, image = Bundesarchiv Bild 183-1989-0217-028, Berlin, Festival des politischen Liedes

, caption =1989 , location = East Berlin,

East Germany East Germany, officially the German Democratic Republic (GDR; german: Deutsche Demokratische Republik, , DDR, ), was a country that existed from its creation on 7 October 1949 until its dissolution on 3 October 1990. In these years the state ...

, years_active =1970-1990 , founders =Oktoberklub, Free German Youth , dates =February , genre =

Rock Rock most often refers to: * Rock (geology), a naturally occurring solid aggregate of minerals or mineraloids * Rock music, a genre of popular music Rock or Rocks may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * Rock, Caerphilly, a location in Wales ...

folk Folk or Folks may refer to: Sociology *Nation *People * Folklore ** Folk art ** Folk dance ** Folk hero ** Folk music *** Folk metal *** Folk punk *** Folk rock ** Folk religion * Folk taxonomy Arts, entertainment, and media * Folk Plus or Fo ...

political music The connection between music and politics, particularly political expression in song, has been seen in many cultures. Music can express anti-establishment or protest themes, including anti-war songs, but pro-establishment ideas are also represent ...

, attendance = , capacity = , website = The Festival of Political Songs (german: Festival des politischen Liedes) was one of the largest music events in

, held between 1970 and 1990. It was hosted by the Free German Youth and featured international artists.

History

The Festival of Political Songs was founded by the group Oktoberklub and took place in East Berlin every February from 1970–1990 as an official event of the Free German Youth. The event was first organized by the Berlin division, but from 1975 on was directed by the Central Committee of the Free German Youth. Artists from 60 countries participated in the event during its durations, and the event would usually feature between 50 and 80 artists across around 30 countries. Prominent artists who have performed at the festival include

Mikis Theodorakis Michail "Mikis" Theodorakis ( el, Μιχαήλ "Μίκης" Θεοδωράκης ; 29 July 1925 – 2 September 2021) was a Greek composer and lyricist credited with over 1,000 works. He scored for the films ''Zorba the Greek'' (1964), '' Z'' ...

Miriam Makeba Zenzile Miriam Makeba (4 March 1932 – 9 November 2008), nicknamed Mama Africa, was a South African singer, songwriter, actress, and civil rights activist. Associated with musical genres including Afropop, jazz, and world music, she w ...

Quilapayún Quilapayún () are a folk music group from Chile and among the longest lasting and most influential ambassadors of the ''Nueva Canción Chilena'' movement and genre. Formed during the mid-1960s, the group became inseparable with the revolution th ...

Inti-Illimani Inti-Illimani (; from Quechuan ''Inti'' and Aymara '' Illimani)'' are an instrumental and vocal Latin American folk music ensemble from Chile. The band was formed in 1967 by a group of university students and it acquired widespread popularity in ...

Silvio Rodríguez Silvio Rodríguez Domínguez (born 29 November 1946) is a Cuban musician, and leader of the Nueva Trova movement. He is widely considered Cuba's best folk singer and arguably one of Latin America's greatest singer-songwriters. Known for his in ...

, Mercedes Sosa,

Gabino Palomares Gabino Palomares Gómez (born May 26, 1950. Comonfort, Guanajuato, México) is a Mexican singer-songwriter and a social and political activist. He is one of the main exponents of the nueva canción movement in Latin America, and one of the founder ...

, Canzoniere delle Lame, and

Pete Seeger Peter Seeger (May 3, 1919 – January 27, 2014) was an American folk singer and social activist. A fixture on nationwide radio in the 1940s, Seeger also had a string of hit records during the early 1950s as a member of the Weavers, notably ...

accompanied by Chilean-exile and Berkeley based folk group Grupo Raiz. The mascot of the festival was a red sparrow named Oki (derived from Oktoberklub). After the collapse of East Germany, the festival lost financial support and infrastructure. In order to continue the tradition, a new festival called the ZwischenWelt Festival was held between 1991 and 1995. Its supporting organization dissolved in 1995 because of financial difficulties.

List of Festivals and Featured Artists

Gallery

File:Bundesarchiv Bild 183-1989-0215-032, LPG Hohenschönhausen, Besucher aus Nordkorea.jpg, Visitors to the Festival from the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, 1989 File:Bundesarchiv Bild 183-J0215-0017-001, Berlin, Hartmut König.jpg, German singer-songwriter Hartmut König File:Bundesarchiv Bild 183-L0215-0039, Berlin, 3. Festival des politischen Liedes.jpg, Musicians gather at the 3rd Festival of Political Songs File:Bundesarchiv Bild 183-L0216-0033, Berlin, 3. Festival des politischen Lieds.jpg, Hartmut König with

Bhupen Hazarika Bhupen Hazarika () (8 September 1926 – 5 November 2011) was an Indian playback singer, lyricist, musician, poet, actor, filmmaker and politician from Assam, widely known as ''Sudha Kontho'' (meaning cuckoo, literally "nectar-throated"). His ...

at the 3rd Festival of Political Songs File:Bundesarchiv Bild 183-T0219-0004, Berlin, 8. Festival des politischen Lieds.jpg, 8th Festival of Political Songs File:Bundesarchiv Bild 183-1988-0216-033, Berlin, Festival des politischen Liedes.jpg, Musicians at the Festival of Political Songs, 1988

References

External links

* {{Rock festival Music festivals established in 1970 Recurring events disestablished in 1990 1970 establishments in East Germany Music in Berlin Pop music festivals Rock festivals in Germany East German culture

History

List of Festivals and Featured Artists

Gallery

See also

References

External links