Several days ago, I’ve received an e-mail from Avaaz. It was a petition collecting signatures with the purpose to protest against whale hunting in Iceland. The petition, as a matter of fact, was reuniting signatures for the flag of the small Caribbean nation of Saint Kitts and Nevis to be removed from an Icelandic ship, something that would deliberately compromise one thousand and seven hundred tons of whale meat to reach their destination, which was Japan. According to the document formulated by Avaaz, that in three days was hoping to collect one million signatures for the cause, if the small Caribbean nation agreed to remove their flag from the Icelandic cargo ship – which would be the equivalent to renounce their condescending nature concerning the brutal slaughter of those poor innocent animals – the whale meat industry in Iceland would suffer an irremediable blow, that could force them to suspend their activities, and to cease for good the horrendous and brutal massacre. 

International environmentalists, besides organizations like the International Fund for Animal Welfare, and the Whale and Dolphin Conservation, reacted intensely to the brutal and unscrupulous slaughter of the animals, killed for the purpose of satisfying the frivolous and insidious human commercial greed. According to ipcdigital.com, Norway and Iceland were the only countries in the world openly engaged in violating the rights consolidated exclusively for the whales’ protection, formalized by a decree established as a statute in 1986 by the International Whaling Commission. Nonetheless, Japan is another country that seems to be predisposed to disrespect the international regulations, since they take advantage of a constitutional gap existent within the law – that allows the hunting for scientific purposes – to hunt down and kill the animals, justifying their acts by claiming that they do what they do for the sake of biological studies. But its common knowledge that the meat processed from the slaughtered animals ends up in the table of the costumers, to be eaten as a meal. In Iceland, Kristjan Loftsson, one of the authorities of whaling fishing in the small insular nation, has tried to justify his position, claiming that, according to domestic policies, he was not disobeying any law. Nonetheless, it seems that saving the poor animals’ life’s hasn’t been the priority of anybody, except for a small group of people, numbering in the hundreds, that openly defies the financial interests of an insidious capitalist industry, that, besides being completely indifferent to the fate of the poor animals’, doesn’t mind at all the terrible and painful suffering inflicted to them, in the moment of the hunting and the slaughter.

Unfortunately, this is a dispute that has yet to stand by the side of the environmentalists, even less the true victims of the whole story, the poor targeted animals, given the fact that a great number of countries in the world still actively practice the sport and the predatory fishing. In the Faroe Islands, a constituent country of Denmark, there is an annual festival, which the local inhabitants called Grindadráp, upon which hundreds of Long-finned pilot whales and Atlantic white-sided dolphins are brutally slaughtered, although this tradition is severely attacked by organizations that fight for environmental justice and animal welfare. Recently, scientists and scholars protested against the hunting of pilot whales in particular, claiming that, given the extremely high levels of mercury in their system, the meat is inappropriate for human consumption. This became another major contributor of irremediable importance for the hunting of whales to stop for once and for all. Nonetheless, this insidious and lucrative market will fight until the end for their desire to exhaust and deplete the natural resources of the planet, and keep the slaughtering going on, against the poor and defenseless whales. 
         
Unfortunately, it seems that there are no limits for the brutal and hideous human malevolence, that, blinded by its unscrupulous arrogance and acerbic lack of humanity, empathy and common sense, reclaims for oneself, as the sovereign legitimate owner of the universe, everything that exists in the world, with the power to exercise the right of life and death over the poor and defenseless animals, protected by all means, in each and every possible way, only in theory, by laws and regulations without any practical value, constantly violated at all times, for the sake of the degrading and ignominious gears of the capitalist machinery, that on its voracious and deranged hunger, wants to swallow everybody and everyone, especially the poor animals, the greatest victims in all of this terrible and perfidious – to say the least – environmental tragedy.    


Wagner

There are a lot of reasons for us to think that Bono is an abject and despicable individual. If you are fooled by what the television, the internet and the fake news network present to you, the facts and the events surrounding the terribly ordinary, but notorious U2 frontman are never what appearances may suggest. The reasons behind the man that seems to love African children, fight poverty and proclaim a battle for equality and justice are not exactly advocated by the motives you think they are. In fact, Bono has always been a master of well played theatrics and deceitful treachery, doing a real awesome work, as a mindful and unlawful trickster. But think just for a second. Do you know what Bono really loves? Let me follow with three simple words here: fame, notoriety and money. Behind the man that sometimes act as an ambassador of all the good fortunes, posing as the savior for the poor and the destitute, kissing popes, wandering by the White House with American presidents and meeting statesman from several countries, while he receives medals for acting as the paladin of humanitarian causes, you have in fact an egomaniac individual desperate for attention, that seeks with an absurd obsession his desire for global recognition. Bono is in fact a sordid opportunist of the worst kind, that never loses the chance to be exactly where he wants to be: at the center of the spotlight, receiving exclusive attention.  

