Estonians commemorate independence to the tune of a 25,000-strong chorus
| Tallinn, Estonia
鈥� A local, slice-of-life story from a Monitor correspondent.
Imagine nearly 25,000 young people raising their voices in a gigantic choir, cheered by 100,000 spectators.
This happened in Tallinn, the capital of Estonia, a former Soviet republic on the Baltic Sea, in July. The Singing Festival, performed every five years for the past 150 years, has come to mean victory over domination, oppression, and economic hardship. Begun in 1869, the festival is Estonia鈥檚 national statement, the symbol of the heart of a country that, against all odds, made it into the eurozone this year.
In 1989, as Russia itself was focusing on opening and restructuring under Mikhail Gorbachev, 35,000 Estonians rebelliously sang Gustav Ernesak鈥檚 forbidden 鈥淟and of my Fathers, Land that I Love.鈥� By Aug. 20, 1991, Estonia had regained its independence from the Soviet Union. This year marks its 20th anniversary.
Singing 鈥渟hows what human beings are capable of enduring and achieving under the most difficult obstacles,鈥� says Estonian-American filmmaker Jim Tusty. Mr. Tusty coproduced 鈥淭he Singing Revolution鈥� (2006) to document Estonia鈥檚 nonviolent path to freedom from Soviet occupation.
鈥淲e need [the song festival] to keep our roots alive,鈥� adds conductor Aarne Saluveer, president of the Estonian Choral Society. 鈥淚n the 1990s, some people said, 鈥榃hy do we [keep] the singing festivals? We鈥檙e free!鈥� 鈥� says Mr. Saluveer. 鈥淏ut [if] you think that singing is [only for working] against something, you live in fear. Singing is about telling important stories. It is about celebrating that we are free.鈥�
