Breyton Breytenbach-Songs of those condemned

Subject: RE: Death Song Breyton Breytenbach
From: Janie
Date: 14 May 06 - 12:06 AM

"Singing the Spirit Home" is certainly a moving a song.

Breytenbach, who spent seven years in prison in South Africa for fighting Apartheid, spoke of the songs sung by the men about to die themselves. He said you could hear how their voices and singing changed as they entered the week before their hanging. Apparently, it was usual for more than one person to be executed at a time. On the less frequent occasions when only one man was scheduled to die, he could often be heard singing throughout the night before his death.

Breytenbach went on to say that one could virtually 'hear' all the other inmates listening. They would lay on their cots, quiet, but would stay awake and listen intently all night long to the condemned man singing.

I truly can not convey how powerful this piece by Breytenbach is. The whole recording is 11 minutes, and is terribly moving and unsettling. I hope others open this thread and then go listen to it.

Janie

Subject: RE: Death Song Breyton Breytenbach
From: Susanne (skw)
Date: 13 May 06 - 05:41 PM

Eric Bogle wrote a moving song about this, Singing the Spirit Home.

Subject: Death Song Breyton Breytenbach
From: Janie
Date: 13 May 06 - 10:26 AM

I turned on the radio last night in the middle of a "This American Life" broadcast, to hear Breyton Breytenbach talking about his years in prison in South Africa. Near the end, he describes the experience of the last singing of inmates about to be hanged, including the sense that all the prison laid awake all night to listen, ears pressed to the bars of their cells. He is a poet, and I can not begin to describe the power and poignancy of the image he painted with his words. It is well worth a listen. Here is a link to the "This American Life" 1999 archives from which you can here a streaming MP3 of the piece. Scroll all the way to the bottom to 1/8 episode 119. The name of the episode is "Lock Up, and Breytenbach's piece is Act V. You won't be sorry.

Janie