LISTEN TO THE BANNED

www.freemuse.org
F R E E M U S E & D E E YA H P R E S E N T
L IS T E N T O T HE BA NNE D
“All censorships exist to prevent anyone from challenging current conceptions and
existing institutions. All progress is initiated by challenging current conceptions,
and executed by supplanting existing institutions. Consequently, the first condition
of progress is the removal of censorship.”
George Bernard Shaw, Irish born British playwright
“Censorship obstructs the ways to utilize human creativity and we should fight it.
And the best way to defend is to attack.”
Vedat Türkali, writer, Turkey
“There is no-one more deaf than the person who refuses to hear.”
Fadal Dey, singer and composer, Ivory Coast
“The singer’s voice goes straight to the heart of the listener and it is that simple
strength that so terrifies the politician and the law enforcer.”
Roger Lucey, musician and composer, South Africa
“Everybody can’t read a book, but everyone can hear music and get the
message from music.”
Sivan Perwer, Exiled Kurdish /Turkish musician & composer
“You can certainly find musicians who are dangerous to the state, for the
system. But musicians must speak the truth.”
Ferhat Tunç, Kurdish/Turkish musician & composer
FOREWORD
Music is life. It is devotion. It is the voice of history, culture and tradition. The purity and
honesty of music makes it among the most powerful languages that speak to us all,
regardless of socio-economic background, irrespective of racial, political or cultural
identity, rich or poor, educated or illiterate. Music speaks to our emotions and to our core
as individuals. This very direct and powerful form of expression can make music and its
practitioners the target of those who fear what music can invoke in people and therefore
has become an artistic expression that many want to silence through different means.
FREEMUSE believe in the importance of protecting and supporting music as a form of
expression, not just because it can provide entertainment and escape for millions around
the world, but it is also a strong indicator of our times and societies.
Though I am personally unable to continue my journey as a performer and singer, I believe
it is my duty to stand in solidarity with my fellow artists, musicians and composers.
I believe in the essential work of Freemuse and truly hope this album will help provide
an even bigger platform for Freemuse as well as help towards raising awareness of these
amazing artists, not just their music, but also their inspiring stories.
This is a collection of songs from artists around the world who have faced censorship or
had their music banned. These artists and others like them in the different corners of the
world must have the right to exist and freely express their feelings and opinions through
their art. We can not allow our freedom of expression to be compromised. Music must not
be silenced. — D e e y a h
TIKEN JAH FAKOLY
CÔTE D’IVOIRE / MALI
MAHSA VAHDAT
IRAN
M A H S A VA H D AT
Mahsa Vahdat is a strong advocate of freedom of expression. Her stunning voice has
caught international attention but remains unheard to Iranians. After Iran’s Islamic
Revolution in 1979, severe restrictions were imposed on artists and as a consequence,
several famous musicians and vocalists left the country. Female singers who stayed
behind had to make written promises not to sing in public. Music schools were closed
for a decade, and musicians were forbidden employment in the public sector. There
were law enforcement crackdowns on private musical gatherings.
Today in Iran, women can practice various musical forms but they cannot sing in public
for mixed audiences. They can participate in for-women-only concerts, some of which
the Ministry of Culture organises annually. Women can also sing in the company of a
male singer or as part of a choir. Mahsa Vahdat refuses to perform for women only. Thus
her concerts are held outside Iran.
Born in Tehran in 1973, Mahsa Vahdat entered the Art University in Tehran in 1993 and
graduated from the Music Faculty with a BA in Music. She has released several albums
and took part in the 2004 thought-provoking musical statement “Lullabies from the
Axis of Evil.” Freemuse Award Winner 2010.
MAHSA VAHDAT
Mystery 05:00
Music by: Atabak Elyasi
Melody by: Mahsa Vahdat and Atabak Elyasi
Lyrics by: Atabak Elyasi and Layegh Shir Ali
Licensed from: Kirkelig Kulturverksted
NOFKF0807020
FA R H A D D A R YA
To millions of Afghans, Farhad Darya symbolized the return of music after the Taliban’s
fall in 2001. The Taliban banned music, films, and television in Afghanistan during their
rule from 1996 until they were overthrown in 2001. After the Taliban’s fall, one of the first
voices heard on radio was Farhad Darya who has been one of the most influential
musicians on the popular Afghan music scene since the mid -1980’s. He went into exile
when the Taliban ruled the country, but remained popular with millions of Afghans.