As most people known – although this doesn’t make a difference in anybody’s life – Bono is the singer of U2, an Irish band that has had worldwide fame, for more than three decades now. And let me be true and honest here: U2 is one of the most tedious and mediocre bands that the world has ever seen. But, despite the fact that this conclusion seems to be a contradiction, the mediocrity of U2 is one of the reasons for them to be so famous. U2 does rude, unsophisticated, boring, average, ordinary and superficial pop music, that literally serves for the masses, people who are exactly like U2: rude, unsophisticated, boring, average, ordinary and superficial. But going straight to the point, why a mediocre singer from a mediocre pop band, for quite a while now, has been hanging around the world so much, with so many politicians, especially American presidents? 

Well, you know, like I wrote some lines above, this happens exactly because Bono loves the spotlight. He doesn’t know how to live without being the center of all attentions. And he will do everything in his power to achieve the level of recognition that he desperately wants. Whatever and whenever there is a camera on, Bono will run away very fast to appear right before ahead of it. If he can hug an African child before the photographer shoots a picture, he will do that. To hug a lot of politicians, and to proclaim words of hope, wisdom and faith seems to be his real expertise, way more than singing, if you ask me. But of course, he will always proclaim empty words of hope, wisdom and faith, that conveniently never translate into action. A tour at the White House was always at his disposition from the Bill Clinton administration onwards. He became very friendly with George Bush and Barack Obama as well (I don’t know if Trump will allow his privileges to continue, though). Now, ask yourself – or anyone who is fooled enough for being tricked by Bono’s humanitarian and political superficial theatre – how this have benefited the world exactly?

Well… the world hasn’t seen a milligram of benefits whatsoever, in any moment of Bono’s career as an attendant of fancy presidential dinners and extravagant political events. The only one who has advantages with all of these insanely comic acts is Bono himself. Why? Because he gets famous, and famous and famous, and photographers follow him wherever and whenever he goes, and he can deceive everybody by pretending to be an angelic emissary sent from heaven to save the world. This is exactly what he wants. 

But the truth speaks for itself. There is a great gap between what Bono proclaims to defend, and how he really lives his life. For the ones who haven’t been informed, U2 relocated to The Netherlands some years ago to avoid taxes. Bono and his gang are multimillionaire bullshit rock stars, but they changed their country of affairs to avoid paying higher taxes. While Bono pretends to care and to protect and to defend the world, the poor, the homeless and the defenseless, shouting to everybody the importance to fight the systematic problem of poverty in Africa, his only real preoccupation is to get richer, and richer and richer. And the most unbelievable thing is that his attitudes really deceive naïve people, who really believe that he is some masculine version of Angelina Jolie (who, unlike Bono, is a true humanitarian activist). U2 has high financial risks and investments operations, but they have arranged everything for their costs to be the lowest possible, and the profits to be the highest. U2 is not a band, but a multimillion business enterprise – a category upon which the most famous bands in the world, like the Rolling Stones, Metallica and Aerosmith, to name just a few, could be included – and the priority on Bono’s agenda, as well as his band mates, is to keep the money flourishing, without a truce. Money is the only thing that really matters. Oh, and keeping up with the appearances too.   

So, a man that really has enough money, the means, the influence and the power to make the difference choses only to speak, to meet politicians and to appear in front of the cameras, instead of giving up a generous amount of his abundant financial resources and taking action? If you don’t see a lot of things clearly wrong in this story, you should really open up your eyes. Bono only cares about money, medals, notoriety, distinctions, fame, money, more money, and of course, deceiving everybody to think that he is the savior of the world.         


Wagner

Compiling our previous 'Fuel The Revolution' playlist was so much fun we immediately decided to turn it into a series. So today, we'd like to present part two and throw another bunch of protest songs in your face. I hope you enjoy.

Ever loyal to their sound, Depeche Mode never seems to quit being Depeche Mode, which is probably the reason why they are one of the most respected bands in the synth pop scene. Their brand new single is perfectly suited for this playlist, asking a very important question and adding 'Come On People, You're Letting Me Down' in the chorus. 

This smash hit by Australian rockers Midnight Oil is one of the most recognizable songs ever. ​"Beds Are Burning" is a protest song in support of giving native Australian lands back to the Pintupi (an Australian Aboriginal group), who were among the very last people to come in from the desert. 

