Posts Tagged ‘music’
August 20th, 2010
Index on Censorship celebrates the launch of its new magazine on music and free expression with performances by the Iranian singer Mahsa Vahdat and oud player Khyam Allam at the Free Word Centre.
Mahsa Vahdat is winner of the Freemuse Award 2010.
Khyam Allami is the first recipient of BBC Radio 3′s World Routes Academy scholarship and made his debut at Womad and the Proms this summer.
Index on Censorship invites you to join the festivities and tune into Smashed Hits 2.0 Live.
To reserve a place, call 020 7324 2570 or click here
6:30pm. 21 September 2010. Free Word Centre, London
August 11th, 2010
The YouTube sensation ‘Newport State of Mind’, a parody of the Jay-Z and Alicia Keys song ‘
Empire State of Mind‘, has been
banned.
Initial reports stated that EMI music or EMI publishing were behind the ban, however,
recent accounts state that it may have been following a direct request from the artists credited with the song. Videos of a
live performance of ’Newport State of Mind’ are still available on YouTube, as are those of a
rival spoof based around the same song by Newport rappers
Goldie Lookin’ Chain.
August 6th, 2010
Iran’s supreme leader and cleric, Ayatollah Khamenei released a statement claiming that learning
and teaching music are “not compatible” with Islamic laws and values. According to Fars news agency, he said: “It’s better that our dear youth spend their valuable time in learning science and essential and useful skills and fill their time with sport and healthy recreations instead of music.” Khamenei made the comments after one of his followers asked him for advice on taking up music lessons. When Khamenei was president, he banned western-style music.
June 9th, 2010
The Belarusian “Public Council of Morality” have attempted to
tone down any suggestion of homosexuality during Elton John’s imminent performance in Minsk. State officials have asked the singer’s management for early Elton albums to ensure that they are not “inconsistent with the law and morality”. Previous pride march attempts have been
broken up by police in a state attempt to “prevent the promotion of homosexuality”.
May 24th, 2010
A high school near the city of Shigatse in Tibet has
banned teachers and pupils from having “separatist” ringtones on their mobile phones after they were ruled “unhealthy” by local education officials. A list of 27 popular Tibetan songs was posted on the school website, and anyone caught in possession of them was warned they would be “severely dealt with”.
May 4th, 2010
Elton John was
banned from playing a private show on 18 May after the head of Egypt’s musician union denounced his “anti-religious sentiments”. Union head
Mounir al Wasimi said John should not be allowed to perform in Egypt because he is “a homosexual who wants to ban religions, claimed that the prophet Issa (Jesus) was gay and calls for Middle Eastern countries to allow gays to have sexual freedom…”.
April 28th, 2010
Musician
M.I.A‘s video for her new single
Born Free has been
banned from Youtube just days after it was released. The controversial video, directed by Romain Gavras, shows American police rounding redheads, and subjecting them to brutal violence.
Critics have suggested the explicit video is a publicity stunt for M.I.A and the director, whose debut feature film
Redheads, is based on the same premise.
March 31st, 2010
Last Monday,
hundreds of protestors attacked the offices of the Maharaja Television offices in Colombo, injuring four workers and smashing many windows and cars. The incident is over hip-hop artist Akon’s latest music video “Sexy Bitch”, which depicts images of bikini–clad women dancing in front of a statue of Buddha, causing offense to the mainly Buddhist Sinhalese population. Akon, due to play a concert in Sri Lanka in April, has been refused entry into the country as a result of the uproar.
