Hi This week Tolley and I decided on the theme of music in activism and activist music.  The program is dedicated to musicians like Azer Cirttan (exiled singer songwriter from Azerbaijan), Farhad Darya (who was banned by the Taliban in Afghanistan), censored Iranian singer, Parisa, and imprisoned Cameroonian singer songwriter Lapiro De Mbango who was imprisoned for 3 years for his song Constitution Constipee about the Cameroonian government.  He was released very recently (8 April).

Songlist for this week
YOTHU YINDI – Treaty (In 1988 at the Barunga Festival in the NT, Prime Minister Bob Hawke promised that a treaty would be made between the Australian government and Aboriginal Australians by 1990.  The promise was never realised.  This song written by Yothu Yindi with Paul Kelly and Midnight Oil reminds us of that broken promise)
FARHAD DARYA – Salaam Afghanistan (2004, he performed at the first concert in Teheran after the fall of the Taliban and Farhad returned from exile)
FELA KUTI – Water No Enemy (from the album “Expensive s**t” which was released after Kuti decided to turn his home in Nigeria into an independent state, after a particularly turbulent time of him speaking out against the government.
FEMI KUTI – Nobody Beg (Fela Kuti’s son continues to use music as a vehicle for getting strong messages across)
BILLY BRAGG – The Price of Oil (telling it as he saw it – the reason for the Iraq War)
SA TRADE UNION CHOIR – Power in a Union (Billy Bragg’s song, reminding us of the significance of the Labour movement; and this version a reminder of the role that union choirs, community choirs and choral groups have had in political activism – uplifting, encouraging, supporting and remembering …)
PETE SEEGER, STEPHEN SMITH & DJ SPOOKY – The Bell (again from the time of the Iraq War, but this anti-war message could apply to many generations.  Pete Seeger still holding true to his values in song)
MARGRET ROADKNIGHT – What should I wear to the revolution (A very important question!  Like a similar song “If I can’t dance I don’t want your revolution”, questioning the seriousness of making change.  You need to lift the spirits, to laugh, to dance, as well as connect to people’s intellects …)
BILL HICKS – excerpt from live at the Oxford Playhouse
PAUL KELLY – Blues for Skip (from Liberdade East Timor)
THE DILI ALLSTARS – Liberdad (Doing what musos do well – get together and create music and actively support movements for change)
THE HESHOO BESHOO GROUP – Wait and See
FLAMING SOULS – Mosquito  (These last two tracks are from a great album Next Stop Soweto, music produced in the midst of Apartheid South Africa)
LAPIRO DE MBANGO – Constitution Constipee (the song that put Lapiro in prison for 3 years).

Thanks to those of you that gave suggestions!  Much appreciate your input to the show.

Check out Freemuse for more information about music and censorship across the world.