Click Here to play MAY TIBET BE FREE ©1994 by Anja Light performed by Anja Light from the CD "Voices For The Forest"   Second Track:  "Voices of Borneo"

Check out Anja Light's amazing work in Ecuador at www.rainforestinfo.org.au/Projects/Anja/welcome.htm

TRACK LIST AND REVIEW

After hundreds of rainforest presentations throughout Japan over a period of 8 years, the call to make a CD of the songs from the roadshows grew too strong to ignore. 

Anja Light, a rainforest campaigner with the Rainforest Information Centre for over ten years, had by this time written and had translated a growing collection of ecological songs into Japanese and had jammed with many Japanese musicians happy to collaborate on a recording.

Funded by money saved from teaching Japanese and the incredible generosity of friends (donated studio, professional designers, producers and musicians), the CD: "Voices for the Forest" was completed in mid 1988.

All profits from the CD have supported forest campaigns and projects as well as direct actions like the Trident Ploughshares 2000 nuclear protest in Scotland.

The 12 tracks on the CD are in English and Japanese and cover a wide range of ecological themes. Mix of instruments include sitar, didgeridoo, native American flute, Ainu mukkuri, Jambe, double bass, guitars and back up singers.

1. The CD opens with a prayer song, "Blue Planet", acknowledging the many mantras and traditions of all religions that praise and honour Life.

2. "Thinking Like a Mountain", co-written by Maria Mockers, echoes the deep ecology and indigenous traditions that call for an end to the mind made separation we feel from the living Earth and calls for a celebration of the miracle of life.

3. "May Tibet be Free" was written for the first international conference in Sydney, Australia, that focused on the environmental destruction of Tibet. It's message is intended to cross campaign boundaries and instill hope - no matter how useless these struggles may seem, when our eyes are open we have no choice but to act and that our actions must always be fueled by love.

4. "Voices of Borneo" and 5. "Tong Tana" both talk of the struggle of the Penan and other tribal people of Sarawak, Malaysia in their long standing struggle to protect their forests. Anja has spent over a year in the jungles of Borneo, and a couple of months in a Malaysian jail, trying to help the non-violent and courageous struggle of these gentle, peaceful people.

6. "The River Song" is a classic campaign song originally written by Brenda
Liddiard about the struggle against the Franklin River Dam in Tasmania and now comes to you in Japanese!

7. "Global Warming Song" was written to coincide with the Kyoto COP 3 global warming conference. Though mostly in Japanese, it has a catchy tune and a simple message that the most effective action is simply to find happiness without destroying the Earth. It's a favourite of the indigenous Mayor of the town that Anja now lives in in Ecuador - his young children know all the words in Japanese!

8. "No Time", 9. "The Future Song" and 10. "Trust Life" all revolve around the theme of the future and past being here in the present and living our lives in honour of that fact. We act on behalf of all that comes ahead and all that has been and this gives us greater courage in our actions in the present.

11. "Illadrial" is a lullaby for all Earth healer women - especially dedicated to Anja"s sister, Inge. Through mystical native flute background, it honours the power and dedication of the white Earth healer witches of past and present.

12 The final song, "Mori no Uta" is the only song only in Japanese and is joined by a chorus of children and friends. Written for a street march - the simple message: I am here to protect the forest, the forest is here to protect me.