Music
In February's issue of Conscious Comments, hip hop/reggae artist Ras Ceylon wrote an article entitled “My Repatriation Time” about his journey to Sri Lanka. He discusses how his educational mission was augmented by an unplanned musical tour when, the first Sri Lankan-American to release a Hip Hop album was recognized, which is no surprise since he has continued to put out music for over ten years.
( read article here bit.ly/YRUMTR )
Ras Ceylon's visit to Sri Lanka took place a mere three years after the cease fire occurred in the Sri Lankan War. His song “Heal Lanka” was timely and appropriate with lyrics that state “We've been fightin too long my island needs to heal/It's so many innocent lives lost too many children have been killed/We got good and burnin bridges, but now who is down to build.” With such unifying and healing lyrics, one would think this song would get a great deal of radio air play in a country
Music With Muscles
striving to come together, and it did, that is until March 7 2013. That's when Ras Ceylon received a notice from one radio station stating that ‘due to the current political climate in Sri Lanka,' they are taking his track off rotation until the 'situation gets better.’ In addition, his Sri Lanka based film team "Grindout Pictures" who shot and are editing the video for “Heal Lanka” were intimidated and threatened by a group of unidentified men in Colombo who told them not to release the video.
At a time in hip hop music when artists are rapping about bling, sex, and rape, a positive uplifting song like “Heal Lanka” would appear to be a welcome change. But here's the caveat when making conscious music, it can make the opposition or the oppressors very nervous. As I have said on many occasions, music has the power to change minds, hearts, and behavior, as the silencing of Ras Ceylon's message has proven.
Although, it is unfortunate that “Heal Lanka” has been taken away from the people, for now, it is a testament to the power of the lyrics and the message within, because it was clearly reaching the hearts of many as was evident by it's rising popularity on the request lines. Ras Ceylon and “Grindout Pictures” are not deterred by the censorship, rather they are more determined to