SLINGSHOT HIP HOP by Jackie Reem Salloum

" The Culture of Hip Hop and Rap is at its most Powerful and yet its most tender in Slingshot HipHop" , This quote by Public Enemy rapper Chuck D just about sums up the eloquence and quality of not only Palestinian Rap but also this high calibre multi-international award winning film.

Palestinian rap is not to be confused with some of the US variety.The Palestinian version would never be calling a Woman a "bitch" nor making explicit physical references.The Palestinian rapper is a poet using the beat to speak for his People.A cross reference at the Palestinian rap concert will include an audience from 6 year old grandchildren to grandparents over 80.It is not in a flippant way many consider if Darwish was starting out on his poetic career today he would be heavily into making rap anthems for his People.Translators for the arabic lyrics into english are constantly taken aback by the depth and sophistication of the language used by rappers and readily approve of comparisons to the vast heritage of national and international poets of this region in the far and near past.

Below is a trailer for the film which records the story of Palestinian Rappers in present day Israel ( always referred to as 48s or the originals) and Gaza and the West bank.



One of the remarkable things is the plight and degradation of the Arabs in present day Israel , one can be forgiven for only noticing the repression of the People in the Occupied Territories without realising Arabs in Israel proper are a highly victimised and discriminated against long deprived community compared to their Jewish neighbours.

Below is the song "Who is the Terrorist" which exploded the popularity of rap throughout the Arab world.




And this is an interview with the group DAM ,giving an insight to the beginnings of the movement which has continued to snowball.



After the film we had a post-showing talk from the director and DAMs Suhell Nafar.The director told of the difficulties with the Israeli customs , including the vandalism and smashing of her equipment , resulting in her getting her Jewish friends to bring in stuff which she would then use before they would then smuggle out for her.Suhell also told of the craziness of the militarised Israeli mind , including tales of Israeli schoolteachers teaching kids with guns in their holsters.

One illuminating story was the reason she has not made a film about rappers both Israeli and Palestinian doing joint ventures across the boundaries.The reason is , she said , the number one selling Israeli rapper has song titles and and lyrics to the extent " Kill Arabs".

PIGS AND BATTLESHIPS by Shohei Imamura

Having just read Nemesis by Chalmers Johnson , it was an intriguing coincidence to have the exquisite pleasure of seeing Imamuras 1961 depiction of the shady goings on in a US naval base town with a black underworld economy based around the waste and needs of the base infrastructure and personnel.

Petty crime and madcap schemes of a local mafia living off the needs and requirments engendered by the dynamics of the base are interspersed with the code of honour of traditional family way of life.A split personality culture is very much in evidence as the market orientated way of life in the basetown erodes all the values that sustain a community over a long period of time.In the end the director comes up with a compromise of sorts with things ending up in a continuous farce.

A nice symbol is portrayed in the end when the surviving character is forced to get on a train to get away from the place to a location more blessed with values and tradition than this war economy dependent ravaged town.

FORGOTTEN TRANSPORTS TO LATVIA by Lukas Pribyl

It will be a very sad day when one becomes so completely desensitised to the brutal events of the experience of the ordinary victims of the Holocaust that it does not raise any harrowing emotions.When that happens the countdown to the next Holocaust has already begun.It will happen in its subtle , imperceptible slow manner.First we will get extreme race and ethnic based right wing views becoming fashionable in the mainstream , then we will get these views being expressed as free expression and the right to articulate ideas in an open society , then we will get extreme parties winning sizable votes and seats in local and national elections and then , well , we have a track record in Europe.

Then again , watching a documentary about the Holocaust is never any fun.But it is something that has to be watched or we will fail to learn the lessons of the past and walk into a future that has already brought us , in Europe , a rise in the right , especially in countries that never went into a process of de-nazification and Atonement like Germany.

This film draws of the testimony of victims drawn from all over the world talking about their experience from being collected and hounded out of their ghetto in Czechoslovakia and sent to Latvia.The disconcerting aspect is the tacit meek approval as well as full blown participation of the neighbours of the Jewish population and the enthusiastic participation of the Latvians in the extermination process at the other end.The Germans may have been the facilitators , like the British in International slavery , but the Holocaust was a pan-European extermination in which many communities and nations were willing and pro-active enthusiastic participants.

History is not static , supporters of Justice need to be alert and this film is a timely reminder telling us we all have responsibilities , if we dont defend lessons learned from it then others will take advantage of it to bring back times we thought we had moved on from for ever..

One has to be careful in this and age , and take the advice carried in this song:

CHRISTY MOORE at the Barrowlands

From previous experience i have found going to a gig early and getting right at the front is very well worthwhile.Even being 10 yards away , rather than at the very front, seriously diminishes the quality and enjoyment of the experience.My pal also concurred with this sentiment , though only after the concert when he reflected on the difference it would have made had we not been able to have an unobscured close up view of Declans fingering on the guitar or the sweat on christys brow.

