TALK: Pop, Art and Music As Resistance

Art and pop music have been important vehicles for countering oppression throughout the 20th and 21st centuries, globally and in the SWANA region (South West Asia and North Africa). Scenes such as pop music, belly dancing, voguing and ballroom have provided modes of resistance and freedom of expression for gender and political minorities. They have provided spaces for protesting oppression while escaping it, even for a short while. 

As the SWANA region is engulfed in an endless spiral of turbulence and a disproportionately violent war on the Levante and Arabic-speaking people we ask: what role(s) does pop-art play in contexts of war and violence? How are artists in the region creating music, representing causes and defying the various forms of aggression in order to sensitise, shift perceptions and bring about positive change for their peoples and communities within these crisis contexts?

Palestinian Pop artist Bashar Murad and Lebanese electro-pop artist Khansa draw on their extensive audio-visual repertoire, to talk about how they reimagine pop music in general and Arabic pop music in particular to defy norms and status-quos to counter oppressive imaginaries. They will be joined by Bassel Hatoum (Norwegian Centre for Human Rights) and Christina Hazboun (The Sonic Agent) in a panel discussion.

Language: English