for whom individual
freedom was an unusable conceit and
self-determination a political obstacle.
All countries that
resisted brutal defeat in the face of
extreme military might have dynamically charged and
inspirational stories to share.
What sets
the tiny Republic of Estonia apart is that
their story ends without bloodshed, but with
a song.
When James Tusty and
Maureen Castle Tusty first heard the stories
and memories which would ultimately make up
their film, “The Singing Revolution”, they
were caught up not in a history lesson, but in the
retelling of current events.
For the
Estonian people, the Singing
Revolution was borne of
their suffering and shaped by their
commitment to be masters of their own lives.
To be an Estonian today is
to have been a member of the Singing
Revolution yesterday.
For Hagi Shein (Estonian
TV Journalist 1967-97) the Singing
Revolution was defined by the Estonian culture.
“Our tools to resist and
fight were just, and the values enshrined in
our culture,” explained
Shein
“The will of the
people worked out. In fact it was a miracle.
But the protagonist was pushed to the edge, and
while the antagonist appeared to be weak, we
still made it happen.
“A nation should be always
ready to fight for its freedom, even if you
have to wait for the
right time and the right
chance over decades and generations.
... ..
...
...
Suffering repeatedly from
the events of the last century—from
multiple invasions to unconditional
occupations—Estonia is a country, quite
literally, saved by a song.