Protest in Egypt, Tunisia, and Around the World.

People Need to Know Whats Happening Around The World

As the new year began protest broke out all over the world. My Facebook news feed has been taken over by a plethora of YouTube videos about the protests in Tunisia, Egypt and other places around the world. I have recently taken the time to watch all those videos. Some of the videos are quite informative, others are just raw footage of the violent protest, and some are a bit strange. It is important that we know what is happening around the world. People are standing up for what they think is right, most are risking their lives for basic rights that the majority of Americas take for granted. While others, like the students in London are fighting against the rise in tuition costs. In Egypt, the BBC reports that, the "Internet and phone services - both mobile and landline - have been severely disrupted, although protesters are using proxies to work around the restrictions." As the protests continue, I think people should at least have an understanding of whats going on.  Below are some of the YouTube videos I found interesting. PLEASE TAKE THE TIME TO WATCH SOME OF THEM

Protest footage

One Mans Call to Action

Anonymous Press Release ****(this one is a bit strange)

A Call to Action *( video made by a friend)

Protest World Wide

CNN News Report. Phone Interview With Activist
(The YouTube search can't find this video so here is the link)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h64hFvGkM60&feature=player_embedded

Here are a few quotes to ponder.

“If by the mere force of numbers a majority should deprive a minority of any clearly written constitutional right, it might, in a moral point of view, justify revolution.” 

- Abraham Lincoln

“Those who make peaceful revolution impossible, make violent revolution inevitable.” 

- JFK

"When tyranny takes over the national agenda, it is that time that the voices of protest must be awakened. And if you don’t raise your voice in protest, you are a patriotic traitor."

- Theodore Roosevelt

"They may torture my body, break my bones, even kill me. Then they will have my dead body, not my obedience. We must take a solemn oath that come what may we will not submit to this law"

-Gandhi

Hip-Hop in Gaza

The video above is and interview with two members of the hip- hop group Darg Team from the Gaza strip. They constantly battle music censorship in Palestine because of their controversial political lyrics. Two of their members have been sent to jail and have been questioned. Darg Team has also been band from making music in Gaza because their music speaks out against the the current government. 

“We see ourselves as really honest when we talk about these issues, and it is really dangerous to talk about this kind of stuff in Gaza. Because we don’t have that 100 percent democracy in Gaza. As you know, it is a little bit dangerous. So we are trying to make it like ‘between the lines’, the stuff that we talk about. Especially if it is about the government.” - Bess

They go on to say that they are not afraid to speak against the government, they just have to be careful about it. Darg Team sometimes tries to put their message in between the lines so the government doesn't know what they are talking about. 

"...we use a double meaning and metaphors. We say something that is obvious but the real message and the real meaning is really hidden. If they understood everything we say, they’d really kill us" - Fadi

I found this interview very interesting because I have never had much faith in the hip-hop culture, especially the American hip-hop culture. I now a have more faith in the power of hip-hop music. Darg Team is a prime example of musical protest, because they are taking the risk to speak out against a government that could potentially kill them for what they are saying. 

A Place Close To My Heart

While searching for a topic for my blog post I came across an interesting website called freemuse which is a website based on the freedom of musical expression. While exploring the website I saw that I could find music related news for places all over the world. The first place that came to mind was Tanzania, a country in East Africa that I have had the opportunity to visit with a church group in the winter of 2008.  While there were many aspects of the trip that were inspiring, I really enjoyed the people’s passion for music. Whether it was sung in church or by the orphans who wanted to let the world know that one day they could be doctors or politicians. So when I came across an article and video clip about a Tanzanian woman, Nakaaya Sumari, who sung about coruption in East Afirca I got excited! She sings because she beilves that music is an important comunication tool in East Africa. Nakaaya Sumari says that people relate more to music than a politician or jounalists becase the music is made by artists and musicians who want to tell it like it is. She also says that artists speak from the normal people’s perspective. Nakaaya Sumari’s hit song ‘Mr. Politician’ speeks out against the coruption of politicians in East Africa who try to steal from and lie to the people. Its good to know that there are people who are using music to speak out and protest against corruption, even in a country where music is not greatly supported.  

***** Watch the fist video clip to hear what Nakaaya Sumari has to say about the importance of music. 

 Nakaaya Sumari speaking about the importance of music.

                                                                 

Mr. Politician 

Young girl from Tanzania (photo taken by me)

First Post

This blog will be about the power of music in protest and other social situations. My name is Colleen Lattyak and I am a student at Loyola University New Orleans. I listen to punk, ska, and rock and roll. I am also interested in small experimental bands and have recently been introduced to dub step and other electronic genres.  I have always thought that music is a power force in the world and has the ability to share ideas, thoughts and emotions that could not be expressed in words alone. 

The following video clip is the first scene in Pirates of the Caribbean, At the World’s End. It portrays the power of a song can have even when a prisoner sentenced to death. It gives hope saying that even though all the prisoners are going to die, their spirt will never really die. They are also showing that they still have no respect for the law and they will stick together even in the face death.

"Music is the unversal language of mankind"- Henry Wadsworth Longfellow