Bob Dylan is widely known for his protest songs, and 'Hurricane' is definitely one of his best. "Hurricane" is a protest song, about the imprisonment of Rubin "Hurricane" Carter. It compiles alleged acts of racism and profiling against Carter, which Dylan describes as leading to a false trial and conviction.

This one might come as a surprise to some Dutch speaking readers who thought that this massively popular ecological protest song by Louis Neefs is actually a cover. It was originally written and recorded by Wally Whyton in 1968 and covered by Neefs in 1970. Nonetheless, it is a very strong and still relevant song, regardless of the version...

Brazilian metal legends Sepultura have been a blast of pure anarchy since the very beginning. Many of their songs handle themes like war, politics, terror, propaganda and so on. 'Territory' is one of my personal favorites. 

Heavy metal and protesting have gone hand in hand since the very beginning of the genre. This song by legends Black Sabbath is 47 years old now and still incredibly relevant today. The band has been influencing countless of bands and artists all over the world. Unfortunately, they haven't been influencing politicians...

From Wikipedia (and because I can't explain it better): Although Cockburn had occasionally touched on political themes in his earlier songs, "If I Had a Rocket Launcher" was his first explicitly political song to be released as a single, and earned him a new reputation as an outspoken musical activist.

With advice like this, pop singer Nicolette just had to be a part of this list. To some, she might be best known as the vocalist on the Massive Attack songs "Three" and "Sly". 

The Clash have been a synonym for anti-war protest songs and an inspiration for numerous punk rock bands around the world. This single was released in November 1980, in advance of the release of 'Sandinista!', with the anti-nuclear "Stop the World" as its B-side.

Speaking about anti-nuclear protest songs, did you know you have been dancing to a song about the plane that dropped the atomic bomb on Hiroshima at many wedding parties? Think about that.

Since we're addressing the themes at wedding party hits, how about a massacre? You can read all about that here. 

But let's not forget the rap and hip-hop scene. Public Enemy easily became the poster-boys for the militant and anti-government branches of this young scene. 

Another icon in the rap scene is Tupac Shakur. The song makes references to the war on drugs, the treatment of black people by the police, the perpetuation of poverty and its accompanying vicious-cycle value system in urban African American culture, and the difficulties of life in the ghetto. Yet, this song is also about positivity. 

This song by Peter Gabriel is about Steve Biko, a noted black South African anti-apartheid activist. Biko had been arrested by the South African police in late August 1977. After being held in custody for several days, he was interrogated in room 619 of the Walmer St prison in Port Elizabeth, Eastern Cape. Following the interrogation, during which he sustained serious head injuries, Biko was transferred to a prison in Pretoria, where he died shortly afterwards, on 12 September 1977. 

"We Shall Overcome" is a gospel song which became a protest song and a key anthem of the African-American Civil Rights Movement. The song is most commonly attributed as having descended lyrically from "I'll Overcome Some Day", a hymn by Charles Albert Tindley that was first published in 1900. 

Although this film has won a fair share of awards, I'm sure it hasn't been seen by enough people. So here's a review. 

Have you ever heard of Doel? It translates as purpose, goal, target or meaning and that's one of the reasons why the story of Doel is heartbreaking. Doel is a small village near Antwerp, on the left bank of the river Scheldt, at walking distance from our nuclear power plant. The harbour of Antwerp on the right bank has been expanding since, let's say, the year 1200 and it has a rich history. Nowadays it's the second largest harbour of Europe. To compress recent history in one sentence: this harbour likes villages for breakfast. In the 1960s four villages in the north have been devoured after an extremely brutal session of Belgian expropriation politics - some dead-end roads and the upper parts of two church towers patiently witness of what is no more. One of them just stands amidst the containers, can you imagine? The other tower top, more findable, arises from a field of grass on a corner of two streets that can't handle all the road traffic. If you stand here amidst the noise and gasping for some oxygen, in vain, feelings of misanthropy assail you like famished lions - if you have a heart or give a shit, at least. This is the reason why I've never visited Doel, seeing it just might add the last drop in my bucket... But I've been wanting to watch 'De Engel van Doel' (The Angel of Doel) for a long time now, and there it was, in the library. And I saw Doel, and the bucket overflowed indeed. At this moment, writing this review is the only remedy for this state of mind. I hope you can handle watching better than I did, but this thing really is a must-see. Why? I'll tell you later.

