Kala-e-Kranti

source: getty images Art and protesting go hand in hand. Art is a vessel for human expression; dancing and chanting are primitive ways of showing emotions through one’s physical body thus are commonly used at demonstrations and protest rallies. In the time of globalization, social media becomes a space for sharing of opinions and powerful statements. Un Violador en Tu Camino (A Rapist in Your Path), is a song that was first performed in the November of 2019 by a Chilean group called La Tesis, protesting the rise of violence against women in the state. 'A rapist in your path': Chilean protest song becomes feminist anthem Looking at the video of the performance, an overwhelming feeling akin to that of being present in a cricket stadium with adrenaline pumping in your veins and goosebumps on your skin as the whole stadium reverberates; sinks in. Only, for women, the feeling is tenfold as the lyrics and dance symbolize the harassment and violence we have faced in o...

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 ...

For generations, protest art has been used to galvanise people from different backgrounds to mobilise for a cause. Following are the examples of art forms used as a means of bringing about change: Music: From ‘Revolution’ by The Beatles to the rap of Azaadi , notes of dissent have reverberated around the world. Music has always been a peaceful yet effective way of breaking the shackles of patriarchy or the systems of hierarchy. These chants of resilience are a fusion of traditional instruments like dhol and tabla and the contemporary music of guitar and drums. Freedom movements and class struggles have for long used music as a tool to garner support. Picture Credits: Edel Rodriguez / For The Times in Los Angeles Times Dance: The soft and lyrical movements of dance have been used as an instrument of social activism. From America’s Isadora Duncan to India’s Mallika Sarabhai, dancers across the world have used their art form to resist ‘the authority.’ Dance can be co...