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Indian Express
25-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Indian Express
7 protest anthems that have rocked the world: From ‘Hum Dekhenge' to ‘Bella Ciao'
Protests have always had their soundtrack. These songs often define the struggle they accompany. From Mumbai to Kolkata, Bangladesh to South Korea and across Europe, protest anthems continue to ignite movements and rally the masses. Here's a list of protest anthems that have made an indelible mark in recent memory: 1. 'Sab Yaad Rakha Jayega' – Aamir Aziz Emerging during the anti-Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) protests, Aamir Aziz's powerful poem became an emblem of resistance. The words—' Sab Yaad Rakha Jayega ' (nothing will be forgotten) —were recited during numerous rallies, capturing the anguish and anger of those opposing the law. Aziz's work gained international attention when English musician Roger Waters read it aloud at a 2020 event in London. Now, the song is back in headlines with Aziz accusing artist Anita Dube of using his words unethically in her 2023 and 2025 exhibitions. 2. 'We Shall Overcome' – The Anthem of Solidarity An anthem born in the American Civil Rights Movement, 'We Shall Overcome' transcended borders and became a global protest anthem. In India, its Hindi adaptation, ' Hum Honge Kaamyab,' resonated with student movements in the 1970s and 1980s, symbolizing hope and resilience. From Bengali liberation struggles to Kerala's Communist movement, the song has evolved into a universal cry for freedom. In popular culture, it continues to symbolise collective resistance, also seen in Bollywood's My Name is Khan, where it bridged the struggles of Muslims in the US and India. 3. 'Hum Dekhenge' – Faiz Ahmed Faiz Written by the Pakistani poet Faiz Ahmed Faiz in 1979, 'Hum Dekhenge' has evolved into a subcontinental anthem of defiance. The poem's iconic lines, 'We shall see,' became a battle cry against oppressive regimes. In India, it gained new life during the CAA protests, filling the streets with an unmistakable call for justice. Most famously, it reverberated through the airwaves during the protests at IIT Kanpur in 2023, where its powerful imagery unsettled the powerful once again. 4. 'Ar Kobe' – Arijit Singh In Kolkata, music has long been a vehicle for resistance. During the RG Kar protests, ' Ar Kobe ' by Arijit Singh captured the emotional turmoil of a city grappling with injustice. With its melancholic melody, the song became a soundtrack to the unrest, blending personal sorrow with collective outrage. It became a rallying cry for justice, accompanied by performances from iconic figures like Usha Uthup, whose rendition of ' Jaago Re' urged Kolkata to wake up to the injustices around them. 5. 'Kotha Ko' – Shezan In 2024, Bangladesh was alive with protest, and music played a key role in energising the streets. ' Kotha Ko' (Speak up), a powerful anthem by Shezan, called on citizens to 'speak up' and resist the oppression of the Sheikh Hasina regime. Drawing inspiration from the 1952 language movement, the song resonated with the nation's fight for linguistic and political rights. Alongside folk anthems such as ' Desh ta tomar baaper naki' (Does the country belong to your father?) and Mausumi's ' Awaaz Utha' (Raise your voice), the music fueled mass mobilisation, reminding everyone that when freedom is stifled, its people will sing louder. 6. 'Into the New World' – Girls' Generation K-Pop is not just for entertainment, it's also a tool of resistance. In December 2024, South Korean youth took to the streets to protest President Yoon Suk Yeol's controversial policies, with ' Into the New World' by Girls' Generation becoming their anthem. Armed with light sticks and placards, young demonstrators blended political defiance with pop euphoria, turning the streets of Seoul into a dance floor of resistance. K-pop fans have long used their cultural movement to amplify protests, repurposing the genre into a powerful form of activism. 7. 'Bella Ciao' – The global anthem of resistance Originating as a folk song sung by Italian rice workers in the late 19th century, ' Bella Ciao' evolved into a resistance anthem during World War II. Over time, its haunting melody and defiant message have crossed borders, becoming a rallying cry for movements fighting fascism, oppression, and inequality. From Catalan independence to Poland's abortion rights protests, Bella Ciao's resurgence proves its timeless appeal. The song saw a revival in France's 2024 elections, remixed as B(ard)ella Ciao. Several modified iterations of the song were also heard during the RG Kar protest and the farmers' agitation.
