Tag: Arab spring

Photo credit: Time

Oct 20, 2011 - Stephen Said, activist musician who is both of Iraqi and Austrian descent, grew up in Appalachia with blue grass and classical music from an early age, has come out in support of the Occupy Wall Street movement. In a Time Arts article he talks about how growing up around his father's ethnic heritage music influenced him from an early age and compelled him to have peace with himself and work for peace with his art. Recently has led crowds reciting a beautiful Arabic poem called, "Aheb Aisht Al Hirya", which translated into English would be, "I Love the Life of Freedom". The lyrics were written by the great Egyptian poet-laureate Ahmed Shawki, with music by the legendary singer composer Mohammed Abdel Whab written back in the 1930s. In a Examiner article he said about the song, "It's an anthem to global unity and equality that I learned from my father. Commenting on the Arab Spring and the youth uprising throughout the Middle East he said, "This is our moment - the moment when each of us must summon our highest, most poetic selves to courageously step into the brilliance of the next world, a world already in the making."

Said has made the MP3 available for use "by all those who are non-violently working to build the international movement for a more just society." You can download and check out the song at: http://stephansaid.com/audio/aheb-aisht-al-huriyah.mp3

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Tunisian rapper Hamada Ben Amor — known as "El General" 

MSNBC World Blog: How rap music fueled the Arab Springs uprisings

by Karl Bostic, NBC News

"A bazaar in Libya's rebel capital of Benghazi might not appear to be the most obvious place to find a would-be Jay-Z.

But 18-year-old Boge and many others like him are pushing the boundaries of freedom of expression across the Middle East. The rappers have even been credited with helping to spark the so-called Arab Spring uprisings that deposed three long-serving dictators and rocked several other regimes.

Boge, who says he learned English from rap, is following in the footsteps of his hip-hop heroes KRS-One, Nas and Ice Cube.

"Our families are dying but yeah we're still tough, Gadhafi is trying to assassinate us," he rhymes during an impromptu performance amid vendors selling flags, shirts and hats in revolutionary colors at a market in the eastern Libyan city where the revolt against Moammar Gadhafi began."
 

Read the rest of the MSNBC article here.....

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(Egyptian musician Ramy Essam - Photo credit Michael Chavez  - LA Times)

MUSIC AND THE ARAB SPRING

Protest music is playing a huge role in the Arab Spring of 2011, with many artists using their music to speak out against brutal regimes and injustice, and galvanizing the people in city squares. In Tunisia, where many believe was the "spark" of the 2011 freedom movement in the Mideast, Amel Mathlouthi sang "I Am Free, My Word is Free" in Tunis, giving a voice to the oppressed. When protesters gathered in Tahrir Square in Egypt as they brought down the Mubarak regime, the musicians Mohammed Mounir and Ramy Essam sang songs calling for Mubarak to step down. Mounir energized the crowd with his song "Ezzay" (How Come?), and Essam sang his song "Erhal" (Leave!) to the crowd in Tahrir Square, and both songs played a big part in the activist movement in Egypt.

Sout Al Horeya's "Voice of Freedom" has over 1 million views, and has almost become an anthem for the freedom movement. The Iranian student freedom song "Yar-e-Dabestani e-man" has been used as a rallying cry, including updated versions. In Syria, protest music is also playing a big role, even speaking out against the brutal attack on the poet Ali Ferzat.

JTMP has picked out the Top 5 Arab Spring Protest Songs:

TUNISIA - EGYPT - LEBANON - YEMEN - SYRIA - IRAN - NEW YORK

JTMP is committed to supporting civil and voting rights for young people at home and all around the world. We want this place to be a forum for the peaceful and non-violent protests calling for freedom that is spreading from Tunisia, Egypt, Iran, Syria, Lebanon and even home here in New York when it comes to Youth, Social Media, and Freedom, civil rights, and free and fair elections.

If you have a peaceful and non-violent Twitter Account, Facebook Page, story, photograph or cell phone or other video that you think will help spread peace, freedom and democracy, or you feel needs to be seen by the world, please send it to us and we will try to post it.

Below you will find Twitter Accounts you can follow, the latest videos, and current events at Occupy Wall Street and throughout the world when it comes to peaceful protests by youth around the world calling for freedom and democracy. Spread the word about us! Send us your videos!

RECOMMENDED SITES

OCCUPY DC

October2011.org

The Fight Back

US Day of Rage