Farhad Darya currently resides in the USA. He is performing to large communities of exiled
Afghans all over the world and has returned to Afghanistan several times to perform.
FARHAD DARYA
Arooss-e-Aftaw 03:43
Music by: Farhad Darya
Lyrics by: Qahar Asi
Published by: Rabaab Publishing Company
Licensed from: Darya Management
NOGHH1049010
FARHAD DARYA
AFGHANISTAN
LAPIRO DE MBANGA
CAMEROON
LAPIRO DE MBANGA
Described as an “unceremonial sheriff of the backyards,” Lapiro has used the power of
popular music to campaign for social reforms in his native Cameroon for nearly twenty
years. Angered by high living costs and a constitutional change that would allow the
president to stay in power indefinitely, protesters in Cameroon took to the streets in 2008.
Amid nationwide strikes and mass demonstrations, Lapiro composed the song
“Constitution Constipée,” (Constipated Constitution), in which he describes the country’s
president, Paul Biya, as “caught in the trap of networks that oblige him to stay in power
even though he is tired.” The song became an unofficial anthem of the protests, and
Lapiro was arrested and charged of inciting youth unrest. In September 2009, he was
sentenced three years imprisonment and ordered to pay a fine of 280 million CFA francs
(640,000 US dollars) as compensation for damage caused during the riots.
Nominated by Freemuse, Lapiro in November 2009 was selected as the winner of the
global “Freedom to Create Imprisoned Artist Prize”. The jury panel, which included
renowned conductor Daniel Barenboim, argued that “his songs constitute a cultural
megaphone by which the disenfranchised and politically endangered can vicariously
exercise free speech.”
LAPIRO DE MBANGA
Constitution Constipée 07:33
Music by: Lapiro de Mbanga
Lyrics by: Lapiro de Mbanga
Licensed from: Lapiro de Mbanga
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MARCEL KHALIFE
On November 3, 1999, Marcel Khalife stood before the Beirut Court of First Instance
accused of blasphemy — charges that could warrant six months to six years imprisonment.
Evidence of the crime was his song “Oh My Father, I am Yusif,” based on a poem by the
renowned Palestinian poet and writer Mahmoud Darwish. The song is from the album
“Arabic Coffeepot,” released in 1995. The story of Yusif (Joseph) and his brothers inspired
the song, and lyrics include a verse from the Qur’an. The song’s citation of a Qur’anic verse
drew hostile attention from Dar-al-Fatwa, Lebanon’s highest Sunni authority, which ruled
that singing verses from the Qur’an was “absolutely banned.” On December 14, 1999,
the court found Marcel Khalife innocent of blasphemy.
In March 2007, fundamentalist members of the Parliament in Bahrain attacked a dance
performance that included Khalife’s music and Bahraini Qassim Haddad’s poems.
The setting of an epic love poem entitled “Majnoon Laila,” or “Laila Wal Majnoon,”
(e.g. “Laila and the Possessed” or “Laila and the Madman”) inspired controversy.
The performance was premiered in Bahrain on March 1, 2007 during the inaugural Spring
of Culture Festival organised by the Bahraini Ministry of Information.
MARCEL KHALIFE
Oh My Father, I am Yusif 06:58
Music by: Marcel Khalife
Lyrics by: Mahmoud Darwish
Published by: Nagam Cultural Project
Licensed from: Nagam Records
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MARCEL KHALIFE
LEBANON
CHIWONISO MARAIRE
ZIMBABWE
CHIWONISO MARAIRE
Originally a strong supporter of President Robert Mugabe’s land reforms in Zimbabwe,
Chiwoniso Maraire started openly criticizing the lack of competence, the increasing
corruption and lack of free speech. After experiencing uncivil interrogations by the police,
she decided to leave Zimbabwe in 2007.
Chiwoniso Maraire was born in Olympia, Washington in 1976.
Her father, ethnomusicologist Dumisani Maraire, taught marimba and mbira in America
between 1972 and 1990. He was a renowned stage performer, as was her mother, Linda
Nemarundwe Maraire.
In 1990, Chiwoniso’s family relocated to Zimbabwe.
In the mid-1990’s she became a full-time member of the Zimbabwean group Andy Brown
& The Storm. In 1999, she was a nominee in the “Best Female Vocals of Africa” category
of the KORA Awards. Chiwoniso left Andy Brown & The Storm to concentrate on her solo
career in 2001.
