Shosholoza

This short video was produced and edited by Dara Sanandaji while traveling in South Africa in 2014. A bit of background about the particular hymn in the words of Gill Lange from theculturetrip.com: "Historically, South African miners used music to lift their spirits while working underground, often in trying and dangerous conditions. ‘Shosholoza’ originated among working miners who sang the song to the rhythm of their swinging axes as they dug. It was also sung by prisoners in a call-and-response style, and South Africa’s most famous apartheid-era inmate and former president Nelson Mandela once described how he sang ‘Shosholoza’ as he worked during his imprisonment on Robben Island...‘Shosholoza’ is sung in Fanagalo, a unique language used by South African miners that is a mix of Ndebele, Zulu and various other ethnic languages...Roughly decoded, the word ‘shosholoza’ means ‘go forward’, and this loose translation has much to do with the song having been adopted by so many people...In the mining environment, the anthem is used as a term of encouragement, hope and solidarity for the workers, while modern day South Africa has adopted the song as a show of unity in national sporting events and to relay the message that the players are a part of a team. ‘Shosholoza’ first became widely known in South Africa after the removal of apartheid. This is when it was adopted as an unofficial symbol for national reconciliation and peace, moving out of the dark depths of the mining environment and prison cells of Robben Island and into the new Rainbow Nation’s hearts." The high school students who appear in this video themselves continue to be an inspiration and a source of hope for Dara to this day.