The Soundtrack of a Revolution

The Soundtrack of a Revolution

Dan Kruglak

Where there is a revolution, there is music. Music brings folks together: it is very emotional, and artists in countries such as Egypt, Tunisia, and Libya have been crafting the soundtrack to the Arab Spring. The Arab Spring has brought a resurgence of popular protest music in the recent future. Earlier examples of Arab protest music were hard to spread through the media because of the dominant regimes that reigned over the Middle East, however, because of social media and the downfall of said regimes, a rise in popularity and access to the music has occurred: “As censorship fears began to dissolve along with the governments that enforced them, new voices began to emerge in the arts,” Now music is becoming more powerful than ever,” (middleeastvoices.voanews.com). Since 2011, Arab Spring protest music has played a major role in the uprisings in Egypt, Tunisia, and Libya.

Egypt

Ramy Essam is a pivotal musician and leader for Egypt’s uprising. “Mr. Essam, a 24-year-old former architecture student, had spent more than six years trying to break into the music business without success. Influenced by his brother Shady, a fervent activist, he began writing political songs critical of the regime three years before the revolution, despite the lack of venues that would play the music,” (nytimes.com). Ramy’s music was too controversial for the mainstream media in Egypt: he was flat-out denied success because of his anti-Mubarak message. This changed after the protests during 2011 at Tahrir Square. Persuaded by his brother, Esaam packed up his guitar and joined the demonstration. Surely enough, his song titled, “Irhal” (Leave) became an anthem for the protestors in the square, and eventually it peaked in popularity through Youtube. “’People were saying the same things over and over, and it got old,’ Mr. Essam said. ‘I thought if it were in music it would be better,’”(nytimes.com). A major part of Essam’s success came from the fact that he was a protestor himself. He did not show up and perform and then leave, however, he stayed with all the other Egpytians in solidarity. He was whipped and beaten by Mubarak’s thugs just like everyone else, and this brought him much respect. After over half a month of protest in Tahrir Square, Mubarak stepped down on February 11, 2011. The crowd rejoiced and Essam played a passionate version of “Irhal”.

Not soon after, protests resumed in the square because the citizens of Egypt felt that Mubarak’s departure was not enough. Ramy once again joined in the movement, only this time he was targeted by the anti-revolution forces. They had noticed what a symbol he had become and he was captured, tortured, and imprisoned by the Egyptian military. This event did not discourage him. He took the beatings and channeled it into a new song: "Hit Me", a song that boasted about the pain he endured making him stronger. Essam is now seeing popularity all over the world and plans to tour in the US in the near future. His undeniable spirit and bravery helped to boost morale among protesting Egyptians, and he will remain a dynamic force behind the Egyptian revolution: “The closest weapon we have in our hands now is art — songs, movies, documentaries, independent shows on YouTube, graffiti — we have to use them to spread the message,” (al-monitor.com).

Ramy Essam was not the only musician to help the revolution in Egypt. The hip-hop group Arabian Knightz also performed protest music during the demonstrations, and remain popular today. Arabian Knightz consists of three members: Rush, Sphinx, and E Money. They formed in the early 2000’s and have wanted to change the hip-hop world in the Middle East since their inception: “We make music to try and represent our thoughts and ourselves. We feel Arabs and Muslims in general are often misunderstood by the western media and are also often misrepresented by ignorant people who seem to speak for us and don’t know anything about Islam or about our identity. The western media chases behind these people and focuses on them only because they seem to want everything related to us to be negative,” (soundsoffreedom.in). Once the revolution began, more people started to listen. Their Arab pride and calls for reform connected with the Egyptian protestors and they enjoyed a popularity surge. A great moment in the success of Arabian Knightz came during a concert in Jordan: The anti-revolution government shut down their concert because of its revolutionary tone, however, the group quickly relocated in a neighboring area and the fans followed. Another crowning moment of achievement came during a performance in Egypt. During the chorus of their revolt anthem, "Prisoner", the crowd exclaimed the entire chorus along with the artists: “When I (Rush) performed our revolt anthem “Prisoner” in Tahreer and people who were in front of the stage knew the song and sang it word for word to the point I didn’t have to do the chorus chant on the mic at all- I had to work so hard on not tearing up on stage it was so emotional and empowering,” (soundsoffreedom.in). The viral spread of popularity for Arabian Knightz strongly reinforces the ties between the Arab Spring and music.

Tunisia

           

Tunisian’s also had a musician to rally behind during their uprising: Emel Mathlouthi. She dedicated her songs to Mohammed Bouazizi, the self-immolating revolutionary that sparked the Tunisian Spring. A lyric from her song, “My World is Free”: "We are free men who are not afraid. We are the secrets that never die. And we are the voice of those who resist," (kqed.org). Similar to other revolutionary artists, her music remained underground before the start of the Arab Spring, but through social media and a widespread awakening of the Arab world, Mathlouthi began to reach the masses. Mathlouthi had been hoping her songs would inspire Tunisians to call for reform ever since she began writing them, and in 2011 her dreams were finally met. The Tunisian singer realizes how powerful music can be and reinforces the idea of its ties to revolution: "It's a very powerful art form. With the cinema, you have to plan that you are going to see a movie or you have to be in front of a TV. With music, you can be on the street. You can hear it on the radio in your home. People need music. It helps them in their daily life. It can give you energy,” (kqed.org).