CHIWONISO MARAIRE
Rebel Woman 04:31
Music by: Chiwoniso Maraire
Lyrics by: Chiwoniso Maraire
Published by: Cumbancha LLC
Licensed from: Cumbancha LLC
GB5CD0800812
TIKEN JAH FAKOLY
CÔTE D’IVOIRE
T I K E N J A H F A K O LY
An idol for millions of Africans who feel disenfranchised and repressed, Tiken Jah Fakoly has
tirelessly denounced political corruption in his home country, Côte d’Ivoire (Ivory Coast). The
song “Quitte le Pouvoir” (“Leave the Power”) co-recorded with his close friend, Senegalese
rapper Didier Awadi, has become an African anthem against political corruption. He has
been threatened and banned but has never compromised.
Following a political crisis in Côte d’Ivoire during which a number of close friends (among
them the actor Camara H) were brutally killed, Tiken Jah Fakoly went into exile in Mali and
was granted political asylum in 2003. Joining the young democratic movement in Senegal
in December 2007, Tiken was declared “persona non grata” in Senegal after criticizing
Senegal’s president and calling for democracy.
In his songs, Tiken Jah Fakoly even tackles pan-African taboo subjects such as female genital
mutilation and corrupt marabouts (religious leaders).
Born in 1968 into a family of griots in north-western Côte d’Ivoire, Tiken discovered
reggae at an early age, assembling his first group, Djelys, in 1987.
In 2008, he received the Freemuse Award.
TIKEN JAH FAKOLY feat. Didier Awadi
Quitte Le Pouvoir 04:22
Music by: Tiken Jah Fakoly
Lyrics by: Didier Awadi and Tiken Jah Fakoly
Published by: Sony Atv Publishing
Licensed from: Universal Music AS
FRZ010401660
ABAZAR HAMID
Abazar Hamid has had many of his songs censored by authorities in Sudan. In 2005 he
quit his job as an architect to devote himself full time to the more controversial goal of
using music to transform a country so often at war with itself. Abazar, who had played
with bands for several years, submitted his peace and love songs to the government’s
music monitoring committee, which mostly censored and rejected them. Only the most
innocuous of his love songs have been played on Sudanese radio.
Unlike most other artists Abazar contested the authorities with the help of his lawyer.
Once he even cut a pragmatic deal with the censors to let him record and produce
“New Sudan” and “Peace Darfur” in exchange for never singing a song he wrote titled
“Enough”.
Abazar Hamid in 2008 – rather unsuccessfully – travelled to rural areas of the country
trying to convince traditional Arab ‘hate singers’ known as the Janjaweed women to sing
about peace. Getting back to Khartoum things got politically “too hot” for Abazar, who
went into exile in Cairo in late 2008. “Salam Darfur” is a song in support of the victims of
the conflicts in Darfur.
ABAZAR HAMID
Salam Darfur 03:59
Music by: Abazar Hamid
Lyrics by: Abazar Hamid
Licensed from: Abazar Hamid
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ABAZAR HAMID
SUDAN
KAMILYA JUBRAN
ISRAEL / PALESTINE
K A M I LY A J U B R A N
Born in the Israeli town of Akka (Acre) in 1963, Palestinian singer Kamilya Jubran has
forged one of the most iconoclastic and courageous careers in the Middle East. Jubran’s
childhood was bathed in the music of her oudist father and vocalist mother. She settled
in Jerusalem in 1981, and for twenty years, Kamilya was the lead singer of Sabreen, one
of the most influential Palestinian music groups. Sabreen was formed in 1980 with its
sight set on the development of the Palestinian modern song, reflecting humanitarian and
cultural reality, and the suffering endured from political conflicts.
Sabreen represented the voice of resistance, the struggle for freedom, and a deep and
dynamic artistic-political process that created a new style of a modern Arabic song.
Kamilya plays oud, qanoon, and other Eastern instruments. Since 2002, she has been
creating and performing her own songs and music. She is based in Paris and as any other
Palestinian artist carrying an Israeli passport, she is limited in her freedom of movement as
is the distribution of her music because of political conflicts.
