The Singing Revolution relived twice
Helgi Leesment
In the final four years of the evolution of Estonia’s regained independence, one of the major events was the gathering of one third of the nation’s population at Tallinn’s Song Festival Grounds in September 1988. It was a heady show combining the best choirs, soloists, pop bands and speakers talking publicly for the first time in 50 years about the social and political situation as it truly was then, not toeing the then standard politically forced lies. For the first time in 50 years, the forbidden blue-black-white flags were waving by the hundreds in a statement of unity and deeply felt aspiration. There was no attempt by the Soviet Communist government to cut it short nor to arrest anyone. That raised the spirit of hope among the 300,000 individuals present. They enthusiastically joined in some of the singing, holding hands and making human waves such as had never been experienced previously in Estonia.
This event gave the whole independence movement the name “Singing Revolution”.
The past year marks two observances of that major gathering.
Jim Tusty, an American of Estonian descent, and his wife Maureen Castle Tusty co-directed and co-produced a documentary titled The Singing Revolution. First shown in New York in the fall of 2007, it gained the status of ‘New York Times Critics’ Pick ’ and played for 4 weeks. The critic compared this documentary to a famous scene of defiance in the movie Casablanca. Quoting from one of dozens of positive reviews on the internet, Mark Leeper writes “This is a powerful and emotional account of 71 years of the history of Estonia and especially how the Estonian spirit freed the country from the leash of the Soviet Union. The film combines beautiful choral music with the dramatic story of the country's fight for independence. Directors Maureen and James Tusty and narrator Linda Hunt bring a dramatic tension unusual in pure documentaries rising to a climax with the account of the 1991 Soviet coup… Rating: high 8/10”
By now, the film has played in most major North American cities and hundreds of smaller places such as Pender Island and Oliver, BC often being held over for a week or two, or later returning to several places. The Tustys are receiving thousands of letters from impressed viewers.
The Singing Revolution documentary arrived in Edmonton and Calgary in June, 2008. The Alberta Estonian Heritage Society went all out to give it as much publicity as possible, thanks to special donations from enthusiastic members. Some Albertans travelled hundreds of kilometers to see this film. Sufficient numbers of admission tickets were bought in the first week, that it was held over in both cities for a second week. About a dozen few Edmontonians combined the screening with a gala dinner. Calgary organized a pre-event gathering in the lobby of the theatre to celebrate opening night.
The second ‘reliving’ occurred in August of this year. With a few additions, the same choirs, soloists, pop bands and speakers as had been previously featured, gathered at Tallinn’s Song Festival Grounds this August to celebrate the 20 th anniversary of the 1988 event and to celebrate the 90 th anniversary of Estonia’s independence, first declared on February 24, 1918. The specific day was chosen to coincide with the date, August 20, when Estonia regained its independence in 1991. So, a three-way celebration.
This time it was scheduled for the evening and billed as the Night-Song event. Once again, it attracted hundreds of thousands. For the younger crowd, it was an opportunity to experience first hand an event similar to the legendary original; for older spectators, it was an opportunity to relive some of the magic of 20 years ago. In current times of increasing uncertainties, the Night-Song festival of 2008 was a morale and spirit booster, just as the daytime concert had been 20 years ago. This time, the entire event could be watched live on the internet, making distant observes feel as though they were present in Tallinn.
Note: The Singing Revolution DVD for home use is now available on www.thesingingrevolution.com
