Palestinian Music and Song: Expression and Resistance since 1900

10. Palestinian Music: Between Artistry and Political Resistance

156 10 Palestinian Music: Between Artistry and Political Resistance Stig-Magnus Thorsén In this essay Palestinian music is used as a case study in an attempt to understand the use of music as resistance. The discussion and the cultural production that I met during recent travels in the country revealed to me richness not only in the music but also in the discussion about the music. I realized that the study of this specific case could be beneficial to a more general discussion. I think that everyone can learn from the informed statements and cultural praxis manifested by Palestinians . The country is subjected to specific cultural and political circumstances that make issues concerning cultural resistance more explicit—more on the edge. As human rights activist Omar Barghouti told me: Artists cannot be neutral or apathetic. Under conditions of colonial oppression particularly, neutrality is not an option, basically. Even artists who pretend to work under the concept of l’art pour l’art cannot do it. Because as Palestinians they are subject to the same conditions as the rest of the population . (Barghouti, interview) I interpret this statement as a reminder of the conditions all music is subject to. And in order to understand the meaning of music as such, I raise the questions underlying this essay: How does politically committed music sound? What is the relation between aesthetics and politics? How does music function in an aesthetic field charged by resistance? Palestinian Music | 157 The Investigation During the years 2006–2011, I gathered interviews, observations, and texts relating to Palestinian music and its context. At an early date (2007), an interview with Omar Barghouti inspired me to let my investigation take a certain direction. The activist, author, and former choreographer of the distinguished El-Funoun dance group described various ways of thinking that opened my eyes to the Palestinian scene of cultural resistance. He emphasized the difference between the evolutionary art of the oppressed and the defensive art of the oppressed.1 This categorization explained the various functions art could have when reacting to political oppression. Evolutionary art sought development away from a vulnerable situation, whereas defensive art accepted the status quo and expressed only the complaints of the victims. Barghouti’s statements (see also Barghouti 2004) deepen our understanding of music used among Palestinians and indicate the risk of music being used only as an instrument for political purposes. He claims that the inner laws of music must be considered as meaningful; otherwise the humanness of the Palestinians will be corrupted. The victims are the losers, but Palestinians must manifest their general value as human beings. This essay reflects on how various artists and producers look upon the role of music seen against the backdrop of the other essays in this volume. Especially relevant is David A. McDonald’s text describing the political and artistic mechanisms involved in cultural production during the first Intifada (uprising). Elsewhere he also points out the role played by music in shaping national unity. “In developing a new resistance performative founded on the revival of indigenous folklore, musicians , artists, and other intellectuals were in essence establishing new discursive frameworks for imagining the nation” (McDonald 2006a, see also 2006b). What Is Music of Resistance? It is intriguing to explore the music of resistance. How does it sound? What constitutes its power and agency? I have not found easy answers to such questions, as resistance is not in the music per se. It is therefore necessary to understand the relationship between music and several extra-musical factors. In the first place comes context: the human, social, and political environment surrounding musical actions. The context is a structure containing people who are agents in the musical event, such as composers, lyric writers, performers, media, and listeners. The physical environment and adjacent objects taken together make up the context that determines how the sounds will be perceived. I see aesthetic activities as human and therefore always emerging from social situations. A tone can exist in isolation, but as soon as it is produced by a specific person, in a specific space, on a 158 | Stig-Magnus Thorsén specific occasion, and listened to by a specific audience, we cannot escape the fact that each single tone exists in a human context. Following the contextual relation are the connotations that connect to the context but at the same time are tied to a musical strophe by...