History and Hope: a Rhiannon Giddens concert review

I’m a huge fan of the Carolina Chocolate Drops, and in recent months have become more and more interested in Rhiannon Giddens’ solo work. Her most recent album, “Freedom Highway,” is one of the most compelling pieces of American storytelling that I’ve experienced. One song in particular from her new album, “Purchaser’s Option” moved me to attend her show last weekend at the Weinberg Center in Frederick.

Sunday's show was not only stunning musically but it was also inspiring. She reminded us that “we can do more together than we can do apart,” needing only to point so far as the music she performed, which draws inspiration from across the many roots of American history and culture.

Giddens was joined by a bluegrass legend, Dirk Powell, who was unknown to me before Sunday evening. He left a lasting impression on me, not only for his musical prowess but also for the message he brought to the stage. By way of introducing their rendition of "Birmingham Sunday" (originally performed by Powell's friend, the great Joan Baez), Powell shared a personal story about the 16th Street Baptist Church bombing, where 4 young African American girls were murdered by hate. 

Powell made a call to action for his friend, Doug Jones, who gave tirelessly in the fight for justice in this case and who fights now for a chance to represent Alabama in the Senate. He talked of the lessons he learned from Jones and others during this tragedy and expressed that if you do not love those who committed the bombing, you’ve already lost. He mentioned the words of wise men, such as Martin Luther King Jr, who shared the same message, that "hate cannot drive out hate." I thought of the magnanimous forgiveness of Mothers for Justice. I remembered the empowered women in Belfast who had suffered and carry with them deep trauma, but still have love to give. 

When I awoke the next day to learn that so many lives were lost in the Vegas shooting, I felt so completely overwhelmed by anger and sadness. My mind turned to politics. How could it be the president and his supporters were fighting so hard to ban Muslims, deport Mexicans, reduce our health care to nothing... all while we face the great epidemic of mass shootings. Nearly every time I think of an important issue near and dear to my heart, I feel overwhelmed by the deep divisions within our country. And I feel angry! But anger is not the answer. The story from Dirk Powell and the music from Rhiannon Giddens and band are a testament to the fact that empathy is the only answer. 

If we do not love those who sit opposite from us politically, of those who think and act in complete contradiction to what we believe, if we do not love these people too – we have lost already.

Building capacity for empathy is one of the greatest paths towards building meaningful peace. Listening to stories and music that embody the suffering, transformation and hope of our history and our humanity is an amazing way to develop this ability. 

Just as when I saw the Carolina Chocolate Drops, the show ended with the gospel song, "Up Above My Head," sending us off with an unexpected feeling of hope, difficult to attain after exploring such heavy and painful themes throughout the evening. It goes to show that the power of music is great, or in the words of the recently departed musical legend, Tom Petty, music is "pure and it's real. It moves, it heals, it communicates and does all these incredible things." May it continue to bring us closer to one another, and one step closer to peace. 

Refugees Welcome - Mostar and Belfast

Earlier this month we visited the Balkans, moving between Croatia, Montenegro and Bosnia & Herzegovina. Over the course of 2 days during our trip, Alan and I passed through 12 border crossings, taking in some of the most stunning natural beauty in the world while exploring a very complicated history of conflict and suffering. 

As we were passing through borders with relative ease, thousands of others were (and are) waiting behind barbed wire for their chance to move freely to safety. Others are being pushed across borders into unknown territories and makeshift camps.The "refugee crisis," Syrian asylum seekers fleeing for their lives en mass across Europe, the Middle East and beyond, has become central to social action and political discourse over the past several months. Sadly, many of these conversations have focused on issues of the resource and security of host counties, rather than of those vulnerable people in great need of safe haven.

Mostar Bridge

One of the main aims of our trip was to visit the divided city of Mostar in the present day Bosnia and Herzegovina. A local resident explained that in the early 90s the city was completely destroyed by war. She compared their reality at the time to the images we're seeing today of decimated Syrian cities. She described the 1993 divide, when the city was separated by an unseen interface and individuals were forced to take sides - tearing neighbours and families apart. 

Although the city has largely been rebuilt, the visible legacy of conflict remains in the form of bullet holes and ruined buildings. The government remains divided among Bosniaks, Croats and Serbs - where no decisions can be made on even the most essential issues because there is no conciliation or compromise. 100,000 people lost their lives during the three years of conflict, a short period in what has been a long history of struggle and war in the region. Unsurprisingly, the social reality of the the breakdown of Yugoslavia, civil conflict and limited external funding (eg: as Bosnia & Herzegovina is outside of the EU) manifests in crushing youth unemployment, political corruption and community division. 

In the city of Mostar, beside the Unesco protected Stari Most bridge across the river Neretva, I noticed a small sign which read, "REFUGEES WELCOME be human because we care." This message was a reminder that those who remember all too well the horrors of conflict, show an empathy beyond what other countries, with far greater resource and privilege, have shown. It's a small sign, in the midst of a complex political context, but it was a moving testament to the grassroots support for refugees. 

Belfast Underground

Last month in Belfast, Amnesty International arranged a rally to support the Refugees Welcome movement and to say to the UK government that what they have promised to do is not nearly enough. This event had a disappointing turn out, given the severity of the crisis and the potential Belfast has shown in the past to organise in support of other issues of human rights. That aside, the event did provide an important platform for asylum seekers and refugees living in Belfast to share their stories. For example, Isan, a Syrian refugee in Belfast, talked about his experience, his life before war and his excellent academic successes in our city. In sharing his reality, he was able to confront myths and preconceptions that separate us from them in the discourse of refugees. 

The people of Belfast and Mostar have known (and many still know) conflict. The expressions of humanity in these cities is evidence that those who have suffered have great capacity for feeling empathy with others. If we continue to find positive ways to harness these feelings of connectedness into political action, as in the efforts of the refugees welcome movement, perhaps humanity can find its way into decision making and help us to share resource and security with those who need it most.