Dearth of music activism doing injustice to the fight for rights

Hello My Baby by Ladymith Black Mambazo is one of the most enchanting songs, a loving call for the beloved. Contrast it with the heartbreaking, thought- and action-provoking Homeless, by the same group.

Even more stimulating is Hapo Zamani by the legendary Miriam Makeba

Hapo zamani mama, sikuwa hivi,

Hapo zamani mama, shauri wa pombe

Nindibona ndingenakhaya nje kungenxa yabelungu

(I am homeless because of the whites).

TEARJERKER

Not too far from home is Philly Latunya’s tearjerker, The Voices Crying Out.

The voices crying out, from the wilderness, we are crying out to the leaders of Africa.

Even more poignant and sombre is Geoffrey Oryema’s Makambo from his album Exile. “I’ve been asking for peace,” he says in the song, “but all I got was war... what is wrong with the world.”

Oryema fled from Uganda to Kenya in the boot of a car during Idi Amin’s era. His debut album was rightly named Exile. Arguably Uganda’s most renowned artist, he passed away two month ago, but his message lives on.

MESSAGES

All these songs have a message and a call to action. Juxtaposed with our present day music, there is a rise of nostalgia, not for the moments that these songs represented, but for their momentous messages.

Much of today’s music has vastly done away with the activism. In its place, the brave actively protest in the streets. These protests reach so many with the invaluable help of both mainstream and social media.

Social media is the platform to lyrically make your case known. Like a song played over and over again, the message tweeted and retweet, with comment coming after comment. Call for your protest and with social media’s clenched fist, you are all set to take to the streets.

But what then comes of the protest? The risk with marching is that the message competes with the captivating visuals and risks being forgotten. A protest message that comes to mind is Haki Yetu. Can you remember what rights this slogan sought? What about the more recent and dare I say effective, Lipa Kama Tender? It is not by accident that the doctors composed a ditty to accompany their slogan, Sasa nimeamua ya kwamba, nilipwe kama tender.

FREEDOM

The doctors knew that a song is memorable. We may not always remember the lyrics, but the melody sticks with us and when we hear it, the message and sometimes the feeling of when you first heard it comes rushing back. So why are we losing this encapsulating feeling and message that comes with music in activism?

Would a song against bad governance put an artist at risk of exile? The answer lies in where the artiste comes from.

As we like to sing and remind everyone standing in our way, we have a constitutional right to freedom of expression. This particularly includes freedom of artistic creativity albeit with prohibitions against spreading propaganda for war; incitement to violence; hate speech; or advocacy of hatred. Why then are the airwaves littered with the same rhetoric that does not inspire? We can only console ourselves with these songs for so long.

AWAKENING

There is a time and a song for every season. And times have come where we could have done with a reverberating song playing across the country; a song that truly captures our feelings, telling our story but equally delivering our message; a song comforting us when we feel estranged from those who lead us; a song that gives us hope for a better tomorrow. In short, we could do with an awakening song.

But who shall shepherd us? An unlikely source of awakening is not from our everyday artistes but from our children. The drama and music festivals which ended last week are the most consistent outlet of music activism. Every year, children ingeniously write poems, compose songs and choreograph dances, fearlessly taking on State and public issues. Listen to the children; they have a message we ought to share more widely.

DETENTION

This entire week we have bitterly written about Bobi Wine thousands of times, changed our graphic representation to match his own and marched in his name. His song Freedom represents the frustration of his fellow countrymen. It would have meant something for every radio station, to play this song at the top of every hour in protest at his detention even if just for a day.

But I am reminded we have music activism inertia!

Burini works with international businesses on commercial litigation. [email protected]