Classical guitarist Simon Thacker has brought together 19 international performers for a reimagining of the classic song We Shall Overcome. Simon’s version of the track aims to provide an international message of solidarity in the time of Covid-19.
where Siddhartha Maharjan and Rubin Shrestha from Kutumba Band were also seen performing representing our country. check out the video below to be more proud.
Simon writes:
We Shall Overcome! A message of solidarity that we hope will lift your spirits during the time of Covid 19.
While in lockdown I reached out to 18 artists around the world, particularly South Asia, to come together for this reimagining of We Shall Overcome.
I aimed to create a track that would celebrate the unique possibilities of this spectacularly diverse lineup. A beautiful coherence comes from our unity of purpose. Every performer gave their all and I thank every one of them from the bottom of my heart for their artistry and their trust.
We Shall Overcome is of course an iconic song that is sung in many languages. For example, every Bengali knows it as Amra Korbo Joy, আমরা করবো জয় . You’ll hear English, Bengali, Urdu, Hindi, Persian and Polish in this version.
At the start of the 3rd verse, you’ll even hear the remarkably beautiful sound of Urdu, Hindi and Polish simultaneously! I will do a separate video on the making of this track soon, for those who are interested to know the epic story of how it took shape.
For me, this version of We Shall Overcome is a beautiful testament to the force for positivity and unity that music will always be. Thank you for watching and sharing that with us. We hope that this is one of those tracks that you will come back to enjoy again and again.
The performers:
- Akbar Ali (Pakistan)
- Anna Witczak-Czerniawska (Poland): Dikanda
- Farida Yesmin (Bangladesh)
- Farzad Moradi (Iran): Rastak Music Group
- Javed Bashir (Pakistan)
- Jehad Al Halal (Bahrain): Majaz
- Mainuddin Khan Sayonto (Bangladesh)
- Paban Das Baul (India)
- Parvathy Baul (India)
- Praveen Narayan (India)
- Prokash (Bangladesh):Baula
- Raghu Dixit (India)
- Raju Das Baul (India)
- Rubin Shrestha (Nepal): Kutumba
- Salah Alawi Sharakhat (Bahrain): Majaz
- Siddhartha Maharjan (Nepal): Kutumba
- Simon Thacker (Scotland): Simon Thacker’s Svara-Kanti
- Vladislav Demin (Russia): Sattuma
- Yasaman Najmeddin (Iran): Rastak Music Group
