CG NEWS ARTICLE OF THE WEEK: Who Will Make the World a Better Place?
Steve Utterwulghe and Abou El Mahassine Fassi-Fihri of Search for Common Ground comment on Michael Jackson’s death and the unifying power of music across boundaries, barriers and borders.
Photo from Flickr used under a Creative Commons license.
Washington, DC – In the hours following Michael Jackson’s death, people around the globe shared common pain, resuscitated old vinyl records stored in their basements and stayed up later than usual watching 1980s VHS or Youtube videos of Thriller and Billy Jean. Michael Jackson was adored by a wide spectrum of global society across racial, religious and generational divides. And as news of the circumstances of his death frenetically emerges, tributes are being paid in Los Angeles, Seoul, Algiers, Mumbai and even Tehran, if discreetly.
Now that the media have saturated their publics with coverage of Michael Jackson’s death, one needs to reflect on and appreciate the unifying values that Michael Jackson’s music managed to generate over his forty five years in the public arena, and acknowledge the potential that music in general can have in facilitating dialogue between individuals and nations.
Music, and arts and culture in general, know no borders and have unified people for centuries. Music touches the soul and the heart in a very profound way. Michael Jackson, through his talent, has done his part in a very powerful fashion.
Michael Jackson’s lyrics and beat have had a transformative effect on their global audience, especially in America where they managed to transcend the black and white music divide. In one of his songs, Black or White, he sings that he “would rather listen to both sides of the tale”.
While he never went to North Korea, he wanted to. Who knows what this could have produced – music diplomacy can be a very effective tool despite the challenges in measuring its actual impact. In February 2008 the New York Philharmonic visited Pyongyang in a historic and splendid performance in front of a large audience of North Korean officials. The concert offered a rare opportunity for contact between the two nations. While North Korea is again upsetting the world with provocative actions, such initiatives must be multiplied as they work in parallel to the official diplomatic track.
In a similar fashion, socially-engaged artists – whether local musicians or world icons — would be well inspired to dedicate their gift to promoting dialogue and messages of tolerance. Iranian film-makers like Majid Majidi and Dariush Mehrjui are known worldwide for their powerful and superb storytelling and their award-winning films have exposed Westerners to the diversity and finesse of the Iranian culture. Over the years exchanges between Iranian artists with their American counterparts have allowed Westerners and Iranians alike to better understand one another and have helped reduce the demonising effect built up during years of negative stereotypical narratives on both sides.
Yet more needs to be done in this realm.
For example, peace song initiatives gather respected musicians from different sides of the conflict that divides them in a collaborative and improvised process of making music to deliver a particular message of coexistence and peace. While the outcome is often impressive, what really matters is the process of bringing people together. Eventually, seeing your rival or enemy touched by the same music that touches you instinctively brings a sense of shared humanity and breaks down barriers of misunderstanding and hatred. Peace songs have been successfully written and performed everywhere, from Nepal (New Nepal) to Israel/Palestine (In My Heart) and from Angola (People Are Calling for Peace) to Macedonia (Our Neighborhood), with the immediate impact of calming the soul, helping people reflect on their common plight and to reach out to the other in an attempt to reconcile.
Music is a powerful healer.
Michael Jackson may have realised this potential more than two decades ago when he wrote his 1988 song Man in the Mirror that included the inspiring lyrics: “If you wanna make the world a better place. Take a look at yourself and then make a change”.
* Steve Utterwulghe is vice-president for international development at Search for Common Ground, an international non-governmental organisation dedicated to conflict transformation. Abou El Mahassine Fassi-fihri is a conflict analyst at George Mason University’s Institute for Conflict Analysis and Resolution. This article was written for the Common Ground News Service.
Read the full edition of this week’s Common Ground News Service.
MICHAEL JACKSON: Social Entrepreneurship Through Music
Susan Koscis of Search for Common Ground discusses the death of Michael Jackson and his social entrepreneurship through music.
I worked for CBS Records, Michael Jackson’s record company, in NYC before coming to Washington to work at SFCG. The closest I ever got to Michael was when I saw his bejeweled glove wave across the tops of heads in a crowded room at a CBS party, as he was led into a private party room. I haven’t thought much about him, and frankly have been relieved when he wasn’t in the news. And so his death, and the coverage of his life, have caused me to revisit his music, remember some of his songs, and be newly inspired by his wish to change the world and make it a better place.
There were many sides to Michael Jackson. One side was that he wanted to make a difference in the world and tried to do that through his music. And so here is my own personal tribute to Michael Jackson. Take a look. Listen. And Change.
Nick Oatley, my SFCG colleague from the UK, just introduced me to a Michael Jackson song that I had never heard of. It was never released in the U.S., although it was a #1 hit in the UK. It’s a plaintive song for the earth and about the earth and about what we humans are doing. “…For me, this is Earth’s Song,” Jackson said, “Because I think nature is trying so hard to compensate for man’s mismanagement of the Earth. And with the ecological unbalance and a lot of the problems in the environment, I think earth feels the pain, and she has wounds. But it’s about some of the joys of the planet as well.” Have a look below:
http://www.ecorazzi.com/2009/06/26/watch-michael-jacksons-earth-song-music-video/
Other inspirational songs:
Man in the Mirror: “If you want to make the world a better place, start with yourself, look in the mirror, and change.”
Black or White: “It don’t matter of you’re black or white.”
We Are the World: “We’re the Ones who make a brighter day.”
Heal the World: “Heal the World. Make it a better place.”
