Hamish Henderson and Nelson Mandela: Notes for 'Rivonia'
Document Type
Article
Abstract
Describes and (with permission of the Estate of Hamish Henderson) reproduces manuscript notes in the G. Ross Roy Collection, University of South Carolina Libraries, for the protest song "Rivonia" ("Free Mandela"), written by the Scottish poet, folklorist and folksinger Hamish Henderson (1919-2002) in 1963-64 in response to the trial of Nelson Mandela and other leaders of the African National Congress who had been arrested at Rivonia, South Africa and sentenced to life imprisonment on Robben Island; assesses the influence of Henderson's song, which was recorded in 1964 by the Corries Trio, and sung at the anti-apartheid protests at Murrayfield, Edinburgh, against the visit of the Springboks rugby team in 1969; and comments briefly on the relation between Henderson's support for Mandela and the ANC and his commitment to Scottish nationalism.
Publication Info
1 Studies in Scottish Literature, Volume 40, 2014. Patrick Scott, "Hamish Henderson and Nelson Mandela: Notes for 'Rivonia'," Studies in Scottish Literature, 40 (2014): 215–223; article text (c) Studies in Scottish Literature, 2014; manuscript notes (c) Estate of Hamish Henderson, 2014, used by permission