“You can not be an artist and not reflect the times” Nina
Simone
Being an artist is a tricky affair. There are occasions you
take a stand on certain issues and there are others you simply plead the 5th
(remain silent). It comes with the territory, but remaining silent on human
rights issues is usually the worst. That’s when an artist is called upon to
address society.
I was watching Nina Simone’s documentary, What happened to Miss Simone a few months ago and what she said struck me like a thunder bolt. She
was not only brutally honest with what the artist’s role in society was, but
also through her life demonstrated a cautionary example. Sometimes you have to
temper your rebuke of social ills to the root problems and not demonize your
audience in the process.
That’s what’s been hard in this new social media age. One
wrong tweet, post or comment could either drive fans away, towards you or worse,
cost you your career. I always think sticking to the issues to be the best
approach, personalizing problems usually divides an audience into distinctive
camps; the ‘us versus them’ dichotomy.
However if you are in a position of influence not taking a
side can also be equally detrimental. You might come across as insensitive and
out of touch with the times.
Looking at Nina, the civil rights movement played a big role
in how she crafted her music during the 60’s and 70’s, and if not for her diving
unimpeded into the mess we probably would not have had such beautiful and
powerful songs as ‘young gifted and black’ or ‘Mississippi goddamn’.
With the constant political turmoil going around the world I
think now more than ever, artists are called upon to speak, to channel best
their audiences’ anger and need for change, to give a voice to the voiceless
and to be real ambassadors of true democracy.
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