User:Mwestcot/Sandbox
Solidarity Choir | |
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| Background information | |
| Origin | Sydney, NSW, Australia |
| Genres | Folk Australiana |
| Years active | 1987–present |
| Website | Official site |
The Solidarity Choir sings songs of freedom from around the world
The Solidarity Choir is a community based choir based in Newtown, a suburb of Sydney, Australia.
The web site is http://solidaritychoir.com.au
History[edit]
The Solidarity Choir was formed in 1987 when Oliver Tambo, then President of the African National Congress (ANC), came to Sydney, Australia on a speaking tour.
Sydney-based anti-apartheid activists brought together ANC members and Australian supporters to learn the anthem Nkosi Sikelel' iAfrika and other freedom songs to sing at a Civic Welcome in Sydney Town Hall on 30 March 1987. It was so much fun that the members decided to continue singing together. And so the choir was born!
The early membership was drawn from the ANC, the Mambologists - a left-wing Afro-Latin band - and the Gay Liberation Choir. Since 1987 the choir has had hundreds of members (with new ones joining almost every week), but there is still a core of members whose involvement and memory stretches back to the early days.