            Another Tunisian artist with a revolutionary voice is Hamada Ben Amor, or El General. Ben Amor is a rapper who has helped give Tunisia a collective voice throughout their revolution. He began writing protest raps in 2008 and his first song was Malesh: “It was a big question about why we were in a situation of corruption, thieves and violence," (time.com). Like other artists he was kept underground and hidden by the media and overpowering regimes in Tunisia, and when the revolution sparked, he achieved much praise and popularity. As seen before, Ben Amor used Facebook and Youtube to spread his music because of the heavy censorship issues he faced. He talks about the injustice he saw all around him in Tunisia while he growing up, and it lit a flame inside of him; he wanted his voice and message to be heard. Eventually his song “Rais Lebled” became the Tunisian revolutionary anthem. Like other protest songs it was memorized and chanted during Tunisian protests. Once the government got wind of his popularity, his house was raided and he was held in prison and interrogated by anti-revolutionary forces. They were convinced that someone powerful was behind Ben Amor; that he stood for a political party. This outraged Tunisians and they fervently called for his release. The police complied with his release; however, they begged him to stop making political music. Staying true to himself, the first thing Ben Amor did when he was safely home was create another anthemic song; he had become an impassioned voice behind a revolution.

Libya

            Libya is another country who has been impacted by revolutionary music; specifically the music of Ibn Thabit. The Libyan rapper uses this pseudonym and remains anonymous because of the tensions in Libya, but this has not stopped him from connecting with his Libyan counterparts. He has not made headlines as much as other artists of the Arab Spring, mainly because of his anonymity, but his songs have become centerpieces for revolutionary ideas. In his 2008 song, “Moammar- The Coward”, he directly attacks the dictator. It was actually taken down from Youtube by Gaddafi and his goons because of its harsh words about the hated dictator. Ibn Thabit, like others, was able to harness the power of the Internet in order to spread his revolutionary verses, and he constantly receives praise on his Facebook page: “One fan on Facebook wrote, ‘Keep it up Ibn Thabit. Your songs are fuel that energizes us and keeps us going, and reminders that we are on the right side of history,’ (cnn.com). Although Ibn Thabit’s identity is not known, he has been a driving force in the Libyan revolution because of his powerful music.

            Impact

Three of the biggest revolutions during the Arab Spring have taken place in Egypt, Tunisia, and Libya. They have all had a common theme of music running through their revolutions. The power of music is so evident in these countries; it helps to convey just how powerful this art form can be. These artists have even started to see mainstream success outside of their home countries. Their music will continue to inspire and ignite.

            Arab Spring and music have had a great relationship. It has brought a lot of people together and moved them to strive for peace and equality. The wise words from the minds of Ramy Essam, Ibn Thabit, and others alike have been engraved in the minds of Arab Spring supporters, and their lyrics can be heard in the streets of revolting countries. Even though oppressive governments tried to bury the music of these revolutionaries, social media and the Internet helped greatly to spread their messages of hope and growth. “Intriguingly, the events of the “Arab Spring” have not only allowed for the long-repressed voices of the many to reverberate across the MENA region and around the world, but they have also fostered an opportunity for the Arab diaspora(s), separated by geography and at times ideologically different, to speak as one voice on behalf of their brethren across the world and about themselves as Arab and Western supporters of democratic regime change,” (arabmediasociety.com). Just as the songs of Bob Dylan and other US protest musicians helped cultivate a collective message against the Vietnam War, music has been used to feed the flames of the Arab Spring.

References

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/12/08/world/middleeast/out-of-protest-an-anthem-for-egypts-revolution.html?pagewanted=all&_r=1&

http://www.arabmediasociety.com/?article=777

http://middleeastvoices.voanews.com/2012/01/five-political-arab-spring-music-bands-you-need-to-watch/

http://www.al-monitor.com/pulse/originals/2014/01/tahrir-movie-egypt-ramy-singer.html#

http://www.npr.org/2011/03/15/134538629/ramy-esam-the-singer-of-the-egyptian-revolution

http://soundsoffreedom.in/rapping-about-change-arabian-knightz-and-the-egyptian-hip-hop-movement/

http://www.kqed.org/arts/music/article.jsp?essid=93432

http://content.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,2049456,00.html

http://ireport.cnn.com/docs/DOC-582738?ref=feeds%2Flatest

http://www.iranreview.org/file/cms/files/arab-spring(2).jpg

http://news.bbcimg.co.uk/media/images/57364000/jpg/_57364055_jex_1266485_de27-1.jpg

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j1S4514U5D4

http://www.turkishweekly.net/resim.asp?path=dQBQmV2NVduET34Y4l4Cte9pcYCg82.jpg&width=366

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https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqEkfIH1uqE2_wC5_1NsqvShp_Ff8r7fvncQpY29nQXMWnPozLJ6RxIC3sL50tGPDX5RBhA6hwybr5Iqq9igMQ2l0GNzpTdZ2gS9wmlizZXFH_Se6RE_LLkacpm0GNwRKRSuKViGLDLec/s1600/Egypt+singer.jpeg

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-rEKmTBKiBM