Chernobyl by Kalahari Surfers

Some of the songs here were written during 2011, the year of the 25th anniversary of the Chernobyl disaster, ( 26 April ) and some of these are new songs written in response to the recent book by Adam Higginbotham titled: "Midnight in Chernobyl: The Untold Story of the World's Greatest Nuclear Disaster". The Kalahari Surfers have had an affinity to the Russian people after touring there in 1989. During this period we were profoundly influenced by the political upheavals there and in the entire communist bloc. These events rapidly lead to the collapse of the entire system towards the end of 1991 and, only recently, we have realised that much of this was due to the events which happened at Chernobyl three years prior. The HBO series "Chernobyl" brought these memories sharply into focus and particularly the vivid depiction of govern/mental fuckheadedness that is still prevalent in many parts of the world. As we write, this same fuckheadedness is pushing the planet towards, not only another catastrophic war but also, an environmental disaster of unprecedented impact. The totalitarian bureaucracy of the Soviet Union was exposed by Chernobyl for its callous disregard for the lives of all of its people. Through these events we have witnessed, in our own country, the same Leninist disregard for the 'people' in relation to events leading to the Life Isidemeni murders, Marikana miners disaster and the corruption and looting being revealed in the current (2019) State Capture hearings.

Warrick Sony is a South African composer, producer, musician and sound designer.
He is the founder and sole permanent member of the Kalahari Surfers. They started making politically radical satirical music in the early 1980s South Africa and have continued to this day.

kalaharisurfers.co.za
warricksonicart.com
en.wikipedia.org