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Amplifying Human Rights Through Music: A Tribute to the UDHR (Asian Village Zine #4)

On International Human Rights Day, the United Nations General Assembly adopts the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR), which affirms the freedom, equality, dignity, and fundamental rights of all peoples. However, the promise of inalienable human rights seems contradictory in a world where tyrannous regimes and corporate exploitation persist. This special edition of the Asian Village Zine is dedicated to the UDHR, featuring songs by members of the AMP3 as a form of resistance against oppression.

The songs include “Kon,” “Piren Snal,” “Laya,” “To each, her own faith,” “Wala,” “Likha,” and “Nar.” Each song embodies a specific article in the UDHR, highlighting the shared humanity of individuals, the right to life, liberty, freedom of thought, conscience, and religion, the denial of the right to work and an adequate standard of living, the value of labor, and the right to a clean, healthy, and sustainable environment.

Music is a powerful tool for resistance, transforming the ideals of the UDHR into tangible calls for social justice, human dignity, and the environment. As we commemorate International Human Rights Day, it is essential to remember that the struggle for human rights is ongoing, and collective action and solidarity can bridge the gap between the UDHR and the lived experiences of marginalized communities.

Artist Collective launches album of Pandemic Songs

The Asian Music for People’s Peace and Progress (AMP3), a collective of socially engaged artists across Asia will launch its new album entitled Lockdown Sessions: Songs from the Pandemic, featuring original songs from Bangladesh, Cambodia, Japan, Laos, Malaysia, the Philippines, and Thailand written during the time of the Covid-19 pandemic.

Musicians responded to Covid and the uncertainties and anxieties around it by channeling their creative energies into new compositions dealing with themes related to the pandemic and the ensuing economic crisis.  As AMP3 founder Jess Santiago remarked in the liner notes: “As we all know, the pandemic has caused a lot of fear and anxiety among people. I believe that musicians in particular can help give expression to these fears and anxiety of people through songs.”  

Lockdown Sessions: Songs from the Pandemic  features songs that tackle the anxieties and fear we all felt during those pandemic years.  There are songs here as well about the impacts of the virus on communities across the world, exposing the weaknesses of the public health systems even in more affluent societies. A couple of songs in the collection remind us of  the feeling of isolation and despair from being disconnected  from loved ones, while others make us reflect on larger systemic issues and challenges we must confront with the hope that we will emerge stronger from the pandemic to build a better, more just society.

In the liner notes to the album, AMP3 ends with this message and appeal: “We hope that this collection of pandemic songs serves not just as a poignant reminder of those dark and uncertain times but also why it is important to  continue the struggle for accountability, equity, and justice.” 

Lockdown Sessions: Songs from the Pandemic will be launched on 15 August 7pm at Harong 56 Mother Ignacia corner Dr. Lascano Street, Quezon City. Artists from across the region will be joining in via zoom. The event will be live streamed on AMP3’s Facebook page. #

Contacts:

Bong Ramilo- 09953545069/ bramilo@gmail.com

Jonathan Ronquillo- 09770187701/ jdronquillo2013@gmail.com

Sandrayati Fay (Indonesia)

Born with Filipino/Irish-American roots and raised on the islands of Bali and Java in Indonesia, Sandrayati Fay is a performer, inviting you to experience a spirited journey in the language of her truth, traveling beyond boundaries through music. The pure nature of her songs are captivating stories that spiral around identity, environmental and human rights, and love – expressed by the ethereal texture of her voice shifting between languages, and her intimate guitar playing.

After studying theatre at Emerson College and vocal performance at Berklee College of Music in Boston, USA, Sandrayati has rooted back in Indonesia and in the past year has performed and collaborated with Indonesian legend musicians and activists Iwan Fals and Sawung Jabo and balinese bands Nosstress, Superman is Dead and Navicula as well as weaving her own music alive in her solo songwriting and performing. Sandrayati just released a Live EP, recorded in one day, called ‘Bahasa Hati’, ‘the Language of the Heart’. A total of 9 tracks, 6 songs with 3 tracks of poems and sounds of nature. Performing with raw honesty, Sandrayati is known to immerse her audience in a state that is both healing and empowering – leaving time standing still and hearts hanging by a thread. Just as the Moon sways the tide, Sandrayati sways her audience with her repertoire of sounds, allowing them to discover the depths of their own oceans; creating a transformational and soul-filling experience

The Village Idiots

The Village Idiots is a band that evolved from Banda RR, a collaborative project among NGO workers/musicians to write and perform songs and promote music as a tool/platform for community organizing and education. For 20 years, and through different lineup changes, the band has continued to write and perform songs rooted in both personal and political struggles and aspirations. The Village Idiots has contributed songs and been involved in a number of collaborative projects including the compilation albums Rock against the Round (2005), Stand Up against Poverty (2006), and Huling Balita (Songs for the Disappeared, 2008). They are members of the Asian Movement for People’s Music (AMP3) Collective.

Chi Suwichan

Chi Suwicahn is Karen musician, composer and activist. Using the unique sound of the ethnic musical instrument the Tehnaku he fuses indigenous music and contemporary social themes. Chi has produced 4 albums: Mountqin Forest Burds (2003), Seeds of the Mountain with Ban Jum Mueang Yen Project (2006), Tena and Fiends with Community Forest (2008), and Ta-Ti Ta-Taw (2012). His book I am Tehnaku was the winner of the 1st Karen Global Fellowship Award (Traditional Music and Culture Category).

Bong Ramilo

Bong Ramilo is a Filipino-Australian musician based in Darwin, Australia. Bong is the recipient of the 2018 Australia Council Ros Bower Award for Community Arts and Cultural Development. He was part of the people’s theatre movement and wrote songs for the democracy movement during the Marcos dictatorship before migrating to Australia in 1986; he has worked with Filipino and other communities across Australia as a community-based artist since then. Bong is a member of the Asian Movement for People’s Music.

Jess Santiago

Jesús Manuel Santiago or Jess Santiago is a Filipino male poet, songwriter, singer-composer, protest musician and translator. He is also known affectionately as “Koyang.” Regarded as one of the pioneers of the people’s music movement in the country, he was co-founder and executive director of Musika Philippines, a resource center for people’s music. He co-organized the Musicians for Peace, an association of songwriters and musicians involved with the people’s movement. He has previously recorded two albums of his own songs, Halina (1991) and Obando (1993). He wrote and recorded The Village, the anthem of the Alliance for a Responsible, Plural, and United World. Jess spearheads the Asian Movement for People’s Music (AMP3)collective which is working to build a regional network of socially-engaged musicians.