A small crowd was gathered at a pandal set up at Abu Square at Fort Kochi beneath the shade of massive trees many decades old. Behind a podium on stage stood revolutionary Telugu poet and Maoist ideologue Varavara Rao.
“Writer Upton Sinclair said that power performs, and performance is power. Those in power perform oppression upon the people, and the oppressed use their performance to fight back,” Mr. Rao told the audience. He was speaking at the inauguration of the sixth edition of ‘Music and resistance: remembering Bob Marley’ at Fort Kochi here on Saturday afternoon.
“What is the role of a cultural activist, a poet, a writer, or a singer? The poet should be the voice of the voiceless. That is the lesson we can learn from people like Bob Marley,” said the writer, who has been arrested several times on charge of being a Maoist sympathiser. Mr. Rao’s speech, which touched upon the adivasi movements across the country and the recent arrest of Delhi University professor G.N. Saibaba, reflected the general mood of the event.
The annual memorial programme attended by writers, artistes, activists, students, and the general public, brings them all together under the music and spirit of resistance of reggae singer Bob Marley. The day began with a painting and poster exhibition where artists painted images on the spot as curious crowds watched. While some of the images portrayed an almost saint-like, meditative Bob Marley, others depicted the anger of the oppressed. Plays and more music performances were staged later in the evening and into the night. The cultural performances drew many to the venue. Autorickshaw drivers, tea sellers, local residents and tourists stopped by to sway to reggae and resistance music.
“I’m here because I believe in the idea that music and culture can be used to fight oppression. The subjugation of the poor and the minorities that those on the dais speak about are very real even in this city. Even recently, there were reports that a man committed suicide here because of extreme poverty,” said human rights activist Jolly Chirayath. But there were also those in the audience who did not agree with the speakers. “The vision of a future that these people are talking about is a Utopian one. I’m just here for the music,” said K.A. Faisal, a resident of Fort Kochi. The programme will conclude on Sunday.
