Lecture
Professor David Peimer
Saturday 20.12.2025
Professor David Peimer
Songs of Revolution: From the Past to Today
Saturday 20.12.2025
How to watch
This lecture starts on 20 December at 5:00pm (UK).
Summary
With our world on fire, we seek answers to Yeats’s question (What happens when the ‘centre cannot hold’?) or Marvin’s (‘What’s Going On?’) through songs that mirror our current fault lines by Cohen, Dylan, Lennon, Marley, Billie Holiday’s ‘Strange Fruit’, (The Beatles’ ‘Drive My Car’ sung by Saudi Arabian women), Jewish and Yiddish songs from WWII and other eras, and many more.
Professor David Peimer
David Peimer is a Professor of Literature, Film and Theatre in the UK. He has worked for the University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, New York University (Global Division) and was a Fulbright Scholar at Columbia University. Born in South Africa, David has won numerous awards for playwriting and directing. He has most recently directed Dame Janet Suzman in his own play, Joanna’s Story, at London Jewish Book Week. He has published numerous books, including Armed Response: Plays from South Africa and the digital book Theatre in the Camps. He is on the board of the Pinter Centre (London), and has been involved with the Mandela Foundation, Vaclav Havel Foundation and directed a range of plays at Mr Havel’s Prague theatre.