And while I’m on the topic of music, this new online version of Stand By Me arrived in my inbox today. It isn’t about governments or politics. It’s about we, the people. And that we (Americans) and they (Iranians) are one.
A new version of “Stand By Me” with Jon Bon Jovi and LA-based Iranian singer Andy Madadian, was made as an online video, and is “a musical message of worldwide solidarity” to the Iranian people. The session took place June 24 in LA after a conversation with Madadian about “whether there was something we could do to send a little message of solidarity, remembering the ’60s, believing music can change things.” Madadian – who has lived in the U.S. since the 1979 Iranian revolution — and Bon Jovi sing the first verse in Farsi. At the end Madadian and Bon Jovi hold a sign saying “We are one” in Farsi.
Enjoy the music!
THE AMERICAN MUSLIM: HOW GLOBAL CITIZENS CAN “DO UNTO OTHERS”
Susan Koscis of Search for Common Ground discusses President Barak Obama’s Cairo Speech and the importance of acting as global citizens.
Washington DC – My mother, who immigrated to America from Poland, often told me to follow the Golden Rule, to “do unto others as you would have them do unto you.”
This fundamental principle, which transcends nations, peoples and time, was echoed in US President Barack Obama’s speech at Cairo University last Thursday.
While his words focused on improving US-Muslim relations, it was also about the fundamental values that speak to who we, as global citizens, want to be in the world.
Obama noted that “the interests we share as human beings are far more powerful than the forces that drive us apart”, and added that “there must be a sustained effort to listen to each other, to learn from each other, to respect one another and to seek common ground.”
The principles of seeking common ground are the foundation upon which the conflict resolution field was founded. In this approach, individuals, groups or nations seek solutions to problems based on shared values and mutual interests.
Having spent the past 12 years working in an international conflict prevention and resolution organisation, I have seen first-hand illustrations of these principles in action. It was unthinkable, for instance, that Hutus and Tutsis could live together peacefully after the 1994 genocide in Rwanda, yet 15 years later and after the implementation of peace-building programmes, this is the remarkable reality.
And these methods are applicable not only amongst people, but also between industries and governments. For example, health industry leaders, politicians and civil society leaders in the United States are finally working together today to achieve long needed healthcare reform, after decades spent fighting each other.
In Cairo, the president assured us that the potential for common ground does exist, not only between the United States and the Muslim world, but between all of us who share this planet.
“The question is whether we spend that time focused on what pushes us apart, or whether we commit ourselves to an effort – a sustained effort – to find common ground, to focus on the future we seek for our children, and to respect the dignity of all human beings.”
Proactively seeking common ground is needed if we are to address many of the challenges the world faces today, from global climate change to the Middle East conflict, from nuclear non-proliferation to the abortion debate in the United States.
In our world today there is much to fear. There is mistrust between nations, groups and between individuals. People are sceptical by nature and do not believe that systems and people can change. Many reviewers of Obama’s speech have called it naïve. Perhaps they are right, but what is the alternative to believing that humanity can transcend itself to assure our mutual survival?
Change begins with thoughts and words. Words and dialogue lead to understanding. Mutual understanding leads to action. And it is by our actions that we are able to transform our world.
Obama called his speech a beginning. Indeed, it is a noble beginning, one in which “treating others as we wish to be treated” becomes more than an individual lesson that a parent imparts to a child; it becomes a way of transforming the world.
* Susan Koscis is director of communications at Search for Common Ground in Washington, DC. This article was written for the Common Ground News Service (CGNews).
See full article at The American Muslim.
SEARCH FOR COMMON GROUND PARTICIPATES IN 2009 WORLD DAY AGAINST CHILD LABOUR ROUNDTABLE DISCUSSION
On June 10, U.S. Secretary of Labor Hilda L. Solis commemorated the 2009 World Day Against Child Labor by hosting a roundtable discussion with Senator Tom Harkin and White House Council on Women and Girls Executive Director, Tina Tchen. Institutional Learning Director, Nick Oatley, of Search for Common Ground participated in the event at the Department of Labor in Washington, DC.
The roundtable was conceived as a medium to exchange ideas among representatives from U.S. companies, unions, employer groups, nongovernmental and international organizations, and academia. The primary discussion concerned the challenges of and opportunities to transition children, particularly girls, from exploitative labor environments and into educational and training alternatives.
Oatley emphasized the critical contribution that children and youth make in causing social change, and he noted SFCG’s history of providing journalism training for young adults, fostering unique opportunities for both children and youth to voice their concerns, learn about their rights and mobilize for transformation through radio programmes created for and by young adults in West Africa and in the Great Lakes region in Africa.
Go to the Department of Labor website for a Press Release and webcast of the event.
TIMES OF INDIA: INDIA GETS ITS FIRST WOMAN SPEAKER – MEIRA KUMAR
Bridging both gender and caste divides, India’s parliament unanimously elected its first female speaker, Meira Kumar, who is also a member of the low-caste Dalit, or “untouchable” community. Kumar will join Mayawati, the current Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh, India’s most populous state, in the ranks of prominent female Dalit politicians. Prime Minister Manmohan Singh commended her fellow female MP by hailing the event as an “historic occasion” in Indian politics. Kumar’s election contributes to a richer political environment and encourages greater participation of both women and members of the Dalit caste in Indian politics.
Read full article here. More on Meira Kumar
Question to the Blogosphere: Do you think that being from the Dalit community played a significant role in her election? What does this mean for women and for the caste system in India?
