Vaenlane ei Maga
Vaenlane Ei Maga (= The Enemy Never Sleeps) were an Estonian band who were huge amongst the youth during SNORist times in Estonia, and were one of if not the biggest of the underground phenomena arising in the mid 1980s. They became widely known throughout Estonia in 1985, when they recorded and released - through underground channels both political and criminal - a song called "Vennaskond" (=Brotherhood) in which they vocalised their Pan-Uralic views; in this and many other songs they voiced their support for the Idel Ural ideal - a unification of all Uralic peoples into a single megastate, from Sapme and Hungary in the west to the Nganasan lands in the east (some supporters also say that the Madzhi-inhabited areas of Oregon should also be included as an exclave, but this is regarded by most Pan-Uralists as ridiculous, though of course they do consider the Madzhi to be Uralic brothers). The band's members were arrested on a number of occasions between 1986 and 1989, and frontman/lead poet/vocalist Tõnu Kivik was barred by the SNORist authorities in Estonia from entering the State Conservatory.
During the anti-SNOR demonstrations that flared up in mid-1989, the demonstrators used the refrain of the VEM song "See on minu tänav" (=This is my street) as their anthem. Not only was it sung frequently at demonstrations and by smaller groups prowling the streets looking for police to beat up, but it was also frequently found painted onto buildings and other large public surfaces. The text of the verse: See on minu tänav, see on minu maja, siin ma elan, siin ma veedan aja (=This is my street, this is my home, here is where I live, here is where I waste my time). Following the expulsion of Russian troops from Estonia, crowds lined the roads on which the departing soldiers were travelling and assembled at the railway stations the troop trains passed through, singing this song. More recently, the song has been used by those in support of expelling the non-Uralic residents (ethnic Russians, less usually Latvians as well) - there have been several instances of homes of ethnic Russians being vandalised with the words "See on MINU maja" painted on.
Since the fall of SNOR, Vaenlane ei Maga have continued recording and have become one of Estonia's mainstream standout bands. Though they still record songs on political themes, mostly the new songs are either historical or romantic in theme.
