‘Peace
Jam’ – a Weapon of Mass Information
A Night of Music and Poetry for Peace
By
Ronalyn Olea
Bulatlat.com
Art
and literature best reflect the people’s deepest sentiments and aspirations.
This
was proven true last March 6 when Filipino artists and writers shared a night of
music and poetry to express yearnings for peace and opposition to the looming
United States (U.S.) war on Iraq.
Dubbed
Peace Jam, the three-hour cultural affair was held along Tomas Morato
Street in Quezon City, in front of Popular Bookstore.
The
cultural group Sining Bugkos interpreted Bienvenido Lumbera’s Ang Paanyaya
ni Bush kay Gloria (Bush’s Invitation to Gloria), which has become a
favorite by Filipino anti-war activists. Its words, dripping with wit and
satire, hit President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo’s support to Bush:
Halina
sa Iraq/ Tayo’y magpasiklab / ng gerang uutas / sa mga teroristang de-balbas.
/… Halina, ikaw ay itatakas / Sa mga problema mong di malutas-lutas –
Ekonomiyang butas-butas, / Politikang waldas-waldas, / Lumulobong utang
panlabas, / Lipunang winasak-wasak / Ng kriminal, kurakot at kulimbat,
/ Bayan mong walang hinaharap
(Come
to Iraq,/Let’s make war a spectacle/ that will finish /Bearded terrorists /.
. . Come, you will be freed/ from your insoluble problems—/Destitute
economy, / Profligate politics, /Ballooning foreign debts / Society damaged /
By the criminal, the corrupt and cheat, / Your miserable country)
Members
of Sining Bugkos were effective in mimmicking Ms. Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo and
U.S. President George W. Bush. The performance elicited applause even from the
passersby.
The
band Pula’s rendition of Bob Dylan’s Blowin’ in the Wind brought
back memories of the Vietnam War, the period when the song became popular:
How
many times must a man look up before he can see the sky
How
many ears must one must have before he can hear people cry
How
many deaths will it take till he knows that too many people have died
The
answer, my friend, is blowing in the wind
The
answer is blowing in the wind.
Chickoy
Pura of The Jerks raged with songs Tambol and And He Says:
Ilabas
na ang tambol / Tambol ng kalayaan/ Tugtugin, tugtugin, / Gisingin ang bayan /
sa buong kapuluan / at sangkatauhan / Katarungan, kalayaan at kapayapaan.
(Bring
out the drums / Drums of freedom / Play the drums / Wake up the people/ in the
land / and the world / Justice, freedom and peace)
Referring
to American soldiers, Pura sang with all angst:
They’re
the murdering kind / They’re the ones who kill and torture / They’re the
ones who bleed us dry / At the court of the people / they’re guilty, guilty
of the crime.
Malou
Harabe of Women Working for World Peace (www. peace), an anti-U.S. war alliance
of women’s groups, recited Joi Barrios’ poem Yankee Doodle Goes to War:
I
am a Filipina woman./ And
in my country / There
are three thousand American soldiers./…My
country is not a playground / For
your tanks and soldiers. /… We die with your bullets,/ We
perish with your bombs./ We
live in poverty,/ We
are people of color,/ Yet
we sing of dignity, / Sovereignty,
and peace. / Leave,
America,/ Leave
my country, Leave.
Pula
performed one of Bob Marley’s progressive songs, War:
And
until that day the dream of lasting peace/ World citizenship, rule of
international morality/ will remain in but a fleeting illusion to be pursued
but never attained/ Everywhere is war.
Other
performers included alternative singers and bands like Lei Garcia, Alfred of The
Wuds and Musikang Bayan, and young bands like the Nancy Drools and Collie Herb.
Artists
for Peace convenor Julie Po called on her fellow artists and cultural workers to
use art as a weapon of mass information.
The
night offered not only music and poetry but also hope of victory in the struggle
for genuine peace. As Musikang
Bayan sang, “The union of the weak will defeat the strong…” Bulatlat.com
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