Fading Drumbeats of Dissent
Published by THE HINDU, SUNDAY MAGAZINE
[Author: Shivani Chaudhry | Date Published: 29 August 2004]
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The culture of resistance is a critical component of
democracy, of a liberal society, of a progressive polity. Without resistance
there is no change. Without change there is no hope.
Art is, and has
been, an effective means of resistance. A vibrant culture of resistance
reflects the moral, political, social ethic of a nation. It is the pulse of a
society with a conscience. It is the inspiration of a people that dream. It is
art in its truest form. To separate art from politics is to deny its purpose.
Yes, art is art because it is. Always. It doesn’t need to be justified. But
political art is social art is critical art is living art. It is art for a
meaning, with a meaning.
In today’s urban India, demands are escalating and so is
inequality. Consumption hits an all-time high and so does poverty. Complacency
rises and protest declines. The culture of consumerism proliferates while the
culture of resistance seems to be dying. Radio, television, movies — all belt
out the same formula, and after a point we stop realizing that something’s
amiss. When the profane becomes normal, and crass is peddled as culture, it is
disturbing.
In an age of hundreds of television channels, why don’t
we see more programmes questioning the status quo? In an age of a cornucopia of
music albums, why don’t we hear more beats of dissent? In an age of over 1,000
Indian films a year, why don’t we find more socio-political ones? In an age
when violence dins out peace, why isn’t protest music blaring at every street
corner? Where are the counter culture rebels? Somewhere. But not visible
enough. Not loud enough. Not mainstream enough.
Cultural resistance thrives in India, for sure. But in
small pockets, in quiet corners, in some groups. The music of resistance is
mostly confined to social movements — be it Bhopal or Narmada or Jadugoda
or Mazdoor Kisan Shakti Sangathan; in local struggles against a factory or dam or nuclear plant, against
discrimination and corruption.
The films of resistance are confined to the genre of
alternative cinema — generally screened for select audiences or at film
festivals. The art of resistance is confined to a solitary gallery, a forsaken
alley. The sound of resistance is not even a whisper in the mainstream.
A powerful manifestation of resistance art is music. Throughout
history, music has played a tremendous role in defying hegemony and fuelling
revolution. Chilean folksinger Victor Jara viewed the “guitar as gun” that
fired “bullets of song.” Music was a critical component of the
apartheid struggle in South Africa, and luminaries like Miriam Makeba and Hugh
Masekela were exiled for their political songs. From local struggles for
independence to campaigns for justice, songs have enthused and inspired. In
India, Salil Chowdhury sang about social injustice during the independence
struggle; Dalits use music to subvert caste supremacy; rural women constantly
sing about their oppression. A Malayalam folk song bemoans a farmer’s
exploitation: “For half a green coconut/they drive me to death.” But
even when it has social stirrings, music in India veers more towards the
descriptive rather than the catalytic. While spiritual and soul music are
making a comeback, protest music isn’t as zealous or popular, especially not in
urban India.
The international story of protest music is fortunately
quite different. Rebellious political rhetoric can be found in reggae, hip-hop,
punk-rock, country, metal, and alternative rock. It has echoes in the
spirituals of southern U.S., Brazilian tropicalismo, South
African m’bube and mbaqanga, Zimbabwean chimurenga,
Algerian raï, and Cuban rap. This is music that shakes your
complacency, fires your spirit, opens your eyes. It is often politically
incorrect. Often critical. Often loud and angry. Often sad and lamenting. But
always true. Always defying and instigating. Always fearless.
Reggae legend Bob Marley’s works like ‘Them Belly Full
(But We Hungry),’ defined rebel music and shaped political aspirations of
millions in Africa and the Americas. Songs of Bob Dylan and John Lennon still
fuel inspiration. Former band Rage Against the Machine earned acclaim for its
bombastic lyrics like: “When ignorance reigns, life is lost.” Hip-hop
was born in New York as a voice against prejudice and poverty. With sounds like: “Black
people died / When the other man lied”, it has developed indigenous beats
that challenge racist repression worldwide. Another genre of bold political
music is punk-rock. With hardcore lines like Crass’s “Fight war, not
wars,” Randy’s “War between the classes / the privileged few
against the masses,” and Dead Kennedys’ “Empires hoard more
than they need,” punk-rock is not just about making noise but also
about political action, as the website <punkvoter.com> demonstrates.
From Argentina’s Mercedes Sosa to Zimbabwe’s Thomas
Mapfumo and U.K.’s Asian Dub Foundation, the music of dissent breaks barriers
of language. Nigeria’s Femi Kuti sings: “We get the wrong people for
government / Who force us to think with colonial sense,” while French
rapper Yazid laments: “The country of secularism doesn’t tolerate
Islam.”
During times of increased repression, cultural dissent
reverberates stronger. In the U.S., the civil rights movement and the Vietnam
war were catalysts for protest music in the 1960s and 1970s. In Brazil,
the military dictatorship fuelled the Tropicalia movement in the 1960s.
Anti-war and anti-Bush songs escalated since the war on Iraq. Ani Difranco’s
‘self evident’ unabashedly cries out: “america is not a true democracy / the
media is not fooling me.”
I don’t remember seeing such dynamic cultural backlash
after Gujarat 2002, Pokharan 1998, Ayodhya 1992, or New Delhi 1984. Yes,
powerful documentaries and plays were made, and artists and activists rallied
to express their indignation. But the resistance was weak, the outcry muffled,
the outrage muted in the ‘mainstream.’
Though this is changing—with the popular rise of
regional music and alternative genres across the country—Bollywood still holds
considerable sway over ‘mainstream’ Indian pop culture and its export. It’s not
just the films that are popular but also the songs. While the reach of this
music is incredible, its lyrics, sadly, are not. Largely devoid of
socio-political entendres, present-day lyrics of Bollywood, and its close
cousin Indi-Pop, seem to routinize banality and patronize vacuity. At best,
these songs are poetic and rhythmic. But I don’t hear a strong beat of
resistance in most of them. Alas.
Imagine how popular film music could politicize,
motivate, educate, and catalyze. But its potential lies largely misused. While
some films attempt to take on progressive themes and stir consciences, they
largely fail to foment resistance. The majority of movies still refuse to
contemplate their socio-ethical ramifications, and float in a dangerous realm
of indifference.
When popular culture begins to degenerate, strong
counter culture components are needed to stir it up. Sure “it’s easier
to sit back than stick out your neck” as the Beastie Boys rap. But
that has to change. Songs, serials, soap operas, films, need bold social
messages. Potent political overtones. Powerful ethical undertones.
Political art is essentially a mode of activist
communication. By infusing subversive stimulation into the public arena, it
provides inspiration to create a cultural battlefield.
If a key to change is political activism, then what
better than political art to catalyse activist stirrings in sleeping souls.
It’s time to imbibe the words of punk-rock band Strike Anywhere: “Begin the
drumbeat beating away / Awake.”
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