Songs that sing against censorship

This weekend, Freemuse will present its inaugural award at the Festival of World Cultures to Tiken Jah Fakoly. Siobhán Longspeaks to Freemuse's Marie Korpe about fighting censorship in music

IRAQ, AFGHANISTAN, CHINA, Burma, Zimbabwe and Georgia have all been the subject of media attention in recent times, and one of the greatest challenges in addressing any conflict is the veil that censorship attempts to impose on reality. Amnesty International is one of the institutional voices combating the suppression of free speech in these and countless other countries. Likewise, International Pen advocates for freedom of expression on behalf of poets, novelists and all writers. But what of musicians ostracised for their work, silenced by their governments who oppose the views expressed in their music?

Who remembers Christy Moore's version of Bobby Sands's Back Home In Derry, banned by RTÉ and BBC in the 1980s? Or The Dubliners' Seven Drunken Nights, consigned to silence for fear that its joyous celebration of the gargle would have the entire country consigned to a drunk tank? (That didn't stop it reaching number seven in the UK charts in 1967.)

Censorship is starkly familiar to many musicians worldwide. Freemuse, the world forum on music and censorship, was established in Copenhagen in 1998 "to examine, discuss and document a wide variety of abuses from the apparently benign to the overtly extreme". Marie Korpe, Freemuse's executive director, will present the inaugural Freemuse award to Ivory Coast reggae singer Tiken Jah Fakoly on Saturday at the Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown Festival of World Cultures.

Fakoly has been threatened, banned and exiled from his home country of Ivory Coast, and in December of last year he was declared "persona non grata" in Senegal after criticising Senegal's president and calling for democracy. He now lives in exile in Mali. Korpe views Fakoly's unstintingly stark expression of views as essential to the health of musical expression worldwide. "Tiken is a brilliant representative for the fight for freedom of expression that Freemuse stands for," Korpe says. "The popularity of his music and lyrics shows how important music is as a 'people's media' in Africa and how musicians can play a transnational role as 'truth sayer' as well as a 'media of conscience'."

Korpe sees Freemuse's role as one of documenting violations and their effect on musical life as well as informing the media, human-rights organisations and the public about such violations. Freemuse also provides a limited amount of practical support to musicians in need, which may include acting as observers at their trials. Ultimately, Freemuse is seeking to create a global network in support of threatened musicians and composers. Such threats, whether for political and/or religious reasons, are fundamentally anathema to our notions of a civilised society.

"I think that music and culture are a necessity for human beings," Korpe says. "If you take any form of expression away, such as music, you steal something from people and something from a culture."

After 9/11, media conglomerate Clear Channel sent a communiqué to US radio stations listing songs which shouldn't be given airplay, lest they cause offence. The list included almost anything with a reference to airplanes, guns or skyscrapers. It was an attempt at subliminal censorship that was echoed in Denmark too, Korpe recalls.

"At the Danish Broadcasting Corporation, a single person, responsible for editing music, sent out information to DJs on two stations that they should avoid this and this," she says. "So it can happen, not because an individual considers themselves to be a censor, but out of 'respect' for the victims, but he was totally unconscious of what he was doing. That happens in many countries. Also, in western countries, where we have new terror laws being introduced, we should all nurture our freedom of expression. We shouldn't abuse or misuse it, but we should protect the freedom of expression that was hard won for all of us, living in democracies, by the labour movement, and trade unions over a hundred years ago."

As an advocate for musical freedom, Freemuse fights a lonely battle, with no comparable sister organisations in existence anywhere else in the world.

"When we started, there was no research about freedom of expression in music," Korpe says. "There were books about the Stalin years and about Nazi Germany and the censorship of Jewish composers, yet at the same time there were many organisations working for freedom of expression of the press and the media. None of those organisations have included musicians in their work. Writers are well organised and International Pen is very well organised, but to be honest, musicians are not very good at organising themselves. They are like dancers: they express themselves in a different way. Journalists and writers have the power in their pen. They write to express themselves."

FREEMUSE'S WEBSITE extensively documents violations of freedom of expression on behalf of musicians from the Sudan to Burma, Cameroon, China and the US. Kris Kristofferson speaks volubly about his experiences of being muzzled as a result of his observations on everything from the Iran Contra affair to the perils of speaking out in a post-9/11 tight-lipped society. Bringing musicians together and tapping into a shared solidarity is another benefit of Freemuse's activities, Korpe believes.

"At our world conferences, we have created networks between musicians from different parts of the world, which have led to collaborations across oceans and language barriers," she says. "Many musicians have felt marginalised, and when they come to our conferences, they meet others [and that] has led to artistic exchanges and work opportunities, which have been fantastic."

Perhaps Freemuse's most intriguing activity has been bringing censors and musicians together to reflect on the impact of censorship in practical and tangible ways. Korpe likens this work to what occurred in South Africa's Truth and Reconciliation Commission, post-apartheid. Creating this kind of dialogue isn't easy, but it's an essential step towards a shared understanding of what musical expression means, she suggests.

"At our first conference, we had Ray Phiri, who played on Paul Simon's Gracelandalbum, and another musician, and the person who was in charge of censorship at the South African Broadcasting Corporation," Korpe recounts. "So it was this white woman and these two black musicians. I think she was a very brave woman, but there was an understanding from the audience that this was not an easy thing for either of them to do. There was a respect there between the musicians and the censor, but it's not easy to confess that you've been doing wrong in front of everyone's eyes. So there were no hugs and kisses but at least they talked and discussed censorship."

Freemuse has taken this dialogue a stage further, making a film about a former policeman in South Africa, Paul Erasmus, whose job was to destroy the career of a white protest musician, Roger Lucey. The musician protested against racial discrimination, and his career was totally undermined by the interventions of the police, who arrested him and tear-gassed his concerts. Freemuse's film documents what happened, and to date has screened it in Turkey, the Lebanon, the US and beyond, with the musician and policeman sharing a stage and discussing the impact of their actions with audiences.

"We feel that working with the censors is very important," Korpe says. "We can't change the world, but at least we can reach people and make them realise what they do. We had a censor from northern Nigeria who set up a censorship board because he loved music. A lot of music was banned in the area because of the presence of Islamic police, so this man decided to set up the board and include people who were critical of music on the board. His view was that it was better to do that, as otherwise there would be no music at all. So there are many ways to achieve our goals."

Tiken Jah Fakoly plays the Festival of World Cultures in Dún Laoghaire, Dublin on Saturday (5.45pm, Newtownsmith stage, adm free),  www.festivalofworldcultures.com