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Time to Resist & Protest

Eljuri sings about gun violence and women's rights. (Photo: Eljuri.com )

Not to sound like the old man shouting at the clouds, but when I was in my teens in the 80s, there seemed to be a ton of protest music coming out of my speakers. Musicians were protesting everything from Apartheid and gun violence to prime ministers. But now, it seems songs like these are a bit more challenging to find--at least in pop music and on commercial radio.

These are interesting times we live in, right? I mean, there’s no denying that the world is kind of chaotic at the moment. This got me thinking about the state of protest music from around the world, which is why this week’s World Music Show (8/3) shines a light on this theme. We’ll dive back into the 70s and also hear some current protest music.

But, I’m going to tell this week’s theme using pictures. 

Tania Asili is a new voice who is passionate about human rights, especially from those affected by Hurricane Maria in Puerto Rico.

Ana Tijoux has a song called "La Bala" which is "The Bullet."

Angelica Garcia just released a new song called "It Don't Hinder Me, which is " a song about being proud of where I come from.” She went to a magnet school that united different sectors of Los Angeles county, She also says this song rebukes the idea that you have to come from glamour or money to be cool.

Michael Franti's latest song "The Flower" is about the recent uptick in gun violence, particularly mass shootings. 

Chopteeth is a band from D.C. who sing about race and politics. 

These are just a few of the musicians featured on this week's show. Other tracks will come from  The English Beat (who sang about getting Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher to step down);  Johnny Clegg, who sang about One Human/One Vote in South Africa during Apartheid;  Ba Cissoko, who cover  U2's "Sunday Bloody Sunday," which was about the killing of protesters in Northern Ireland by the British Army back in the 1970s; and we'll hear some powerful political Afrobeat by both  Seun and  Femi Kuti. Lastly, we'll also hear a new song from  Alex Cuba.

The World Music Show Airs Saturday nights on 93.1 & 107.3FM and can be streamed via this website. Follow me on Twitter @wcveworldmusic and on Facebook at The World Music Show on VPM. *

*As of Monday, August 5th, WCVE will become VPM. We'll still be committed to bringing you all the same programming. Only our name is changing (as will my Twitter and Facebook handles).

Ian M. Stewart is the transportation reporter and fill-in anchor for VPM News.