Protest Literature by Andre Da Lobe
Source: pintrest.com
With anti-CAA protests gathering momentum across the nation in the last months of the decade, 2020 brings with it more questions than it answers. In the decades past, what remains interesting to examine is the evolution of the use of various mediums of art in protest.
Theatre
Theatre has always had a long historic tradition of addressing current issues of events central to society. From its inception in Greece in the early centuries BC with the Greek Tragedy and the first drama, theatre has always been a vocal medium to voice dissent against the State and critique the parties in power. The play Antigone by Sophocles remains the first politically driven Greek tragedy. Post the revolt of 1857, both drama and literature served beyond entertainment or education. They became instruments of change for protest against the British Raj. Folk forms such as powada and tamasha started incorporating messages In particular; historical dramas became instrumental in propagating national sentiment. Plays like Thorle Madhav Rao Peshwe (1861) by V.J. Keertane was among the first instances of a historical drama that incorporated an instance from history to instill nationalism and initiate protest against the Raj. Dinbandhu Mitra’s Nil Darpan (Mirror to Indigo), written in 1860, was the first politically significant play in Bengal that generated a powerful stir. Most powerful and significant plays of their times, were most often penned down and read as literary dramatic texts. Street theatre remains a powerful driver for change across classes in both urban and rural spheres.
Jan Natya Manch
Source: scroll.in
Literature
Literature has long been a primary medium of expressing dissent. Whether it is vocal and outright or vague and layered through undertones in novels, ever since words began to be penned into novels, they were often an expression of agitation against the norms. Examples abound beyond a mere listicle, but global popular political literary texts include 1984, by George Orwell, The Lowland, by Jhumpa Lahiri amongst several others across languages. Literary texts have often sparked debate and continue to be a poignant point of study of the historic situation of the times. From the works of Dickens to Manto and Dalit Literature closer home, it remains an important point of study to identify the times and the vocal outcry the author puts forth to express their agitation. Authors have been faced with trials, and yet, literature continues to thrive as a prime medium for driving social change and initiating thought and discourse.
1984 by George Orwell
Source: amazon.com
Cartoon
Not just for kids, fun and games cartoons or comic art have been a great medium to communicate social scenarios and commentary over the years. Be it Thomas Nast or R K Laxman, these people have tried and created art that speaks volumes without actually saying anything. Initially circulated through newspapers, comic art has now evolved with time and taken over the internet as well. Be it old school cartoonists or fresh graphic designers the constant aim over the years has been to start a revolution and generate and emotion through art be it sympathy or rage.
source: arre.com
Posters
Be it to win a war or to fight for a cause, posters through history have been a major part of encouraging people’s participation. Dating back to the 16th century with Luther’s 95 thesis to as recent as the NRC and CAA protests in India, posters have not only encouraged and brought about a revolution but they have also educated and informed people about the rights and the wrongs. Posters were the biggest tools used during the Nazi propaganda. In Nazi Germany about how great Hitler is and in the United states to encourage greater participation in the forces. being able to communicate a message and an emotion in the least amount of words possible, posters now are design heavy and have taken over circulation on social media as well.
source: kcet.org
Comments
Post a Comment