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Reviews
One Humanity (2014)
A very moving telling of the the story of the Nelson Mandela 70th Birthday Tribute and follow up two years later at which he spoke after being released
In my 15 year old mind I do remember thinking there was something slightly uncool and perhaps even exploitative about Paul Simon's Graceland LP, and so not buying it. But I wondered at the same time why isn't there more African music like this? So at least it did bring my attention to the music in a way, as at that time I'd never heard of Harry Belafonte...
I was particularly struck by the insight into the global politics, which I was too young to understand back in the day, and the scale of support for the apartheid regime as a strategic cold war ally to the West. The most amazing thing about this concert then, is that all those music promoters and producers, as well as artists, were willing to go up against the establishment in that way.
Yes there are the wealthy stars but there are also just a lot of regular people working for the Greater London Council and Trade Unionists who were putting their careers, homes and even lives on the line by getting involved in organising this. Something which is lacking today, with things like the anti-globalisation or ecological protests. Nobody has generated feeling on this scale since.
An inspiring telling of the story.