michael lambe

Ironically, according to Google Analytics, I’m really not alone. “Hello!” and “Aloha!” to readers in Redmond (U.S.), Toronto, Wokingham (U.K.), Valbom (!), La Rochelle, and Takatsuki and thank you for allaying my deep and long-held suspicion that no-one was actually reading this at all.

And here are my favorite headlines today:

Donald Rumsfield has been arrested and will be shortly up before a World Court tribunal for his various and plentiful crimes against humanity.

I’m just kidding. In fact he’s merely quit. Still it’s a start I suppose.

Another glorious victory in the march towards a socialist utopia: Daniel Ortega is reelected in Nicaragua.

Peace in our time! In Nepal at least… Hurrah for Nepal!

Britney Spears goes skating after announcing divorce.

That last one would be facetious (hence the lack of a “why not learn more?” link).

So some time ago I said I’d be telling you about the Michael Franti DVD “I KNOW I’M NOT ALONE: A MUSICIAN’S JOURNEY THROUGH WAR IN THE MIDDLE EAST”.

It’s good. Here’s Franti’s own introduction:

“After years of watching and reading about war in the Middle East, I began to grow really frustrated with the news; hearing generals and politicians explaining the economic cost, and the political cost of war without ever talking about the human cost of war. I couldn’t imagine what it would be like to live under foreign military rule, so I went to Baghdad, Israel and into the occupied Palestinian territories of the West Bank and Gaza, to hear from the people affected by it most: taxi-drivers, restaurant owners, craftsmen, nurses, doctors, poets, children, families, soldiers, and of course my personal favorite musicians. So I took some of my friends and my guitar, and a video camera and this is what I saw…”

I expect a lot of people thought he was completely mad. As his driver/interpreter Maher Al-Wahhash, made clear, what Michael Franti wanted to do (i.e. meet ordinary people on the streets) was in no way safe:

“If you want to go out, we have to go to some places where people know me… Otherwise you cannot feel safe. We can go to some places without being authorized by the CPA (Coalition Provisional Authority) or being authorized by some others but if you want to take the risk we can take you there… No security of course, but we are going to mix with people, locals and mixing with locals…[is] completely dangerous because you can expect at any time to be attacked, or …yeah some people may try to kidnap you and these things are happening now. This is what they brought to Iraq from overseas. This is the new freedom.”

I don’t think it’s possible to underestimate the bravery of someone with a high profile like Michael Franti, going out to meet the locals in Baghdad.

To break down barriers he decided to write a song in Arabic, but knowing he would never be able to master enough of the language he wrote a song in which one word “habibi” (meaning something along the lines of “friend” or “beloved”) is repeated over and over again. The scenes where he plays this song to both Iraqis and Palestinians (much to their pleasure and amusement) are pretty funny to watch.

He also played to the American troops, which considering the strong political message of most of his music must have made him feel quite uncomfortable. About this he said:

“This was the hardest show I’d ever done in my life… In the end I was surprised at how many of them told me that more than anything else, they just wanted to go home.”

What Michael Franti found in Baghdad was a city without basic amenities: no water, no electricity, no healthcare and also no security and no respect. His driver/interpreter spoke poignantly of his dreams for the future:

“I wish to see a secure Iraq, a peaceful Iraq, and I wish the people to get decent jobs, to make a decent living, and I wish the Iraqi people to have the power to control, to rule their country themselves and to rebuild their country themselves. I wish that the Iraqi people and the American people become really friendly and forget all about the past. I wish that we could meet again one day in the future. Enshallah.” (If God is willing)

After Baghdad the charismatic musician went on to Israel and the occupied territories where he had the opportunity to play with musicians such as the mixed Israeli/Palestinian group Sheva and to talk with both ordinary people in the refugee camps, Israeli soldiers, and the victims of both sides of the conflict. Peppered throughout the movie are some pretty telling statistics, such as these:

“Israel receives $16 million per day in aid from the U.S.”

“60% of the population living in Gaza live under the UN poverty level of U.S. $2 per day”

“Of the 4.2 million Palestinians living in the West Bank and Gaza, 1.4 million live in refugee camps.”

There is also of course the personal witness of Michael Franti himself and his infectious music:

“It was so amazing to see kids whose families had had their homes demolished, who’d been shot at, and who’d been beaten, whose parents were dead, who were so excited and so happy to be around music. Once again “Habibi” was a huge hit!”

“I KNOW I’M NOT ALONE” is a fascinating and moving movie. If you get the chance to, watch it.