Can Music Provoke Changes In The Country Run By A Dictator?

Mellow

Music is a powerful medium that delivers messages and provokes audiences’ feelings. Thus, it is often used for criticising social unfairness and plays an important role in political movements like Black Lives Matter. It seems that music can raise people awareness of social issues and call for changes. However, do they have the same effectiveness in a dictatorship nowadays?

The Chinese Communist Party, as an example, is infamous for violating human rights. The anti-government opinion is prohibited in the name of maintaining social stability. Citizens do not have the freedom to speak so as other entertainments and art performances, for example, TV, movies, and music. In 2015, the Chinese government released a blacklist of 120 songs that "trumpeted obscenity, violence, crime or harmed social morality". A large scale ban on karaoke songs with “illegal content” is happening recently. Over 50,000 karaoke venues need to censor music that breaks any of the rules as the following:

(Source from Music Business Worldwide)

The freedom of music creation in China is so limited. The government must ban all sensitive songs. So what’s the point of creating them? I believe in the possibility and values of forbidden music.

The Chinese government banned a recent pop song, “Fragile”, by Namewee. It mocks Beijing and its loyal supporters, “little pinks”, saying they are too sensitive and can’t accept any criticism. The song points out many political and social issues in China, such as the conflict between China and Taiwan, the strong internet censorship, the Xinjiang cotton incident, and mass re-education camps. They also mention the annoying behaviour of “little pinks”, who constantly think that the world is offending them.

Apparently, the Chinese government thought the song “Fragile” is offensive. It was on Weibo for a short time and quickly banned. The accounts of the singers Kimberley Chen and Namewee were shut down. It seems that this music failed in changing the attitude of the Chinese Communist Party. However, China’s act shows the world that they are really “fragile” and cannot withstand any criticism. It further consolidates the claims of the song. “Fragile” went viral and gained more than 30 million views on YouTube. It truly broke the trend of obeying the Chinese government, encouraging Mandopop singers to express their thought bravely. It can be a milestone in Mandopop.

Thinking from a different perspective, the Chinese government banning music means that they strongly believe in the power of music. They are afraid that its message of freedom and equality threaten their control over people. Luckily, Chinese citizens who live behind the wall are not totally isolated. There are plenty of methods to bypass internet censorship, like VPN. They can still reach to some music with “illegal content” on the overseas server. Perhaps in the coming future, they will awake and the banned music can play a role in overturning the tyranny in the dictatorship.