The beat is hip, the lyrics are in Arabic and the message is powerful. Amid the violence and poverty, some Palestinians in the Gaza Strip are turning to rap as a way of venting their anger and despair.
“I like rap because it speaks about people who suffer,” says Mohammed Farra of Gaza's PR -- Palestinian Rappers.
The 21-year-old meets Samy, 20, and Dany, 17, at a recording studio to jam together on a new song. Dressed like young rappers all over the world, the three sing of their hopes and dreams. They choose rap because it “has no rules. It makes you free,” they say.
PHOTO: AFP
“Rap is the easiest way to speak to people, and the message reaches them faster because of the music,” Farra says. From his lyrics, it's clear that Farra has something to say:
I looked in our history book, //
It was filled with exodus and refu-
gee stories, //
The ink was dripping with pain.
Rap is also a good way to beat boredom. “You can die of boredom here,” Farra says.
He and his friends stopped going to the beach after Israeli army fire killed eight people there in early June. Walking around at night is not safe either, since the coming of darkness often means Israeli attacks.
Despite all the misery, Farra says that for him, the situation in Gaza today has really improved since Israel left the territory a year ago, ending a 38-year occupation.
He lives with his parents in the southern town of Khan Yunis, and before the Israeli pull-out he used to have difficulty getting to the recording studio, in Gaza City to the north.
“Today it's a piece of cake,” Farra says.(AFP)
節奏流行,歌詞用阿拉伯文書寫,訊息強烈。在暴力與貧窮交織下,加薩走廊有些巴勒斯坦人把饒舌化為發洩憤怒與絕望的一種方式。
加薩走廊的巴勒斯坦饒舌歌手穆罕默德.法拉說︰「我喜歡饒舌,因為它道出苦難人民的心聲。」
二十一歲的法拉在錄音室遇見二十歲的山米與十七歲的丹尼時,便即興合作了首新歌。這三位歌手的裝扮就如世界各地的年輕饒舌歌手一樣,唱出他們的希望與夢想。他們說由於饒舌「沒有規則,讓人自由發展」,故而選擇饒舌。
法拉說︰「饒舌是最容易對人說話的方式,由於是音樂形式,訊息能更快傳給人們。」法拉的歌詞清楚表達出他想說的話︰
「我查閱歷史書
處處是移民與難民的故事
墨水流淌著苦痛」
饒舌也是解悶的一種好方式。法拉說︰「在這裡你可能會無聊死。」
以色列軍隊在六月初殺害八個人後,他就不再和朋友去海邊了。由於以色列經常趁夜幕低垂時發動攻擊,在夜間四處行走也不安全。
雖然歷經種種苦難,法拉說自以色列一年前撤出加薩走廊,結束長達三十八年的佔領後,對他而言現今加薩走廊的情況真的改善不少。
法拉與父母住在南部的Khan Yunis鎮。早在以色列撤出前,他要到位於北部加薩市的錄音室可說是困難重重。
法拉說︰「現在輕而易舉。」
(法新社/翻譯︰賴美君)
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