Description
Book SynopsisMusic and Coexistence: A Journey across the World in Search of Musicians Making a Difference is both study and travelogue, as author Osseily Hanna explores the courageous work of musicians who compose and perform with their ostensible enemies or in extraordinary social situations. He documents the political and economic constraints faced by musicians, from the wall that encloses a refugee camp in Jerusalem, to the tensions among KFOR and Carabinieri peacekeepers who keep Serbs and Kosovar Albanians apart, to the cultural and linguistic suppression that afflicts minority communities in Turkey. A multilingual musician, Hanna examines the lives of the individuals and groups at the forefront of the effort to bridge ethnic, cultural, and religious divisions. Featuring musicians from thirteen different countries and territories across five continents, Hanna's story includes a remarkable cadre of performers, such as the musicians who comprise Heartbeat, a group of Israeli and Palestinian yo
Trade ReviewAnyone expecting this to be a book about Bob Geldof or about Bono are in for a surprise, not only this is not a book about celebrity musicians who care and give a great deal, but because none of the musicians written about in this fine book by Osseily Hanna are well-known at all. In fact as you might expect, none of the protagonists have been heard about at all. But in the four parts and twelve chapters of this Music and Coexistence you come across some of the most remarkable musicians in corners of the world that you might never have guessed possible who are fighting against seemingly insurmountable obstacles not to have their voices heard but to spread the word about peaceful and coexistent harmony in places such as Turkey, the Shufat Refugee Camp in Palestine, South Africa, Tanzania, Mexico, Ireland, Kosovo, Rwanda, Cambodia, Israel, Brazil and the United States of America – regions torn apart by strife, bigotry, violence, genocide and a lot more things that are absolutely abominable and offensive. . . . Now, think about what Osseily Hanna has accomplished – or better still – think about what his subjects (in the book) are doing and have achieved…and now read the book. * Jazz da Gama *
Music may be for Shakespeare, the food of love but for Osseily Hanna it is the fuel of trans-national feeling. Music and Coexistence is a travelogue dedicated to the conviction that the human instinct towards rhythm, melody and harmony is susceptible to as many interpretations as there are cultures, but these are languages of feeling that need no translation. His account of travels through the music and lives of the musicians of a startling number of traditions fulfills, for every reader, the aim of bringing together a diverse world. -- Farrukh Dhondy, author, playwright, and screenwriter
Table of ContentsDedication List of abbreviations List of Photos Acknowledgments Introduction Part I: Music and Social Inclusion Chapter 1: Songs of fraternity (Turkey) Chapter 2: Rapping for peace and equality, G-town (Shuafat refugee camp) Chapter 3: Where there is Gold (South Africa) Chapter 4: Albino Revolution Cultural Troupe (Tanzania) Chapter 5: Oaxacan women (Mexico) Interlude 1: Argentine Tango Part II: Music and War Chapter 6: Notes from a divided island (Ireland) Chapter 7: Mitrovica Rock School (Kosovo) Chapter 8: Khmer Magic Music Bus (Cambodia) Chapter 9: Musicians without Borders (Rwanda) Interlude 2: Arto, Yaşar, and Komitas (Anatolia) Part III: Music Education Programs Chapter 10: Heartbeat: Amplifying youth voices (Israel) Chapter 11: Poetry, Samba, and Soul (Brazil) Chapter 12: Mariachis in Texas (United States of America) Epilogue: Bukra fi mish mish, when the impossible becomes possible Appendix 1: Glossary Appendix 2: Directory Bibliography About the Author