The lady next to me was enjoying this first time Christy concert as a special birthday treat from her son.What a special gift to give to your Mother.We chatted a little and i assured her she would she a unique world class performance and would be permanently hooked to the ever growing band of Christys merry followers.Another set of ladies enjoying a group party for the birthday of their pal were members of the 4711ers club , the official name for the interactive forum on Christys website.He was to later dedicate a song to them and gave the songlistsheet to the special birthday girl as a souvenir after the concert.

The Barrowlands is a very special venue , so special Christy has written a song about it , you dont get many songs about specific venues.A Christy Concert at the Barrowlands is more raucous;crisp;fresh and full of raw energy than you get with the sedate pace of things at the Royal Concert Hall.The fans are also younger and more boisterous , without in any way being less sophisticated or appreciative of the quieter reflective songs Christy sings.

We were treated to a fantastic delight of catchy , yet meaningful lyric songs , here are some highlights ,each is a magical self-contained performance in its own right.

Victor Jara:




Viva La Quinta Brigada:



Natives:



No Time For Love:



We also had a delightful cameo appearance from Willie Page , the writer of smoke and strong whisky and the universal anthem Biko Drum.What a fantastic ; strong piercing voice he had.

TIGER SPIRIT by Min Sook Lee

The state of War between the artificially separated Koreas has split families for nearly 6 decades.Very few get to hear news about their loved ones , yet alone to hear them or even one day to get a fleeting face to face meeting.

Canadian based Min Sook Lee follows the trails and plights of several families trying to meet with their loved ones , always beholden to becoming victims of reunions being suspended or postponed depending on how relations and negotiations are with the two States.

The DMZ is a emotional broken heart between an ancient unified People.To Koreans the country is said to look like a Tiger about to Spring if you look at its shape on a map.The Japanese reshaped the mentality of the Koreans by re-labelling the country as resembling a tame cowered rabbit.In the long history of Korea the split is a short stain on a continuous long history that will be overcome in time.

Here is a short portion of the beginning of the wonderful documentary:



In the South of Korea any defector from the North is made to sign a declaratory document making themselves available for any propaganda opportunities the South may wish to utilise them for , on pain of losing any state support and benefits.They are also assigned an intelligence officer for life who will keep a permanent eye on their activities.Restrictions in the North are even more stringent.

CHRISTY MOORE at The Glasgow Royal Concert Hall

Christy Moore is one of the finest , if not the finest , folk singers on the circuit today.We in Glasgow have been spoilt lately with having the pleasure of seeing him grace our stages for the past 3 years.Such exposure to a genuinely world class exponent of his field is what makes a city the size of Glasgow punch well above its population in the cultural and artistic scene.

Christy is not only a superb artist but he is also a fine Human Being who has given expression to the inner voice of many unjustly treated and oppressed individual and communities the world over.He is a heritage to only only his Irish roots , his music transcends his celtic upbringing and is a gift to all Humanity.

His colleague and co-performer Declan Sinott suffered an appalling tragedy only a few weeks back when his Brother and Son were killed in a boating accident while on holiday in America.It was great to see him playing brilliant guitar and singing with the finest voice ive heard in all the times i have had the unquestioned pleasure to see him.

Here are versions of 3 songs from the concert that were special highlights:

Missing You:



North and South:




And my Wifes favourite , Black is The Colour:




Alas Christy cant perform every song in his vast repertoire , but this one is such an evocative song i feel obliged to include it as it is just a beautiful song :

IN THE HOLY FIRE OF REVOLUTION by Masha Novikova

Legendary former World Champion chessmaster Garry Kasparov stood against Bono-hugging Vladimir Putin in the 2007 elections.

This documentary traces the tribulations and more tribulations of the campaign against the mass forces ranged against any opponent of Putin.Some of the stunts are plain old fashioned petty , like withholding Kasparovs passport for spurious reasons for examination , only to hand it back once the plane to a conference in a distant region has finally taken off.Others are more sinister and threatening with beatings and mass denial to the media apparatus controlled by the state or its oligarch backers.

The actual coalition which Kasparov is part of , The Other Russia , does not help itself with one of the principle parties , from what we see the lead party as far as policy dissemination is concerned , has insignia on the flags which are too close to the emblems of the Nazi party for comfort or non-association.The leader , and what appears to be the left hand man to Kasparovs public face led campaign , gives a very unconvincing explanation the insignia is not nazi but the copy of the german Communist Party symbol in the 1920s ( it has to be said that Hitler was quite close to the Communists at the time ).This is a highly suspect looking excuse not unalike the Rangers Nazi saluting fans claiming it is a red Hand of Ulster salute in no way connected to fascists.

Kasparov is also followed by a bunch of indefatigable Putin Youths who lay on the slanders and charges thick and fast.Their persistence and ability to have the means to follow the campaign trail on a budget that could only be in the league of a very high class Russian certainly shows where their butter comes from.

Kasparov can never quite shake of the charge , which appears to stick , that he is a US aligned candidate charged with bringing the Orange revolution and Violet revolutions of Ukraine and Georgia into Russia.The fact that he is a Contributing EDITOR of The Wall Street Journal certainly helps to weaken the non-US influence protestations he meekly offers in his defence.