After weeks in this class, my perception of art and music has shifted and developed. Apart from the artistic expression of many art forms, I believe that some if not all art forms are basis for cultural identification. An art form might represent a cultural upbringing, their activities, or their lifestyle. In the case of repression and oppression, these “cultural productions” were often formed and created in places of hardship and community.
Often throughout history, place-making can be seen in areas where communities are allowed to freely express themselves, where ideas are formed and discussed. In all of the groups talked about, these would be areas of hardship, where they were outsiders trying to survive under harsh mistreatment and exploitation. As I would imagine, ideas that are often talked about would be their communal struggle to survive, to beat their oppressors, and to maintain a strong mentality. Although much might only be passed down as spoken words, written words in the form of art, literature, or music can often reveal the truth of what colonization was like for many.
When only looking at preserved texts and evidence from the oppressors, many sources might be biased towards the oppressors, creating false labels for the oppressed, altering events to create empathy for the oppressor, or even straight out absence of certain events due to its cruelty tied with it. However, as mentioned above, the perspective of the oppressed can often be found in mediums that allowed their free expression. Songs or literature from the oppressed can often shed light on the reality of the political struggle, highlighting key elements that might not have been realized if not for those who wrote them down.
When analyzing political events, it is important to look on both sides of the spectrum, to not traverse down a single path, as it might be biased towards one side of the struggle. However, it is also important to look at the possible biases of sources from both origins, where the oppressors might miss out on events that paint them as ruthless, the oppressed might over-exaggerate the oppressors in order to victimize themselves beyond what is necessary.
Certain songs, however, I feel like, have the most truthfulness to them. Songs that are meant to motivate the oppressed in order to keep pushing forward are in my opinion, a really strong indicator of the “real struggle”. As something that is meant to be positive and upbeat, I feel that an over-exaggeration of torturous events would counteract its purpose, and therefore creators and their community alike would refrain from doing so. In addition, such songs which might have been sung more in public would warrant a bad reaction if the oppressors understood, which is why I believe that these types of art forms are types that transcend others in terms of their usage in historical analysis. The signified meaning in songs that only those who are suffering the same would understand is untapped potential for evidence of the struggle in difficult times and is something that should be looked at more.
