A project by Goethe‑Institut seeking to capture, document, explore and invite music, poetry, research and discourse on the intersections of music and activism in South Asia. The thematic frame of M.A.P // A.M.P interfaces with other topics, especially pertaining to civil society, minorities, feminism, and queer activism.
Awaaz (voice) is a series of films documenting artists who are using their voice for positive social change and activism across South Asia. It features artists from Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Iran and India, and has been commissioned by Goethe-Institut / Max Mueller Bhavan New Delhi and conceptualised and produced by Akshat Nauriyal / Studio Now Delhi.
The first film in the series features two distinct voices from Sri Lanka. Rathya is a Tamil music composer, lyricist and rapper who explores identity in her work, and Sinhalese rapper Zany Inzane, known for speaking hard truths in his lyrics.
The second film in this series features Dr. Taimur Rahman, a Pakistani Marxist academic, musician and political activist. He has been leading a grassroots musical campaign against religious extremism in Pakistan called Music for Peace for the past five years. Taimur is the lead guitarist and spokesperson for the socialist music group Laal.
The episode explores the political dimension of what music gets support from the state, and what effect that has on the content and narratives around that music.
Ankur Tewari is a singer-songwriter, composer, and poet. Hadi Bastani is a sound artist, anthropologist, composer, and visiting lecturer in anthropology.
more...
Ankur weaves magic with his compositions allowing one to feel an array of emotions with each song. He was the music supervisor for the blockbuster Bollywood film Gully Boy and also wrote lyrics and sang for the film’s soundtrack. He supervised music for OTT platform oriented projects including, Made in Heaven, and Guilty. Ankur is the frontman of Ankur & The Ghalat Family, a Hindi rock band.
Hadi's work explores and reflects, theoretically and through sound-based practice, relations between creative practices, digital technologies, sound spatiality, and new formation of sociality. Hadi’s interdisciplinary investigation of the experimental electronic music scene in Iran formed the first comprehensive research of the scene within academia.
Sheetal Sathe and Navayan Mahajalsa use music as a form of protest to highlight the societal oppression of Women and Dalits.
more...
They have been the cultural voice at the forefront of the anti-caste movement for over a decade aiming to bring about a cultural revolution through music. Singing songs of ordinary people, especially Dalits, Sheetal Sathe has been singing of the marginalised, Dalits and others all over Maharashtra and the Indian subcontinent alike.
Straight Outta Srinagar was founded by Tufail Nazir and Aatankki and wants to show a different side of Kashmir with its music.
more...
What sets the duo apart is their uninhibited proclamation of their hopes, desires and ambitions beyond their political convictions and their steadfast belief in the role that hip-hop culture can play in helping young Kashmiris articulate the same. Hailing from one of the world’s most militarised regions, Straight Outta Srinagar are part of a generation that has known nothing but the Indian occupation and the human rights abuses that followed.
Swadesi is a group of socially conscious rappers whose voices serve as a mirror to society; the multi-lingual crew believes in ‘music with a cause’.
more...
With their unsparing lyrical content intertwined with folk and bass music, Swadesi has created a unique sound and brand in the Indian music landscape – traditional yet global. They are regarded as Indian hip-hop’s only socio-political group aiming to bring about change through art and music. Breaking into the mainstream with their debut track India 91 in collaboration with other Indian rappers in the cult film ‘Gully Boy’, MC Mawali of the group also featured as a rapper on the soundtrack the film Kaala. Swadesi’s most acclaimed body of work The Warli Revolt, in collaboration with Warli tribal chief Prakash Bhoir, is a scathing indictment of the Maharashtra government’s relentless pursuit of unsustainable development. Their debut full-length record Chetavni earned critical acclaim and they won Artist of the Year at The Indies Awards 2020.
Focusing on the social and political problems that were faced by Tamil citizens following years of colonial power; problems that further worsened after independence due to post-colonial misrule.
Unpacking the evocative power of Tamil language. The series anchors, K. Hariharan and Subhasree Thanikachalam, explore how language has been used to describe and contest existing cultural scenarios.
M.A.P // A.M.P Music Library aims to create a repository of activist music, which will serve as an archive to amplify the reach of music as an expression and a tool of social and political activism. This library is an effort to create a rich and diverse range of activist music that will span all genres and generations of music and poetry.
