M.I.A versus Pussy Riot: the Reality of Rebellion

I recently saw a trailer for M.I.A’s documentary about, what I assume since the trailer did not divulge much, her life and her roots. M.I.A was born in London to parents of Tamil descent. Allegedly her father was one of the founding members of the Eelam Revolutionay Organisation of Students, otherwise known as EROS (ironically), an affiliate of the Tamil Tigers of Eelam, a separatist military organisation founded in 1976. Their objective was to create an independent state in the north and east of Sri Lanka for the Tamil people, a bloody mission which became known as the Sri Lankan Civil War, which continued to wreak havoc until 2009.

To be honest, I cannot tell you much about what the documentary is about. It seems to provide raw footage into the life of M.I.A whilst demonstrating that the world is truly against her and her rebellious mission to make music, all because she comes from a father who was once affiliated with the Tamil Tigers. And that seems to be M.I.A’s thing; the world is always against her. She tries to bring art to the world and they, the public, turn her and what she represents into pop culture; she tries to show them the ugly truth of the world and yet everyone ignores her; she constantly gets slammed by “haters” who obviously don’t understand her or her music. It seems like all M.I.A is doing is fighting an upward battle; truly trying to enlighten the masses of the type of world we live in.

In Russia, two girls have been sent to two separate penal colonies. One of these young women went on hunger strike for eleven days because she was against the heightened security control at her facility: a measure she believed was taken in order to cause other prisoners in the facility, many of them convicted of serious crimes, to turn against her. After 11 days, she terminated her strike since the conditions she demanded, that security be returned to normal, were met. Maria Alekhina is 25 years old and has a son who waits for her return.

Pussy Riot is composed of between 11 to 15 members. Those who have not been imprisoned have fearlessly talked to foreign media to demonstrate their outrage at the imprisonment of their fellow band members as well as explain, in a well-spoken manner, both in English and Russian, what they represent as a group: feminism, LGBT rights and opposition to Vladimir Putin and his relationship to the Russian Orthodox Church, hence their “guerrilla” performance in a Russian Cathedral.

I am not a fan of punk. I just have to put that out there. The screaming into a microphone about everything that angers you just doesn’t quite hit home for me. However, when it comes to political and social activism, I admire the members of Pussy Riot and their punk music; they fought and stood by their principles, even when it lead them to imprisonment. When you hear a member of Pussy Riot speak, they are eloquent and direct in their message. They have caused a wave, a spark to spread across the world and no matter what happens in the end, they fought for what they believed in and inspired others to do so.

M.I.A does not seem to know what she is fighting for. I have watched and listened to interview after interview, music video after music video and there are only very small moments where she comes across as an independent thinking, socially thoughtful individual. At times she is painful to watch, as she seems to have no words to make meaning of what she feels, and when she does, they come out in clichés. As for what she is fighting for, your guess is as good as mine.  Her music is considered by some to be “avant garde” and she was named by Esquire magazine as one of the most influential people of the 21^st century in 2010. Time Magazine named her one of the 100 most influential people in the world. Yet, I have yet to read or hear of what she is aiming to achieve.

This article is not trying to slam M.I.A. It is just a questioning of what she is about. I am sure she has a vision of the world she would like to live in and she has, in her music videos and music, made the Western world meet the East, but only to a point and only enough to satisfy the craving of pop culture for something rebellious. She and her legacy will pass within a blink of an eye. Pussy Riot, on the other hand, will live within the minds of all who wish to see a change in the mentality of their society. Is that what M.I.A truly wants but cannot seem to achieve?

A Moment of Quiet Reflection

We awoke on Saturday morning in Greenpoint, Brooklyn. The sun was already glaring down on the city as it had been for the past two weeks. The heat of New York is, as I have learnt, intolerable. Especially when you are trying to save money on electricity bills. Barney had the innovation and the graciousness to put up fans in two of the three rooms in the apartment but it seemed that all they did was push around the hot, humid air entering the building. It sapped all of our energy, leaving us tired, irritable and very much in need of a getaway.

By midday Saturday we were well on our way to Providence via train. Greens and blues started to enter the landscape as we travelled further out of the city and with it, we became more and more relaxed, ready to commune in some way, with nature.

To me, the Cape used to be a prison. As a teenager, when everyone else was flocking to the Cape to soak up the sun’s rays and frolic on the beach, I was feeling sorry for myself; I was in a boring place where I was completely dependent on my mother and father to drive me around.

Alas, things have changed now and I appreciate the Cape for its natural beauty and freedom from the hustle and bustle of the city. In fact, my sentiments towards this muscular arm of land (the Cape is shaped like an arm with Woods Hole residing in the armpit) started to change last fall, when I began my internship at WCAI, the local NPR station; my first step towards my future in journalism. I began to appreciate the quiet certitude it brought me-- that tomorrow, I would see the same faces, go to the same coffee shop and the end of the day, be happy and at peace with the world. What brought on this sudden change in me was most likely a certain maturity and desire for quiet that I have never had before. Perhaps, but what is certain, Barney and I were so happy to be escaping the heat of NYC for something a little more refreshing.

Maybe it was the lack of natural colors in my life or the heavy spring rains Cape Cod has experienced, or a combination of the two, but the flowers were almost unnatural in their color and beauty: an attribute of the Cape I had never really admired before. Everywhere, flowers bloomed with extravagant glory, making it hard to believe anything so natural, could be so vivid in color.

It was heavenly walking along the quiet roads of Woods Hole and even taking a dip in the not so nippy Atlantic waters. For a change, we just were, just existed. There was no hustle going on, fewer angry individuals to deal with and no real schedule. Most importantly, I spent time with my two heroes: Steve and Irene, also known as my parents. I got to hear them recount tales, some that I was a part of, others that transpired before my time but all equally wonderful to hear and be a part of, whether vicariously or in the flesh.

And now we head back to the city that never sleeps, where the heat wave has yet to break. Yet we go back with the assurance that there is a place out there, that begins just beyond the city limits, where one can enjoy the sounds of birds, see flowers bloom and watch waves break along the shore.

And that gives me the strength to make the most of these next couple of weeks even if I am working a job that it not fulfilling and living in a not so cheap sauna parlor. Soon enough, all will come into perspective, not only for me, but for Barney as well. He will find a job that he loves and feels fulfilled doing and I will begin a Masters program in a field that I love.

It all positive thinking for the moment, at least until we hit the subway system of New York!