KAMILYA JUBRAN
Al Shatte’ Al Akhar 04:47
Music by: Kamilya Jubran and Werner Hasler
Electronic music by: Werner Hasler
Lyrics by: Dimetri Analis
Published by: Kamilya Jubran and Werner Hasler
Licensed from: Kamilya Jubran
CH2170046103
K U R A S H S U LTA N
In the 1990’s, Kurash Sultan became a symbol for the Uighur resistance movement
protesting Chinese dominance and cultural oppression. The Uighurs, an indigenous people
of East Turkistan in north-western China, is struggling to preserve their language and
culture.
Many of his songs were banned by Chinese authorities because they expressed frustrations
and aspirations of the Uighur people and when the Chinese authorities ordered a three
year house arrest, he decided to flee the country and went to Kyrgyzstan. Here he
recorded the album ”Wake up Turkistan,” which led to an imprisonment for nine months
after pressure from Chinese authorities. He wrote “Atlan Dok” (“To Freedom”) in his
prison cell.
In the late 1990’s – after his release – he was granted political asylum in Sweden. Here he
met one of this country’s most respected and globally-oriented musicians, Ale Möller, who
invited Sultan to play in his band.
Kurash Sultan died in November 2006 – a week before he was going to speak and
perform at the 3rd Freemuse World Conference in Istanbul under the title “Music Will Not
Be Silenced.”
KURASH SULTAN
Atlan Dok 05:33
Music by: Kurash Sultan
Lyrics by: Kurash Sultan
Arranged by: Ale Möller
Licensed from: Bonnier Amigo Music Group AB
SEACA0401080
KURASH SULTAN
UIGHURISTAN
FERHAT TUNÇ
TURKEY
F E R H AT T U N Ç
Death threats, police brutality and endless court cases have become unwelcome
companions to the life of songwriter, and political activist Ferhat Tunç. Born in 1964 in
Turkey’s easternmost region, Dersim, Ferhat Tunç experienced linguistic and cultural
repression as a child. An Alevit belonging to the Kurdish minority, he was allowed neither
to practice his religion, to speak his own language in public, nor to listen to Kurdish songs.
Due to internal political conflicts in Turkey, where a neo-fascist group called “The Grey
Wolves,” the police and the army targeted minorities, students, the working class and left
wing intellectuals, Ferhat Tunç emigrated to Germany in 1979. Since his return to Turkey in
1985, he has released 20 albums, all containing songs that protest the oppression of
Kurdish people, language, and culture. His songs are censored by the national Turkish
Radio and Television as well as at Turkish festivals.
Several concerts have been stopped by the police, and Tunç has been imprisoned and
continues to face several court cases. In spite of harassment and threats, Ferhat Tunç
continues his musical career to the delight of his fans.
Winner of the Freemuse Award 2010 alongside Mahsa Vahdat.
FERHAT TUNÇ
Alisero 05:35
Music by: Umur Hozatli
Lyrics by: Umur Hozatli
Published by: Ideal Muzik Yapim/ Ferhat Tunç
Licensed from: Ferhat Tunç
NOGHH1049050
AZIZA BRAHIM
In her songs, Aziza evokes exile, the right to freedom, and human rights. Aziza mixes her
songs at concerts with speeches about Western Sahara, the disputed area invaded in 1975
by Morocco.
The authorities in Morocco censor her music because they consider her songs to champion
and celebrate those Sahrawi people who have been tortured, killed, or reported missing
during the conflict that has driven hundreds of thousands Sahrawis into neighbouring
Algeria.
Aziza’s family comes from El Aaiun, the capital of former Spanish colony Western Sahara.
She was in exile even before she was born. In 1976, her pregnant mother fled to a refugee
camp in Tindouf, Algeria. Consequently, Aziza never met her father who stayed behind in
the occupied area. She received a scholarship to study in Cuba at the age of eleven. She
wanted to study music, but this was rejected. At 18 she left school to pursue a musical
career. Aziza never forgot her roots and returned to the camps, not as a 19-year old
musical ingénue, but as a voice for the Sahrawis – a people fighting for independence.
AZIZA BRAHIM
Regreso 05:31
Music by: Aziza Brahim
Lyrics by: Aziza Brahim
Published by: Master Own Reaktion
Licensed from: Aziza Brahim
FR6V80821176
AZIZA BRAHIM
WESTERN SAHARA
HAROON BACHA
PAKISTAN
HAROON BACHA
Haroon Bacha is a popular Pashtun singer from Peshawar, Pakistan. Because of his music’s
messages of pluralism and peace, he became a prime target of the campaign against
music by religious extremists in North West Frontier Province. In 2008, he was forced to
flee the country, leaving behind his family and seeking asylum in New York City.
