From 1945 to 1989, Europe was divided. But while borders hardened, music slipped through cracks, carrying messages of freedom, empathy and dissent.
Jazz: The Sound of Freedom
American jazz spread across Eastern Europe despite official censorship. In Poland, the 1956 Jazz Jamboree became an annual festival symbolising artistic liberation. Czechoslovak jazz clubs served as hubs for dissidents.
Jazz musicians used improvisation—seen as a metaphor for free thought—to challenge authoritarian control.
Rock Music as Cultural Revolution
Rock music electrified youth movements across the Eastern Bloc. Despite state attempts to restrict it, underground concerts flourished.
Key moments include:
Eurovision as Soft Peacebuilding
Founded in 1956, Eurovision aimed explicitly to prevent war by promoting cross-border collaboration. Broadcast across the Iron Curtain, it allowed Eastern and Western Europeans to share a cultural moment.
Several historians argue Eurovision played a small but meaningful role in normalising cooperation between states.
Concerts that Changed Europe
In 1987, Western artists like David Bowie and Genesis performed near the Berlin Wall. East German youth gathered on the other side, cheering loudly enough for the Stasi to take notice.
Bowie’s performance of “Heroes” became an anthem for those longing for reunification.
Why This Era Matters for Peacebuilding
These musical exchanges built emotional bridges long before political ones existed. They sowed seeds of empathy that helped Europeans imagine unity again.
MyPEACE continues this tradition by enabling young people to use music as a form of expression, courage, and connection across divides.
