Halldór is the managing editor of Shouts - Music from the Rooftops!, an investigative journalist, audio engineer, and animal rights activist. Currently based in Cuernavaca, Mexico.
Ergo Phizmiz has been making music for about 35 years. He told me via email that he’s produced over 500 pieces of music, including pop music, electronic music, choral works, opera, and more. Phizmiz works out of the UK and for that simple reason, he is in no danger of his instruments being bombed to pieces, taken from him or it being illegal for him to practice his art. Unfortunately, this can not be said for many artists around the world, and Phizmiz is aware of this.
Ergo Phizmiz. Photo retrieved from the artist’s Facebook profile.
Phizmiz told me that he recognises his creative skills and how seemingly useless they can seem to modern society, but, at the very least he decided to not be silent about the atrocities happening in this world.
Phizmiz and his collaborators have raised awareness and funds for Palestinians before, starting with their campaign for 9-year-old punk star Ari Radne, then an album with Depresstival (Phizmiz’s main collaborator Lotti Bowater) called P4L35T1N3. Bowater then came across a 17-year-old musician and composer from Gaza called Samih Madhoun. Madhoun’s instruments were stolen by the Israeli army and today he is working with a borrowed instrument.
In collaboration with Madhoun, Phizmiz, and Lotti released an album of Madhoun’s songs, with all the proceeds going directly to the young Palestinian artist. Madhoun himself shares a message to the world on the album’s Bandcamp page:
“Hello, I am Samih Madhoun from the Gaza Strip, Palestine. I am an oud player, a composer, and a singer. I study music, and I have studied it in a musical institution; however, unfortunately, I couldn’t continue my studies because of the destruction and aggression happening in Gaza. I hope I can continue my studies on the oud, as it is an integral part of me.”
Phizmiz told me that in his opinion, music is one of the world’s biggest mysteries, especially the power it holds over the human mind and body and how good of a vessel it can be for getting a message across.
“I’ve been composing music now for 35 years (I started when I was ten) and I have produced something ludicrous like 500 albums or more, plus choral works, orchestral works, opera and so on. I am utterly obsessed and to some degree hounded by music and musical ideas. I consider music to be one of the universe’s biggest mysteries – we don’t understand it, we don’t know why it does what it does to our bodies, why it makes us emote and feel. So why should such a purely abstract medium be suited to activism?
The clue, I think, lies in the format of the pop song. I’m obsessed by this. There is some argument to suggest that the pop song might be the culmination and refinement of the oral tradition – there’s a straight line from Homer to the Sugababes. A pop song is a way of encoding information that can be instantly memorable. What better way to communicate an idea than through an earworm?
Music is also like a magical box where you unlock the key and passion pours out, it is the art form of feeling and emotion. Is there a more effective route to expressing rage in existence than a punk song? What rivals the schmaltzy romantic love song as a reflection of sensuality? The pop song is a simultaneously concise and complex way of sending and receiving information, and if this information is about how to maybe fix the broken society, then all the better for it.”
The progressive metal band’s singer and rhythm guitarist, Joseph Duplantier, took part in the peaceful protest in front of the parliament in Copenhagen, Denmark, demanding that Watson not be extradited to Japan on an international arrest warrant dating back to 2010.
Captain Paul Watson stands in front of the M/V Steve Irwin in Brisbane before departing for Antarctica in Sea Shepherd’s Operation Musashi 2008-2009 campaign. Copyright @ Eric H Cheng (http://echeng.com) and Sea Shepherd Conservation Society
Duplantier additionally wrote a letter to Peter Hummelgaard, Denmark’s Justice Minister, requesting a meeting to discuss the charges and extradition.
“I speak on behalf of concerned citizens all around the world when I say that his arrest is not acceptable. Paul Watson is one of the few people on this earth that give hope in humanity by conducting direct actions based on logic and compassion, reminding us that we ARE the Oceans, the water that binds us all. People feel powerless with the extinction of whales and other species and don’t know what to do to help and end illegal whaling. Paul Watson gives us a voice. He is our only hope. Hope that somebody is keeping a watchful eye where international moratoriums aren’t respected and illegal fishing is continuing to destroy precious marine wildlife. Paul Watson and his crew are an example of courage, dedication and integrity. He is inspiring an entire generation.
Although this is just one of the four charges, this shows how insignificant the case is and how irrelevant Japan’s demand is. Regardless of the outcome on this matter, Paul Watson will undoubtedly go down in history as a Hero that dedicated his life to making sure we have a future. In his own words ‘IF THE OCEANS DIE, WE DIE’. What kind of society are we if we let the only person that has the courage to make a difference go to jail for what could be the rest of his life?
Denmark is respected and praised all over the world for its impeccable juridical system and its peaceful intelligent society. I am myself an admirer of your elegant and inspiring country. I am asking you to live up to these standards of excellence and justice and do the right thing. The world is watching you. Please do the right thing!”
Goijira have throughout their career been involved in environmental activism and often brought awareness to such issues through songs such as “Global Warming”, Toxic Garbage Island” and “Amazonia.”
Proceeds from “Amazonia” go directly to the Articulation of Indigenous Peoples of Brazil (APIB) which advocates for the environmental and cultural rights of indigenous tribes in the Amazon who have been victims of deforestation, land loss, forced labor, violence, and harassment.
This article’s cover photo was shot by Theresa Steiner and used with her permission. Check out more of her photography on her Instagram page.