"Docks!" this harbour has been screaming since, according to wiki, 1550. "Locks! More docks and more locks, more, more, more, for larger container ships so we can import and export more stuff than we could ever imagine! Even more docks and locks in the years to come, larger, deeper, oh man, we're such a proud city! We say that we create jobs so we believe that the people have no other option than worshipping every fart we let. Meanwhile, let's fill our time by counting our money and by looking forward to getting even more money. Moneeeeeey!!!" (insert Pink Floyd tune)

That money's not even yours, you bunch of cunts. Keep your yaps shut for once, wipe those reports you never read anyway off your desk, along with those bottles, whores, drugs and piles of money. Listen to what John Public, poor and unhealthy because of you, has to say. Learn by watching 'De Engel van Doel' for example, in your big-ass mansion with your loved ones. I wonder whether you are capable of loving, I really wonder.

Anyway, to continue our little history lesson, since the 1990s the left bank of the river Scheldt also got gnawed by the hungry beast. The harbour started nibbling on Doel.

The film maker has followed Emilienne between 2006 and 2011. She's an older widow living in Doel. As the years go by, so do her neighbours and friends. They're pestered out of their houses by official Kafkaesque letters. Politicians give false hope, very well aware that they're lying, as usual. Emilienne doesn't want to move - don't replant an old tree, as a Flemish saying goes. She also doesn't want to participate in the protests organised by left-wing young people, maybe because she knows that those are just drops of water on a red hot plate - another saying, sayings have a lot to say. The elderly priest has cancer and is unable or unwilling to give what's left of his herd false hope. He knows. They all know. Resistance is futile, the stomach of the harbour is growling, and money makes the world go round. 

The film has a very welome slow tempo and the scenes are filmed by a steady camera. The colour is grey. Luckily there's subtitles, also in English, because you have to know the dialects to fully comprehend what's being said. Not a single event gives the impression of being acted, what you see is very probably what has happened. John Public in his natural habitat, the last drop being pressed out of the lemon, and you're standing in the middle of it.

In one scene, Emilienne's dog appears at the kitchen table. He must feel what she feels: it really is over now. His eyebrows move up in a try to get her attention, only to let her know: "I'm here for you, no matter what." She does not react to him, because she's in a discussion with a friend about the letter on the table. The morning after, she refuses to accept the same letter - this time it's registered - from the mailman. "I am staying anyway." He refuses to have a seat and a cup of coffee because he's too busy. "Young people, (grand)children included, are too busy", says Emilienne's best friend while they're peeling beans or something at the kitchen table. She's right. A demolishing crane drives at the town, seen from the broken window of one of the long-abandoned homes. Another house bites the dust. In the middle of the street, there's a donkey eating hay and wearing a banner that goes "(name of politician), you're a shame to my race". Emilienne's last friend doesn't want to say goodbye because she doesn't want a tear jerking party. Emilienne and I cry our eyes out, she's all alone on her doorstep and I'm on the sofa. My cat tries to get my attention just to let me know: "I'm here for you, no matter what." I do not react to her because I'm looking for a handkerchief and want to know what happens next, but I appreciate the gesture. There's a lot we can learn from the animals.

According to Einstein, the injustice in the world doesn't exist because some people commit it, but because most people just look away. 

Food for thought.



Eline

Now that our world is mostly ruled by severely retarded men and -women, it is time to ignite the revolution. After all, the world of music has a massive history of protest songs. Pretty much everyone can easily imagine or remember the images from artists, singing about and protesting the Vietnam war (for example). But protest is not just something for long-haired, marijuana smoking hippies. The black metal community also mainly exists because of protest, in their case a fight against Christianity and its tyranny over Scandinavia.  In a way, it seems like political and religious rulers haven't been behaving that well over the ages, and if there is someone to rub it their faces, it's these musicians. So here we go, fifteen songs with a middle finger as big as the statue of Liberty... 

(* - Yes, there are more parts coming. Apparently, we just love protest songs and apparently, there is plenty to protest against...)

Neil Young allegedly was furious when Donald Trump used this song to kick off his campaign (although that might just have been licencing issues, according to Rolling Stone). Yet, it's a well-known fact that Young is a Bernie Sanders supporter. With references towards war, fossil-fuels, the homeless, drug addiction and so on, this 1989 song has easily become thé ultimate rock-protest song of the nineties. Besides, it's still extremely relevant today...

Arguably the best band that has ever walked on this planet, Pink Floyd was no stranger to protesting. The entire 'The Wall' album is a massive statement about social isolation. Yet, I'd like to pick this song, 'Money', about capitalism and the way money controls our daily lives.  Yes, I know, that absolutely is the case today, but this song was released in 1973. You'd think that people learn something once in a while, no?

