"Martin Luther King said, 'Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere' and that resonates well with the artists of Gaza who have little ways to express themselves. They young besieged talents were super thrilled to see a group of Swedish musicians come to Gaza with a music initiative "Music Against Violence" to record a music project with them. Tens of them answered the call, and yes there was lots of sax music.
This is some footage of their rehearsal, not the official video yet, but it gives you an idea the direction the song is taking. Prior to this project, there was lots of training, and workshops to get artists with Eastern music backgrounds, to incorporate them into more Western style.
Gaza got to sing for Martin Luther King Jr. (MLK), and the universal principle of justice. Guys and gals stood tall as they performed in a local Gaza venue the song they have been training for about two months. The choir was an interesting mixture of voices varying in talents, the music was good. Very Western and American flavor. MLK has never been to Gaza, but another American icon who has fought for civil rights visited it--Malcolm X.
I spoke to a young participant, who told me she took part of this initiative to communicate one message, that Gaza is not just war and destruction, there are talented artists who celebrate peace. Lina has added, "we could not really get around or travel to get the other musicians from within Palestine to take part of their song" She added, "the voice training and coaching was not easy, as there are many people with varying talents who wanted to sing" One of the benefits for Lina was that even though she was singing as a hobby before, with the training she learned about the different voice ranges and layers, she leaner more about music.
This is what the Swedish musicians had to work with, make local young people singers in a short period of time. Inclusion was the key. None of these kids sing professionally, but nevertheless they wanted to belong to something with international dimensions. This has been a tough journey for the musicians. Not only did they have to teach them to sing, but also to improve their English. This is no masterpiece, but it's just a perfect tool to voice opposition to the siege and the occupation on Gaza. The musicians made dreamers out of these local talents, and for that they deserve a lot of credit.
Hat Tip To Lina N. El-Madhoun for her work on behalf of the group
Freedom - Marthin Luther King Speach
Praise God - Duke Ellington
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