During the 2011 Arab Spring uprising and
the time period leading up to these events, the youth of revolutionary
movements played a pivotal role and acted as a driving force behind the call
for change. A major factor in the movements lead by young activists is the
influence of music. Through music, Arab citizens have found a platform to voice
and express their thoughts. Music has proven to be a driving force and a coping
mechanism in this region of the world. Activists in Egypt, Tunisia, Syria, and
Libya have used this medium as a form of expression, especially in a style very
similar to western Hip-Hop.
Throughout history, citizens involved in
revolution have used music as a political weapon bringing cohesion to their
cause. In the United States many famous musicians such as Bob Dylan, Pete
Seeger, and John Lennon have gained fame and been very successful with their
politically themed songs. In the Middle East music is playing a similar role as
the artists mentioned above played in the time during the War in Vietnam. One
of the first songs to gain recognition came from the country that began the Arab
Spring, Tunisia.
At the time Hamada Ben Amor, whose rap alias is El General,
was generally an unknown rapper in Tunisia when he released his track “Rais Le
Bled”(Hebblethwaite, bbc.com). The lyrics speak about the corruption in
Tunisia’s government. El General acts as a voice for ordinary people calling
for change. After releasing the track on his Facebook page the song has gained
popularity, eventually leading to El General being detained and questioned for
three days. The song has a powerful chorus and the artist directly calls out
President Ben-Ali. The chorus is
as follows,
“Mr. President, your people have died. So
many people are eating from the garbage.
There you see what is happening in the
country.
Misery is everywhere and the people
haven't found a place to sleep.
I am speaking in name of the people who
are suffering and crushed beneath the feet [of the powerful].”
Additionally
the second verse begins,
“Mr
President, you told me to speak without fear,
Here I spoke, but I knew that my end would
be palms [beatings].
I see so much injustice, and that is why
I chose to speak
even though many people told me that my
end will be an execution.”(allthelyrics.com)
It is
important to note that music is not only being used as expression and revolution
in Tunisia, but all over the Middle East. Additionally it is not just Hip-Hop
but many genres have utilized their art as a form of political expression. In
Egypt, artists such as the folk group El Tanbura, wrote “Tahrir Square Jam”.(euphratesinstiture.org)
This song speaks about Egyptians hopes and needs. Ramy Essem is considered the
voice of the Egyptian revolution. Ramy has recently gained recognition and
international attention, in large part because he was arrested, and tortured
during a protest in Tahrir Sqaure.
In Libya the
use of social media has allowed many musicians to express their voices. Martin
Buch Larsen from Freemuse told BBC, “In Libya there’s a whole load of musicians
who have come out of nowhere. They are basically just enjoying the sudden
freedom to actually be able to produce their homemade productions, and their
homemade music, and put it into the international media”(Hebblethwaite,
bbc.com). This is combining two driving forces of the Arab Spring uprisings,
music and the power of social media such as Facebook and YouTube. The rapper
Khaled M. is a Libyan-American whose father was jailed and tortured for five
years in Libya under the Gaddafi Regime released the song “Can’t Take Our
Freedom” in 2011.Through his music Khaled M. is taking part in the Libyan
protests, despite the fact that he has never been to the country. Here is an
excerpt from the song, “Can’t
take our freedom and take our soul/can’t take our freedom, take our soul/you
are not the one that’s in control/you are not the one that’s in control/lā
ilāha illallāh, there is no power greater than God/go ahead and divide your
plans/at the end of the day you are just a man.”(http://www.arabmediasociety.com/)
Syrians have also begun to use music to
vocalize their beliefs. Omar Offendum, a Syrian-American artist told BBC, “To
see that happening is itself a triumph, because this is a country that has had
some of the worst forms of censorship.” Offendum also states, “Millions of
people do support this regime, and you have hip hop songs being created to
support the regime, just as much as you’ve had music created to criticize it.”(Hebblethwaite,
bbc.com)” Offendum was one of the artists behind another song that gained
significant recognition internationally. His track entitled “#Jan25” is a song
in English referring to the protests that occurred in Egypt. While the outcome
of the Arab Spring uprisings is still yet to be seen Offendum say, “I’ve always maintained that witnessing
the barriers of fear and silence get torn down in these nations by the sheer
will of peaceful protesters is a triumph in and of itself. It’s something that
I, and millions of Arabs around the world, never expected to see in our
lifetime. When a tyrant’s statue gets toppled by youth-led grassroots movements
fed up with the fatalism of their parents’ generation, it sends a much more
powerful message to the world than what took place in Iraq several years ago as
a result of a foreign military intervention”(Pyper, thenewsignificance.com).
The fact that Arabs have begun using this
medium of expression is certainly a triumph. Mohammed El Deeb, an Egyptian
rapper who goes by the stage name Deeb, is proof of this success. He told BBC
that in his lyrics previous to the revolution, he was less blunt about who he
was speaking about, although he does say that his music had a political edge.
Deeb says, “I would actually use other names. I would say ‘them’ or ‘the big
guys’ I would never say ‘government’, I would never say ‘Mubarak’”(Hebblethwaite,
bbc.com). For most of these countries history, ordinary Arabs had little to no
influence in their respective countries. Now that is changing, and music has
played an integral part of that change.
Throughout history music has been used as
a political weapon, both for revolution and for controlling regimes. Currently
throughout the Middle East, the Arab youth is leading movements demanding
change. Music has, and continues to play an integral part in these movements,
which for the most part are peaceful protests.
Works Cited
1)
Hebblethwaite,
Cordelia. "Is Hip Hop Driving the Arab Spring?" BBC News. BBC News,
24 July 2011. Web. 7 April. 2014
2) "Music of the Arab Spring." Euphrates
Institute: Prepare for Peace.
N.p., 16 Jan. 2013. Web. 9 April. 2014.
<http://euphratesinstitute.org/2013/01/music-of-the-arab-spring/>.
3) Pyper, Julia. "Omar Offendum: #Jan25 – A
Soundtrack Of The Revolution." The New
Significance. Art Threat, 17 Aug. 2011. Web. 9 April. 2014.
4) "Thread: El Général - Rais Lebled." Lyrics
Forum. N.p., 14 May
2011. Web. 12 April. 2014.
<http://www.allthelyrics.com/forum/showthread.php?t=114682>.
5) Inskeep, Steve. "Ramy Essam: The Singer Of
The Egyptian Revolution." NPR. NPR, 15 Mar. 2011. Web. 13 Apr. 2014.
<http://www.npr.org/2011/03/15/134538629/ramy-esam-the-singer-of-the-egyptian-revolution>.
6) Benny, Daniel. "Music in the Middle East:
How Hip Hop Affected the Arab Spring." The Consul RSS. University of Pennsylvania, 28 Feb. 2012. Web. 11 Apr. 2014.
<http://www.theconsul.org/?p=1006>.
7) Dotson-Renta, Lara. "Arab Media &
Society." Arab
Media & Society.
The American University in Cairo, 2011. Web. 12 Apr. 2014.
<http://www.arabmediasociety.com/?article=777>.
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