Even the biggest band in the world is no stranger to protesting. In fact, protesting is pretty much what made Metallica rich. Their first albums were loaded with songs about the atrocities of war, about politics and about social justice. 'Disposable Heroes' is one of my all-time favorite Metallica tracks. Back in the days, I knew the lyrics to this and many other Metallica songs by heart and maybe, just maybe, Metallica helped shaping my opinions towards today's society.

Oppression, slavery and resistance have always been a big part of the reggae genre, and one of the most breathtaking pieces of music in that scene is 'Redemption Song' by Bob Marley. His oeuvre consisted of protest songs, including the massive hit 'Get Up, Stand Up' but also of songs about the only solution for all of today's problems: love. Marley preached love and that is why he is probably one of the most respected musicians of all time.

Protest songs are timeless. It seems like people have been singing these songs ever since they invented music. In the beginning of the modern era of music, blues and jazz musicians have immediately started protesting against slavery, racism and all forms of social injustice. One of the most eerie highlights of these genre, is Billie Holiday's 'Strange Fruit', about a lynched black man hanging from a tree. That was 1939, things haven't changed that much...

A lot of people allegedly thought that Archive's 'Fuck U' had something to do with a broken heart or a faded love affair but nothing is further from the truth. This song is a raging assault on people like Tony Blair and George Bush. In an interview with IndieLondon Archive commented: Fuck U came together easily. Darius heard the Rhodes part and kept playing it over again, so while he did that I started writing a ‘rant’ inspired that day by seeing Bush’s slimey face in the morning and that was that.

Wasn't the whole Trainspotting movie a massive slap in the capitalists' faces? It was a mesmerizing movie about society gone wrong, and it contained this awesome song. A song millions of people have been dancing to, but apparently very few people have actually listened to the lyrics. Shame. Let's just hope Trainspotting 2 helps... Watch and listen to the trailer

This one is for all the women in the world, because believe it or not, women are not being treated respectfully and equally. Although I do not consider myself a fan of their music, I respect bands like Pussy Riot and the entire so-called "Riot Grrrl' movement for standing up for themselves and each other. Of course, the story of Pussy Riot is well documented. They went to jail for fighting for equal rights. The fact that such a thing can happen, is a clear symptom of the current state of our society.

In Europe and America, anti-religious black metal bands are either laughed at or ignored by the powers that be. In the Middle-East, playing in such a band can have serious consequences, like jail or even execution. In that aspect, Al-Namrood is a band with balls of steel, fiercely blasting their anti-religious message through Saudi-Arabia and beyond. Every gig can be their last, can you imagine that? (read their Songs With Stories here)

The protests against the Vietnam war were not limited to artists in the United States. European musicians almost immediately joined in. In Belgium and The Netherlands, this song by Boudewijn de Groot quickly became the number one protest song against war. Loosely translated, de Groot says "good night, mr President, don't dream about all the people you are murdering". Again, still incredibly relevant today.

I know what you're thinking, "Christina Aguilera on Merchants Of Air?". Well yes, because this particular song, written by Linda Perry,  is not only a breathtaking tearjerker, it's also a protest song against body-shaming, bullying and sexism. It's a song that teaches the listener to believe in her- of himself, regardless of the opinions of others. Well, dear listener, I can only respect that.

A little less friendly, and even more brutal in Napalm Death's cover version, comes this nutsack-ripping punk song from Dead Kennedys. I don't think I have to explain what this particular song is protesting against, do I? Strangely enough, no matter what year we live in, this song remains incredibly up-to-date. So does the entire punk scene by the way. 

Swedish rapcore band Clawfinger caused quite a stir with this song. Using the n-word was so not-done but - luckily - vocalist Zak made it easy to understand the lyrics and thus the real meaning behind the song title. 'Nigger', coming off the 'Deaf Dumb Blind' album is an obvious anti-racism statement, no doubt about that. So yeah, it deserves a place here, since racism can't be combatted enough.

Written about revolution against institutional racism and police brutality, 'Killing in The Name' is widely recognized as the Rage Against The Machine's signature song. Since its release in 1992 this song became a symbol of the anarchy-movement of the nineties. For many young rockers of that time, 'Killing in The Name' sparked an era of activism and civil disobedience. Of course, it also sparked the general use of the phrase "fuck you, I won't do what you tell me", but maybe we need that once in a while...

We end this first part of Fuel The Revolution with an absolute classic, and perhaps the one song that shaped me as a person the most. John Lennon's 'Imagine' is one of the most beautiful songs ever recorded and it carries the most beautiful message ever as well. A message about love, egality and respect, that's all this world really needs.