Have you heard of The Robben Island Singers? They're a group of three South African ex-political prisoners who were once locked up with Nelson Mandela in South Africa's most notorious Apartheid-era prison.
Despite the torture and hard labor they went through, singing kept their hopes alive. They sang traditional folk and freedom songs in various African languages and in English, sometimes just adding new phrase or two to a vintage song to give it a new meaning. Entire sections of the prison, or just a few prisoners might launch into one of these simple and stirring a capella phrases in celebration of good news, or in resistance to prison authorities, defying oppression, racism, and loneliness.
You can download the music of The Robben Island Singers online here:
http://robbenislandsingers.com/the-robben-island-singers-music/Enjoy!
P.S.-- The Robben Island Singers are also the subjects of an upcoming documentary film, watch the trailer here:
http://robbenislandsingers.comhttp://facebook.com/robbenislandsingers
