So says Ignacio Saiz, host of the Global Campus of Human Rights’ new podcast series, Sounds of Justice, which explores the rich and complex intersections between music and human rights. Featuring musicians, human rights and environmental justice advocates, ethnomusicologists and neuroscientists, the series explores music’s power to move and mobilize, to foster empathy and solidarity, and to help us rethink our relationship to the more-than-human world.
For Ignacio Saiz, creating Sounds of Justice has brought together two lifelong passions: human rights – expressed through his work with Amnesty International and the Center for Economic and Social Rights – and a parallel calling as a musician and singer. The spark came when he discovered the Global Campus-linked publication, The Routledge Companion to Music and Human Rights:
“It brought those two worlds together in ways I hadn’t imagined, showing how music not only amplifies a human rights message, but can itself be a transformative vehicle for change. At a time when the human rights movement is being challenged to respond to genocide, ecocide and the dismantling of democracy, exploring the role of music, sound and listening in advancing human rights felt urgent and full of possibility.”
Angela Impey and Julian Fifer, two of the co-editors of the Routledge Companion, have acted as advisors on the podcast, which spans genres from Haitian mizik angaje to Palestinian rap, from anti-apartheid rhythms to Dalit drumbeats from Maharashtra.
As ethnomusicologist Angela Impey notes, music does not mean the same thing to all people. Many cultures don’t recognize song or dance as categorically different from speech; they all exist within a wider framework of communication:
“Focusing on music from different cultural contexts compels us to engage in a politics of listening, of listening to how values, principles and interests are locally defined, communicated and protected,” she observes.
Julian Fifer, former Executive Director of Musicians for Human Rights, explains that Sounds of Justice “aims to inspire and support musicians seeking to lead professional lives imbued with human rights values, as well as human rights activists and others in related fields looking to foster interaction between mind and heart as a source of inspiration for advocacy.”
At a moment when attention is scarce and societies are polarized, Sounds of Justice explores how music connects – and how listening itself can be an ethical attitude attuned to our times.
Listen to the first five episodes of Sounds of Justice here and explore the podcast playlist.
South African singer Busi Mhlongo, whose voice threads through the podcast. Photo: Foto24/Gallo Images via Getty Images.