While some Bands in the streets of Moscow to protest songs and sang and invited other music stars of the authorities, at the same time on a Festival in Gorky Park to occur. A diversion of the government?
“I’m not good with politics. But I can say that freedom of expression and the ability to freely decide, are the most important and most basic things that everyone should have, and I hope that we will one day have.”
Tens of thousands came on a rainy Saturday afternoon in Moscow, to demonstrate for free elections. The organizers of the rally estimate the crowd at 10. August, to around 50,000 people, the police are more likely to have 20,000 protesters counted. You look at the stage, where rappers FACE speaks into the microphone: The 22-year-old Russian, wearing a black Hoodie, on his cheek, he has tattooed the words “Hate” and “Love”.
Rapper FACE: Russia is “a large prison camp”
As the FACE began his career, not rapped about politics. A year ago he released his new Album “Пути неисповедимы”, for example “Mysterious ways”. This time he sang about corruption and the social Question of making this home. In one of his Tracks, he compared the country with a “big prison camp”. At the rally on may 10. In August, he performed a song in which it comes to censorship: “I’m a comedian”, rapped he. “A false wit – and you’re on the black list.” FACE with Russian teenagers currently very popular.
The well-known activist of the Russian protest group Pussy Riot,
Petro Wersilow, made on the appearance of the FACE by Twitter alert. Wersilow was ran last year in Moscow may be the victim of a poison attack, after he dressed up in a guerrilla Performances at the FIFA world Cup in Russia as a police officer on the field of play and in the death of three Russian journalists in the Central African Republic researched, the politically motivated assassination he suspected.
The protests for free elections in Russia took their beginning, as the Central election Commission refused in the beginning of July, independent candidates and the opposition to the election of a new Moscow city Parliament on may 8. September allow. In the subsequent rallies, the police went in with batons against the demonstrators and arrested many people. Criminal case for “mass unrest” have been initiated.
This, in turn, led to further protests in Moscow and other Russian cities. For two months now, the discontent with the political Situation of Moscow citizens is driving every Saturday on the road.
To take on alternative music scene in Russia
After FACE-the front man of the Gangsta-Rapper-Band Krovostok, Anton Chernyak, the stage and thanked “all the brave people for Coming entered”. The electro-pop Duo IC3PEAK played political Songs, but turned directly to the audience.
Last autumn, more than 40 concerts were banned young Bands in the alternative music scene across the country. Also IC3PEAK was no longer allowed to occur. “We will not censor certainly,” said singer Anastasia Kreslina at the time, compared to the DW. Also, the Russian Parliament discussed finally, on Rap, where President Vladimir Putin to him as a “Sex – drugs – and Protest,”music branded.
Also, in the course of the current demonstrations for free elections, the Russian authorities tried to ban musicians in their concerts. They justified this by saying that the concerts were not logged in as music, but as protest events. Some of the concerts took place eventually anyway.
Also a Poster for a concert of FACE to be located in Moscow, reported the BBC on 29. August. FACE parodied on official election posters. Two concerts from the FACE of the 23. 24. August, the organizer said on pressure the Russian authorities. The Rapper interprets this action as an attempt to censor him. It was a response to his appearance at the government-critical rally.
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Russia: music against the System
A political event or just a Free concert?
At the Protest rally on may 10. August, many said they had come out of solidarity, to support the opposition and independent candidates. Loyal to the government voices say, however, that it is rather the Free concert was that the people have lured the masses to the rally: “Many came to see their favorite artist live and for free,” says Alexey Martynov from the Putin-friendly Think-Tank “International Institute for New States” to the DW. “It naturally generates great interest when famous Rapper to announce.”
Click here to read how the Russian judicial system against the parents was going on, took her child to the Protest.
Political scientist Ilya Grashchenkov, however, holds: “It is a political gesture, the artist was designed and very emotional.” And he assigns the Event: “music in Russia, starting with the Underground Rock of the 80s, the art form that is most associated with the protest movement.” In his opinion, the participation of young artists in the current protests is an attempt to revive the movement, which existed at the end of the Soviet Era, when musicians such as Ozzy Osbourne, the Scorpions and motley Crue in 1989, at the “Moscow Music Peace Festival” occurred.
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Resistance against Russia’s President
Protest inspired musicians
Many other musicians have supported the Protest for free elections online. Some, like the prominent Rapper Oxxxymiron, animated your Fans, participate in the events. Others were artistically of the demonstrations inspired: “Thick smoke over the center of Moscow – who breathes, ends up in prison,” sings the well-known Russian singer Vasya Oblomov in his new song “Smoke” the situation in the Russian capital.
The Russian musician Vasya Oblomov sings about the protests in Moscow
When it comes to Oblomov, should art take on current events – so his songs reflect the current social struggles. He is known for his activism and was one of the few musicians who emerged after the parliamentary elections in 2011 during protests of the Opposition. This accused Vladimir Putin’s party “United Russia” electoral fraud and Manipulation.
“We are all citizens. It does not matter whether we are musicians or not,” says he in a DW interview. “Protest events are not to Sing or have fun, and to see celebrities. The rallies are the attempt of society to make their voice heard.”
You can read here, which accuses the Russian government of the DW in their coverage of the protests.
A free Festival to distract you from the policy
While thousands of people gathered to Protest in the centre of Moscow, enjoyed other only three kilometres away, Free concerts, and grilled meat in Gorky Park. The city had initiated a hand, the “shish kebab Live Festival” – at the time of the protests. This happened on such short notice that some of the Bands that learned only from the press that they were booked for the Festival.
“This was clearly an attempt, the people of the protests to distract,” says political scientist Grashchenkov. And the Plan worked: The first Moscow-Grill-skewer – and music Festival was a success. There are so many people had participated that the city is thinking about a reissue.
Meat skewers instead of Protest: time to initiate the same political rallies in the city of Moscow in the short term, the “shish kebab Live Festival” in Gorky Park
“But you have made a mistake,” added Grashchenkov. He believes that the Last-minute Organisation have alienated a lot of artists. Many of you would have felt like puppets of the city of Moscow, as a “Gimmick for a piece of meat”. This led to the Festival have ultimately had a negative connotation.
Maxim Pokrovsky, frontman of the rock band Nogu Svelo!, should also occur at the Festival. After he had acknowledged, however, “what was going on,” said the musician to his Show and took part instead in the protest rallies. Other Bands refused to play in the Gork-Park.
Many Russians, however, see nothing wrong with it, if the same time, major political events also a free music festival. “When it comes to art, whether music, painting or books, the art detached from politics. You should not mix both,” said one of the visitors in Gorky Park, not far from the stage, not far from the steam grill, with shish kebab Skewers.