Determined to continue making music, Bacha recorded a new album and began working
with Radio Liberty in Washington, DC, where he hosts cultural and musical programs with
the Pashto service.
HAROON BACHA
Speena Kontara 06:46
Music by: Haroon Bacha
Lyrics by: Ajmal Khattak
Licensed from: Haroon Bacha
NOGHH1049070
FA D A L D E Y
When Fadal Dey took part in the 3rd Freemuse World Conference in Istanbul in 2006 he
talked about self censorship: “There are lines I can’t cross, so I practice self-censorship in
a way,” he said. However his song “Bat Government” advocating for more democracy in
Africa was too much for National Radio and TV in his home country and thus was never
played.
Born in 1966 in Bouaflé, Côte d’Ivoire, Fadal Dey (real name: Koné Ibrahima Kalilou)
became singer and reggae musician under the name of Fadal Dey after starting off in
theatre. Having recorded a four-track demo in 1993, he released his first album “Religion”
which sold more than 100,000 copies and his reputation quickly crossed the borders.
Defending the artists’ intellectual property rights Fadal on 31 May, 2007 took part in a
demonstration against piracy. He was knocked unconscious by stones thrown by
bootleggers.
FADAL DEY
Non Au Racisme 04:18
Music by: Fadal Dey
Lyrics by: Fadal Dey
Licensed from: Mande Roots Productions De Fadal Dey/Music Plus
NOGHH1049090
FADAL DEY
COTE D’IVOIRE
AMAL MURKUS
ISRAEL /PALESTINE
AMAL MURKUS
Amal Murkus is a Palestinian singer born and living in Israel. While her music has been
rejected by every major Israeli record company, it has set new standards in expressions
with cross-Mediterranean influences. Singing in Arabic about suffering, sadness and hope,
Amal constantly struggles against exclusion and marginalisation of Arab music and culture
by Israeli media.
Palestinians carrying an Israeli passport are denied entrance into most Arab speaking
countries, and in their own country, they are often seen as “enemies within.” Amal
Murkus, hailed as of the most beautiful voices of the 20th century by Austrian TV in
2001, considers herself a “Palestinian singer,” and believes that her national pride causes
discomfort for many Israeli Jews. Her feminism has caused several disputes with the Islamic
Movement in Israel.
She says “I suppose that the people from the Islamic Movement are bothered by my social
agenda. I criticise not only the Jews, but also what is happening in my own society. I call
for the liberation and empowerment of women. If they do not progress, society will not
progress.”
AMAL MURKUS
Bhallelak 02:40
Music: Traditional Palestinian Lullaby
Published by: 8Note
Licensed from: Amal Murkus
NOGHH1049080
CREDITS & THANKS
FREEMUSE AND DEEYAH PRESENT
LISTEN TO THE BANNED
Album artwork designed by:
Andrea Gill for Fuuse Media
Mastered by: Darin Prindle
Executive Producers: Deeyah & Ole Reitov for Freemuse
FREEMUSE and DEEYAH would like to give a very special thanks to:
Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (Sida), Freedom To Create
Prize, Roy Eldridge, GRAPPA MUSIKKFORLAG, Heilo Records, James Wyllie, Mole
Musikk, Soapbox Studios, Marybeth Campeau, Fuuse Media, Pedro Carvalho, Jay
Wilson, Chase Curry and all the great artists contributing to this CD.
“All that is banned is desired” (‘Kul Mamnou Marghoub’)
Arab saying
“He who knows nothing is an idiot, but he who knows and says nothing is
a criminal”
Lounès Matoub, murdered Berber singer
“Music has the ability to fly: one cannot catch nor grab it.
How could you possibly put a song behind bars? How can people kill a rhythm,
a ballad, a refrain? Among all the possible aspects of censorship,
music censorship is the most absurd and odious.”
Dario Fo, Nobel Literature Prize Laureate, satirist, playwright,
theater director, actor, and composer
“You can cage the singer but not the song”
TIKEN JAH FAKOLY
Harry Belafonte, singer, USA
CÔTE D’IVOIRE / MALI
“Music should never be harmless”
Robbie Robertson, musician & composer, USA
F R E E M U S E & D E E YA H P R E S E N T
LISTEN TO THE BANNED
HCD7249