Singing to freedom revisited

apr. 30, 2021 Estonian Life No. 17 2021

In August 20 year we will be marking the 30th anniversary of Estonia restoring its independence after 50 years of foreign occupation. The few years leading up to that momentous victory has been called the Singing Revolution – Laulev Revolutsioon.

The world-wide acknowledgment of this political-musical phenomenon has been evident even in the pages of this paper. Estonian Life has over the years re-published hundreds travel articles written for media from Singapore to Calgary, from Cairo to Kansas City. The stories have all stressed the singularity of Estonians fighting for freedom unarmed, using as its national weapon, choral music – singing.

While this rather whimsically fuzzy reputation bolstered sympathy and esteem for a small country, the current international challenges of technological competitiveness has demanded a more succinct brand. Estonia is now widely recognized as cyber-savvy and Estonians acknowledged as far advanced in digital fluency.

But it was a sustained act of defiance, the Singing Revolution that lasted over four years that afforded Estonians the conditions of freedom and independence which gave them the opportunity to position themselves now as a serious international player in a highly competitive hi-tech world.

What constituted the actual Singing Revolution has been a public debate for years.

Laas Leivat, Toronto

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