Music an advocacy tools

This society is searching intensely to find ways to address issues that affect youth for  generations. It continues to go down blind alleys and run into dead end. The question often asked is whether Arts, Musics and poetry can  bring about social change and justice. As programs Director at the DNCC on many occasions students discussed with the issues that have  a profound effect on their lives, ie, gang, Violence, insecurity, unemployment, unsafe neigborhood, housing, police brutality to name a few. To address these issues, the Theater Arts program was created. Since its inception, the program has tackled several issues for example Teen violence, Unhelathy relationship, Love, Unity and Self respect. The program gave the students a channel of communication to address these issues in a way that promotes social change and justice. This year, the program takes a new direction for the better, through the support of the BARR Foundation program culture for change. As a result, I begin to appreciate the the Theater Arts program much more, because I see , first hand the impact it has on several students already. The program also reminds  me of the the impact  music has  in social change  and  social Justice. As a child growing in Haiti, under a dictatorship regine  for 29 years. Students could not expresss themselves. The freedom of press was abolished  and  students were not free to advocate for changes. Thanks to a  few brave musicians and groups , such as Scorpio fever with song like ” Ti moune yo” little children, they addressed the issue of poverty and lack of access to education,  song like ” Ke makak” the monkey tail, adressed , the notion of  a lifetime president ( president for life) as being unconstitutional,  Ti manno “Travay se libete”,  addressed the concern of teen unemployment and Bob Marley, songs regarding injustice and Wealth disparity . The Students were able to mobolize and used such songs to  create a movement which eventually got rid of  the Duvalier regine. It is clear that the students at DCNCC have several issues that they want to tackle through music and poetry to advocate social change and social justice. I read from a recent blog that music is part of civilization and music  lessons teach us to how to teach ourselves. It develps communication and  listening skills. But for  their musics  and the courgage of many  Haitian musicians  Haiti would  continue to be governed by a dictator; although  things look almost the same.  There is no question  in my view that  music is power . It  can change  the way we fuction and  see  ourselves . It can be used a  lens through  through which we see the injustice in this world.

Rev. Dr.  Ricardo Telemaque

Youth Programs Director

Bonachy@Dcncc.org

Posted by Rev. Pierre Louis Zephir | October 29, 2008 

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