Music and politics in Sudan have been intertwined for many decades. During the colonial era, musicians played a key role in the struggle for independence. Later on, as music was embraced by the masses, successive post-colonial governments sought to clamp down its influence on politics and society.
Sudanese music legend Mohammed Wardi.
Since the onset of the Second Sudanese Civil War in 1983, the government began increasingly censoring musicians, leaving many artists frustrated over their freedom of expression. As musicians fought for artistic freedom, many of them faced state oppression, which ranged from bans on public performances to physical attacks, with many forced to flee the country.
Activism in pre-independence Sudan
Musicians have contributed immensely to Sudanese culture and have used their public presence to magnify the country’s rich cultural diversity and socio-political conditions. Artists played a crucial role in fuelling the resistance against foreign intrusion, exploitation and dictatorships during both the colonial and post-colonial periods.
As early as 1924, poet and educator Obeid Abdul Nur’s poem ‘Umm Dhafayir’ (The Lady with Plaited Hair) challenged young people to rise up and fight the British colonial administration. The poem would later inspire musicians to highlight the plight of the masses in their songs.
Established in 1938 to challenge colonialism, the Graduates’ General Congress, an association of the educated class, adopted the song ‘Sahi Ya Kanari’ (Wake Up, Canary) and others to enhance its campaign for reforms and to expedite the end of British colonial rule.
Hawa Jah al-Rasoul Mohammed, popularly known as Hawa al-Tagtaga, was one of the earliest female music pioneers and is remembered as a fearless freedom fighter whose politically charged songs inspired the anti-colonial struggle.
Aisha Musa Ahmad, also known as Aisha al-Falatiya, made a name for herself as a singer during the Second World War when she toured the camps of the Sudan Defence Force across North Africa to boost troop morale.
Activism in post-independence Sudan
On 1 January 1956, Anglo-Egyptian Sudan became the independent Republic of Sudan. Since independence, Sudan has been ruled by a series of unstable parliamentary governments and military regimes.
Respected singer Mohammed Wardi’s song ‘October Al Akhdar’ (Green October) was performed during the 1964 revolution when power transitioned from military to civilian rule. The song urged the government to concentrate on agriculture, hence the reference of ‘green’ in the title of the song [2].
Another military coup in May 1969 brought military ruler Jaafar Nimeiry to power. At first, Wardi agreed with the new administration, due to its leftist leanings, but later had a fallout with its leaders and was detained in 1971. In 1983, Nimeiry imposed a strict version of Islamic Sharia law, which further diminished the influential voices of musicians and poets in the country.
In response, Wardi released another political song, ‘Ya Sha’aban Lahabak Thouritak’, which loosely translates to ‘Oh People Your Flame Is Your Revolution’. The song encouraged the masses to shape their own destiny. The regime then called for his imprisonment and the artist fled to the US before moving to Cairo, Egypt. He returned home before passing away in 2012 at the age of 79.
Enemies of the state
Sudanese governments throughout the years have sought to influence musicians for their own political agendas. Artists whose songs and lyrics expose social issues such as poverty, disease, civil war and injustices have historically been branded as ‘enemies of the state’, with various governments taking drastic measures to suppress ‘dissident voices’.
By the 1990s, during the early days of former president Omar al-Bashir’s rule, the government removed off the airwaves all music that did not support political and religious ideology. Singer Abu Araki al-Bakheit was banned from performing political songs. He was arrested and forbidden to perform publicly, after which he retired. News of his retirement prompted intense reactions from his fans, which eventually led him to continue performing in defiance of the authorities. He played with nightclub bands like Rejaf Jazz and The Skylarks.
Female musicians have also suffered government attacks and threats by the Sudanese public who accused them of crossing gender lines by exposing their bodies in spite of Sharia’s rules.
Female musicians like Hanan Bulu Bulu were harassed and detained by government authorities, while groups such as Al Balabil came under close surveillance in the 1970s and the 1980s. Al Balabil was formed by three Nubian sisters, and although their songs were banned under Sharia, the group found a large audience in Ethiopia and other African countries.
In 1998, the National Islamic Front government enacted a new law banning women from dancing with men, or in their presence, during folklore celebrations or wedding parties.
Singer Abazar Hamid suffered the wrath of Bashir after he embarked on a solo career in 2004. His 2007 album Sabahak Rabah (Good Morning Home), which discusses a wide range of topics such as peace, unity and genocide, led to his exile due to direct threats on his freedom.
Sudanese poet, composer and writer Mahjoub Sharif was well known for advocating for gender equality and against dictatorship and the military government. He was repeatedly detained by several leaders in Sudan, including Nimeiry and Bashir, and spent a total of 17 years in prison. He died at his home in Omdurman in 2018 at the age of 66.
The fall of Bashir and return of dissidents
In 2019, Sudanese citizens, protesting against soaring living costs, forced the military to overthrow Bashir’s government. During this time, protesters used the unifying power of music to usher in change. Several dissident musicians returned from exile to celebrate the fall of Bashir’s rule. For the first time in decades, several musicians held concerts urging young people to shape their destiny.
The collapse of Bashir’s hardline government had offered a glimmer of hope for a more free and vibrant cultural space. But in October 2021 army chief Gen Abdel Fattah al-Burhan led a coup that removed from power the country’s transitional government. On 15 April 2023, Sudan descended into another civil war in a conflict between rival factions of the military government, once more bringing the country’s cultural activities to a halt.
