In 2009, I visited Musee du Louvre in Paris and that gave me the opportunity to view La liberte guidant le peuple (Liberty Leading the People) up close and personal. I was no art enthusiast so I knew nothing of Eugene Delacroix. In fact, the only reason I knew about the painting was because it was used as Coldplay's Viva La Vida album cover!
I know very little about the July Revolution (that's what they call the revolution in 1830 because the French has had one too many revolution and I don't say that in a bad way). The only perspective I know about the revolution came from the musical Les Miserables. I have yet to watch the musical but I did get to watch the concert celebrating the musical's 25th anniversary so whatever view of the revolution I have is incomplete and not whole. Having said that, the story was certainly an uplifting one as it portrayed the uprising of the oppressed lower class against the establishment. And centuries later, I'm thrilled to be the witness of an uprising that finally succeeded to put an end to one of the longest oppressive dictatorship.
As the revolution progressed, one song that came to my mind was 'Do You Hear the People Sing' taken from Les Miserables.
As the lyrics go:
Do you hear the people sing?
Singing the song of angry men?
It is the music of a people
Who will not be slaves again!
When the beating of your heart
Echoes the beating of the drums
There is a life about to start
When tomorrow comes!
'Tomorrow' finally came for the Egyption on 11 February and as I browsed through the many newsreports from TIME to BBC to CNN to Huffington Post on Egyptian celebrating in jubilation, this one photo was what reminded me of how similar the Egyption revolution was to the French July Revolution.
The photo might not have a bare-breasted lady representing 'Liberty' but never forget that 'Tahrir' in Tahrir Square means 'Liberty' and the square was the centrestage for every thing related to the revolution from where it all started right to the ending of Mubarak's regime that marked Egypt's new beginnning so, in essence, Liberty was and always will be there with the Egyptians in spirit.
Most importantly, both the painting and the photo had a little boy joining the adults in the revolution. In the musical, Gavroche, the character of a little boy said to be inspired from the boy in Delacroix's painting, might have been killed but the Egyptian boy in the photo, among many other children, lived to witness the energy and the dynamic of the freedom and how good it felt on that day. They bore witness to the fighting spirit and the unity among their people in fighting the oppressive regime. They bore witness to see, right in front of their very eyes, how protesters were attacked and beaten by thugs hired by Mubarak and they will live on to remember and recount the violence and the blood of the martyrs on the street of Egypt to generations after theirs. They will remember the price of freedom and the value of resilience and determination in fighting to be free
.
The boy in the photo reminded me of another song from Les Miserables called 'Little People.Most importantly, both the painting and the photo had a little boy joining the adults in the revolution. In the musical, Gavroche, the character of a little boy said to be inspired from the boy in Delacroix's painting, might have been killed but the Egyptian boy in the photo, among many other children, lived to witness the energy and the dynamic of the freedom and how good it felt on that day. They bore witness to the fighting spirit and the unity among their people in fighting the oppressive regime. They bore witness to see, right in front of their very eyes, how protesters were attacked and beaten by thugs hired by Mubarak and they will live on to remember and recount the violence and the blood of the martyrs on the street of Egypt to generations after theirs. They will remember the price of freedom and the value of resilience and determination in fighting to be free
.
Be careful where you go
'Cos little people grow...
And little people know
When little people fight
We may look easy pickings but we got some bite!
So never kick a dog because he's just a pup
You better run for cover when the pup grows up!
And we'll fight like twenty armies
And we won't give up
How apt? Little people do grow and that little boy in the photo will hopefully keep an eye on the new Egyptian government to make sure that what the adults of his father and grandfather's generation have been fighting for will not go in vain. That little boy will hopefully be at the ready to rally his own generation for a new revolution (peaceful.ly, of course!) if the new government proves to be less than what it should be.
Much has been said and argued about the entire revolution. Some talk about the need to push for democracy while some talk abou maintaining the so-called stability. What the revolution has proven to us stability wouldn't exist without democracy or else the Egyptians wouldn't be going out on their streets to demand for one. The revolution is a strong stark evidence of people power, that it's the people on the street that should have a say as to how a country should run. Witnessing the revolution means seeing hope that all of us, the citizens of whatever country we are from, could bring the changes we yearn for as long as we stand together to unite our otherwise small and ingnificant individual voices. The revolution serves as a reminder to every government around the world that any form of oppression on their behalf will not go unchallenged and that 'little' people do grow to fight for what's rightfully theirs. As the lyrics of 'Little People' say: The world is big, but little people turn it around!
I'm leaving you guys with this video of the finale of Les Miserables 25th anniversary concert. It's reprise of 'Do You Hear the People Sing' and I like the lyrics better because it's more on the peaceful side and it's kinda a happy ending. I'm a pacifist, yes!
Much has been said and argued about the entire revolution. Some talk about the need to push for democracy while some talk abou maintaining the so-called stability. What the revolution has proven to us stability wouldn't exist without democracy or else the Egyptians wouldn't be going out on their streets to demand for one. The revolution is a strong stark evidence of people power, that it's the people on the street that should have a say as to how a country should run. Witnessing the revolution means seeing hope that all of us, the citizens of whatever country we are from, could bring the changes we yearn for as long as we stand together to unite our otherwise small and ingnificant individual voices. The revolution serves as a reminder to every government around the world that any form of oppression on their behalf will not go unchallenged and that 'little' people do grow to fight for what's rightfully theirs. As the lyrics of 'Little People' say: The world is big, but little people turn it around!
I'm leaving you guys with this video of the finale of Les Miserables 25th anniversary concert. It's reprise of 'Do You Hear the People Sing' and I like the lyrics better because it's more on the peaceful side and it's kinda a happy ending. I'm a pacifist, yes!
Do you hear the people sing
Lost in the valley of the night?
It is the music of a people
Who are climbing to the light.
For the wretched of the earth
There is a flame that never dies.
Even the darkest night will end
And the sun will rise.
They will live again in freedom
In the garden of the Lord.
They will walk behind the plough-share,
They will put away the sword.
The chain will be broken
And all men will have their reward.
Will you join in our crusade?
Who will be strong and stand with me?
Somewhere beyond the barricade
Is there a world you long to see?
Do you hear the people sing?
Say, do you hear the distant drums?
It is the future that they bring
When tomorrow comes!
0 comments:
Post a Comment