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With ideas too big for a single episode, The Compass presents mini-series about society

Surprising stories from unusual places. With ideas too big for a single episode, The Compass presents mini-series about the environment and politics, culture and society.

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The Compass: Soul Music: Gracias A La Vida

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Classic Guitar Player

17/12/2015 GMT

Soul Music: Gracias A La Vida

BBC World Service - The Compass, Soul Music: Gracias A La Vida

Gracias A La Vida, written by Violetta Parra, became an anthem for hope, sadness and joy

How Gracias A La Vida, written by Violetta Parra in 1966 became an anthem for the bitter-sweet nature of life.

Gracias A La Vida - thank you to life - is a song that means a lot to many people around the world. Recorded by artists as diverse as Joan Baez and the magnificent Mercedes Sosa, the song reflects the bitter-sweet nature of life's joys and sadness.
 
To the people of Chile where it was written in 1966 by Violetta Parra, it has become an anthem that brings people together in times of trouble. One man who was tortured and imprisoned under the Pinochet regime in 1973 recalls how playing the song on guitar in prison for other inmates helped keep their spirits and hopes alive under the most brutal circumstances. Australian writer and actor Ailsa Piper recalls being gifted the words to Gracias A La Vida by a fellow walker along one of the holy routes in Spain, and how the song has become a poignant reminder of the fragility of life.

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