Yahoo
14-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Luther Keith remembered for his good words and good deeds
Hundreds of people filed into the Fellowship Chapel on Detroit's west side Friday to pay their respects to Luther Keith, a pioneering Black journalist, activist and bluesman. Keith, a born and raised Detroiter from an iconic civil rights family, was known for both good words and good deeds. His blues weren't bad either. Eventually. Keith died unexpectedly on March 5, just hours after finishing a gig at Baker's Keyboard Lounge. He was 74. Elected leaders from the city, county and state level were among those who came, bearing proclamations in his honor. Lt. Gov. Garlin Gilchrist read a state tribute to Keith noting how many lives he touched through his writing and other forms of advocacy. "I consider myself one of those lives," Gilchrist said. "As a young man, when I got a chance to meet him through his brother, (Wayne County Probate) Judge Terrence Keith, he always encouraged me to try to be as multi-faceted as he was. He encouraged young people ... to use all of the creativity and courage that God gave them to make their community better and thus the world better." Keith was born in Detroit in 1950 and came of age during the Civil Rights Movement of the 1960s. He was the nephew of federal Judge Damon Keith, known for numerous civil rights decisions on discrimination, warrantless wiretapping and secret deportation hearings. Those experiences powered Keith's journalism and his activism throughout his life. His newspaper career began on the loading dock of The Detroit News where he loaded and unloaded papers. When he graduated from the University of Detroit in 1972, he got a job inside as a reporter in a newsroom that was overwhelming white. He would go on to a series of firsts. Keith was the first Black sportswriter at a major daily newspaper in Detroit, the first Black Lansing correspondent, the first Black editor at The News and the first Black person to have his name appear on the paper's masthead. Trailblazing Detroit journalist, musician Luther Keith dies at 74: 'An incredible loss' Luther Keith died this week. He was my best friend. | Opinion Keith recognized the need for more diversity in journalism and he helped found the Journalism Institute for Minorities at Wayne State University in the 1980s. It recruited aspiring journalists of color to the program, offering them scholarships, internships, mentorship and a shot at full-time jobs upon graduation. Several of the students who studied under that program were acknowledged at the funeral, including Detroit Free Press Executive Editor James G. Hill, former Detroit News reporter and current Free Press columnist Darren Nichols and longtime radio reporter Vicki Thomas, who now works for Mayor Mike Duggan. Thomas said Keith was her adviser in the 1980s and helped her get her start in the business. Like Keith himself, she went on to a career that would earn her a spot in the Michigan Journalism Hall of Fame. "If there's a takeaway, I think, from Luther's life, it would probably be that Luther lived life out on the skinny branches," she said. "He was not holding on to the heavy trunk, he was out on those branches, fearless, chasing his dreams, fulfilling his dreams. He mastered everything he touched." One of those was blues music, a passion he developed mid-life. Several speakers cracked that Keith struggled to learn it and his singing was not great when he started out. But he was persistent and eventually got better, playing at clubs across the city and beyond under his stage name Badman. Keith's daughter Erin Keith said she took many lessons from her father's life. "The first thing that my father bequeathed me was his legacy of hustle," she said. When she was a child of 8 or 9, she said, he would bring her to his blues gigs and have her work the crowd selling CDs of his music. "He would say, 'See that little girl with the pigtails right there? That's my daughter and you know, I gotta keep her in private school, so make sure you buy a CD," she said. She eventually recruited her friends to help because her father gave them a 10% commission on everything they sold. She also noted how many people spoke of his role as a mentor to young people, something she tried to emulate. "He was always holding the door open for someone else and so the question I would ask today is, who are you helping get ahead of you?" she said. "Because that's how you honor his legacy." Keith left journalism in 2005 to found ARISE Detroit!, a nonprofit that helps volunteers tackle neighborhood issues like crime, drugs, illiteracy and unemployment. Through that work, Keith came to know people in every corner of the city. The Rev. Wendell Anthony, longtime president of the Detroit NAACP, said Keith's presence in the media allowed him to lift voices of everyday Detroiters who were often overlooked in news coverage. "He wrote and covered stuff that they didn't write and cover and gave another perspective," he said. Contact John Wisely: jwisely@ On X: jwisely This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Luther Keith remembered for his good words and good deeds
Yahoo
23-02-2025
- Yahoo
Local dinner fundraises for students' Civil Rights Movement field trip
YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio (WKBN) — A fundraiser at First Presbyterian Church in Youngstown on Sunday helped to raise money for a high school student field trip. The trip is called Sojourn to the Past, and it's an eight-day journey to the Civil Rights sites in the South for Youngstown City Schools students to learn a part of American History. The students will be able to meet leaders of the Civil Rights Movement and learn the lessons of the movement. The Mahoning Valley Spaghetti Dinner Fundraiser helps them raise their portion of expenses for the trip. Penny Wells, the executive director of Mahoning Valley Sojourn to the Past, talked about what students have done in the past after they returned home. 'They come back with action plans to implement, one of which was non-violence, non-violence week and they petition — the students petition the school board, the county commissioners, the [Youngstown State University] trustees, the City Council members, asking them to pass a resolution to make the first week in October Non-Violence Week, which they did,' Wells said. A group of 15 students will leave for this year's trip on April 2. Tino DiCenso contributed to this report. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
