"20 Years of Resistance to Genocide in East Timor" - Various Artists
Compilation Album
U2 Related Content:
- "Mothers of the Disappeared" (Studio Version) - U2 (05:12)
Full Track Listing:
Disc One:
- Amnesty International Appeal For East Timor – Peter Gabriel (0:43)
- Fourteen Black Paintings – Peter Gabriel (4:33)
- Hands Touching Earth – Paul Moran (2:00)
vKolele Mai – Midnight Oil (4:37) - Priests of the Golden Bull – Buffy Sainte-Marie (3:49)
- East Timor – Ginger Baker Trio (4:42)
- Esquadrao Da Morte – Xutos and Pontapes (2:55)
- Mothers of the Disappeared – U2 (5:14)
- Minha Mae Timor Esta Chorando – Abe Ho Aloz (4:38)
- Timor from Overseas – MacDonald / Gang (2:05)
Disc Two: - Breaking the Silence – Loreena McKennitt (5:07)
- Soldado Java – Agio Pereira (4:11)
- An Indonesian Appeal – Anonymous (1:18)
- Jiwaku Jiwaku – Abe Ho Aloz (4:38)
- Casualties of War – Susan Aglukark (5:39)
- Timor – Yothu Yindi (3:30)
- O Hele La – Abe Ho Aloz (4:25)
- Self Determination Day – Aloz (3:29)
- Em Portugues Vos Amamos – Bonga (3:29)
- East Timor – Robert Wyatt (2:53)
Background Information
This 1996 compilation album was put together by the Canadian label Hands Free, with all profit from the sale of the album going towards the East Timor Hope Foundation, a Canadian based organization. East Timor is a part of Timor, an island approximately 640km north of Australia. On July 17, 1976 Indonesia annexed East Timor after a military invasion in late 1975. The claim to East Timor was not recognized by the United Nations. This album was released on July 17, 1996 to mark 20 years since the occupation of East Timor, and includes 20 tracks one for each year since the occupation.
In March of 1996, a compilation album had been put together under the name “Love from a Short Distance” with the proceeds going to help the people of East Timor as well. The title of that album came from a short poem written by Bono entitled, “Love from a Short Distance”. The poem had been written by Bono as a letter to the people of East Timor, and was included in the liner notes for that album, as well as a song recorded using the words from the poem. That CD was only released in Australia. The letter also appears in this compilation by the Canadian label and includes Bono’s autograph at the bottom. The poem reads here:
“On behalf of myself Bono, and the band U2,
on behalf of most scribes and poets, most music,
film and object makers both here in Ireland
and around the world…
Please be sure that we know of your struggle
and that even if we are not allowed to see you
know that we hear of you
and that when we don’t hear from you
we think of you…all the more
There is no silence deep enough
No black out dark enough
No corruption thick enough
No business deal big enough
No politician bent enough
No heart hollow enough
No grave wide enough,
to bury your story and keep it from us…
Love from a short distance…Bono”
The compilation did not include the song “Love from a Short Distance” recorded for the album of the same name, and released in Australia. But U2 did give permission for the song “Mothers of the Disappeared” to be included on this compilation. The version included here is the same version that is used on “The Joshua Tree”, although remastered by George Graves at The Lacquer Channel to allow for its use in this compilation.