Breivik, who expresses no remorse for his cold-blooded killing of 77 defenseless people (mostly teenagers), testified that he hated the song "Children of the Rainbow" because "it is an example of how 'cultural Marxists' have infiltrated Norwegian schools and weakened its society."
"Children of the Rainbow" is a Norwegian translation of Pete Seeger's "Rainbow Race," written by him in answer to the social upheavals of the 1960s and released on his 1971 album of that title.
Since I wasn't familiar with "Rainbow Race," I looked it up on Youtube. I found it to be a wonderful song, especially moving in light of this story. Here's a video of Pete singing "Rainbow Race" in 1971.
In 1975 Norwegian folk-singer Lillebjoern Nilsen translated it into his native language and it has been very popular there ever since, especially among school children. This accounts for Breivik's statement that it has "infiltrated Norwegian schools."
In response, Norwegians of all ages gathered yesterday (April 26) by the tens of thousands as Nilsen led them in singing "Children of the Rainbow." Afterwards they walked to the Oslo courthouse and carpeted the steps with red and white roses.
Norwegians by and large feel that the best way to react to the gunman is by demonstrating their
commitment to everything he loathes. Instead of obsessing on feelings of rage and violence, they choose to show support for tolerance and democracy. One youth group leader said, "We aren't here because of him, but because
of each other."
And here you can see Norwegians singing "Children of the Rainbow" yesterday in Youngstorget, Oslo.
The chorus to Pete Seeger's original is:
One blue sky above us, one ocean lapping all our shore,
One earth so green and round, Who could ask for more?
And because I love you, I'll give it one more try
To show my rainbow race it's too soon to die.
This is the Norwegian translation:
A sky full of stars, blue seas as far as you can see,
An earth where flowers grow, Can you wish for more?
Together shall we live, every sister, brother,
Young children of the rainbow, a fertile land.
One earth so green and round, Who could ask for more?
And because I love you, I'll give it one more try
To show my rainbow race it's too soon to die.
This is the Norwegian translation:
A sky full of stars, blue seas as far as you can see,
An earth where flowers grow, Can you wish for more?
Together shall we live, every sister, brother,
Young children of the rainbow, a fertile land.
Breivik has brought enough suffering and misery to the world. I would try not to give his thoughts, hates, etc. any credence.
ReplyDelete