fighting for freedom through music major stars have shown that even mainstream pop music can be profoundly political. very harmful to weaken us to move towards. beyond say uses her fame to draw attention to social issues. and the things that get you off and get you involved. throughout history songs have been a vehicle for social change inspiring rebels pioneering thinkers and those fighting for a brighter future. use it has always been a huge part of the struggle and cry for freedom. is new music can be moving emboldening and comforting. you trying to empower people to try to psyche people you know we're going to do this this is going to happen you know change is going to come we all need freedom and peace in our lives and music that expresses that will always touch our hearts always. what is the sound of freedom. is girls just want to have fun of freedom song and how has music contributed to female empowerment. carry listen to people and be a really strong sosa of our people and it always has been i do believe. that i can. use it also mobilizes people it can help people to survive music as protest liberation hope a song can become the statement of thousands of people. she says. ca's is associated with liberty equality and fraternity but it was originally a war song. what is it that still fascinates people about this piece of music. answers that's not the french national anthem is such an extraordinary composition gives me goosebumps as. the massive represents the values of the enlightenment which have been honored and revered for more than 200 years in an age of global terrorism the song is more relevant than ever. following the murderous attack on the satirical magazine charlie a bill that helped to bring unity and reassurance to friends. it was sung in a public defense and affirmation of the values of freedom. it's an incredibly moving experience to see how music and songs can really sweep a crowd away and create a sense of community and. joining forces to support a cause it's a wonderful feeling with music and the power that he has you can you can hear something you can identify with and you make that your own and you make that into your song your fight. music has also played a role in the ongoing protests by the yellow vests and france of the of the songs of freedom have been used throughout history for a wide range of causes a tradition that lives on today. this kind of resistance is a typically french trait he says taking to the streets to say enough is enough. it's no coincidence that the monster that is was born here. in 1789 the french people freed themselves from the monarchy with the storming of the bus did an event that laid the foundations for our understanding of modern democracy in the western world. as the nobility elsewhere in europe tried to challenge the revolution army officer and poet. wrote the patriotic song. it was a call to arms for the people of france soon the troops of the revolution were marching to the rhythm of the muscle yes. that is more music in its root. that's something with us i can see going you know it's different to hear dancing queen we just want to dance. that i'm full of it it's a song. there's a temple of $120.00 beats per minute similar to the speed of someone marching into a fast human heartbeat. for the most a years as an organic rhythm. and that's why it has a positive feel to it was the reason for the was. this was there was a law have this desire to feel that we're part of something big something important and that something's good and the measure of all things and so sometimes a good song with you know trumpets tend to knees and and the holes yeah were good were great can have a very strong influence on masses of people. everyone knows the song and most people sing it without realizing that some of the lyrics are kind of embarrassing today and the horse was swindled 3rd. player on. the show are the must see is hardly a peaceful song the lyrics are bloody and violent c and so the context in which the song is used today can seem contradictory. this is the it's often it's strange for a country that isn't actually a war to get to its feet and sing about taking up arms and we're not even talking about metaphorical arms here. minds and carol is it still ok to sing the song today in the must see is be part of contemporary society on her i think certain songs deserve an upgrade you know i think if you're not in a situation of war in a situation of moral or political freedom that is needed. maybe certain lyrics should be adapted or renewed. a 979 french singer songwriter said. paul recorded a reggae cover in his version citizens becomes a slightly less reference to arms etc. the very famous french music. groups in particular version was an affront and a provocation. of the song a whole new. energy. the patriotic and historical nature of national anthems means they've often been used as political tools in the debate over national identity especially during times of crisis in the late 1960 s. american society was divided by the conflict in vietnam many saw it as a pointless and unjust war. the woodstock festival in 1969 was a mass celebration of love and protest. jimi hendrix stood before the crowds to perform the national anthem of his homeland. his performance transform the song into a political protest. it was an incredibly powerful expression of rage suddenly he used his guitar to create the sound of. jimi hendrix guitar version of the national anthem. it was probably one of the most powerful nonverbal messages that were ever sent in music and he as an american was kind of saying i'm not with this war and this is how i hear the national anthem. to this day there is an ongoing debate about which ideals and values are associated with the star-spangled banner in 2016 american football or call in cap or nick refused to stand for the u.s. national anthem and an act meant as a protest against racism and police violence in his country when somebody disrespects our flag to say get that son of the field right now out the sky. trumps threats became something of a reality for capper nick who was effectively shut out of the sport by the national football league. this symbolic neal divided society and he became an icon of protest. frustratingly music doesn't have agency it doesn't actually have the power to actually change things like a key on locks the door but what it cost to has the ability to make you feel as if you're not a long list to put where the pop culture is good or bad always has a lot to do with the concept of freedom does this you tube or rap singer or d.j. stimulate my mind or not but i'm order house so if i just blindly follow them that's bad pop culture. but if they have something that bothers me and gets me thinking so i have to use my brain and i develop intellectually good pop culture. the fight for freedom can also come in satirical form. * figures such as trump. and decisions like that are all too inviting targets for pop culture. which the great. british history. the british. people very powerful. powerful. attacking. the most the most powerful people in our country. still. ridicule and music are not a 21st century phenomenon. originates from a cute spanish nursery rhyme but then became a mexican revolutionary song. not only a cockroach but also a colloquial term for a bandit who was the butt of the joke in the original song. music has also played a big role in the struggle of women for self-determination and equal rights. in 1903. to trade feminism as a carefree danced. towards empowerment. girls just want to have fun was a breakout hit for the singer the song zany music video fueled the hype it was among the 1st to place the spotlight firmly on women playing to be physically. female listeners in particular were quick to interpret the song as a message of liberation. but also it's a liberation. allowing. just what everyone else. women were being given the chance to live their own lives and realize their true selves. just want to have fun. we're humans to. prescribe. what's feminism these huge with. your spirits. are so many prescription. it's a great song but i think that when he came out he just early eighty's just. a fun we just went to you know party and have sex and at that time people like wow that's very controversial. 70 years earlier the fight for female empowerment was more about marching than dancing the song march of the women from 910 was written by british suffragette ethel smith. the activist used radical methods to fight for women's right to vote. and in 1900 women in britain finally gained the right to vote. one year later parliament welcomed its 1st female member of parliament. a lot of the rights that we take for granted is something that people fought for. and people died for you know the radical ideas of today are just going to be hopefully be tomorrow's world. back in the 1960 s. african-american singer a wreath there franklin to use the power of soul music to fight for emancipation if there is a car he's a friend to come on. i used to buy a wreath of franklin in my car when i was in college and roll down the windows and sing that. you know just like really feeling my liberated self as a young woman. in 1967 many women were housewives seen as an extension of their husbands without their own needs and dreams. respect is such an important sob because it kind of shows like look what's important to me is to be seen for what yeah and not for us 2nd class be not someone or something you can just use and abuse and misuse and play around with you have to respect me. happy that i had there was another version but i'm just reading right was the song was written by otis redding but the message he was conveying 2 years before franklin's hit version was entirely different. this is not it was the other way around he comes home and says i worked all day show me some respect and bring me my slippers and did a book for. this change of perspective touched on some poignant issues. thomas in that sides back then in the early sixty's the songs were full of your my baby my baby here my girl it was all about men owning women was its archive. respect became an anthem of the women's liberation movement especially among african-american women. aretha franklin wasn't an activist as such but she knew how to use her platform. well mainly it was kind. of a battle cry. mantra. but everyone wants respect everyone needs respect from the young to the very old and in the middle male female . we all want to respect. the 1960 s. saw more and more women putting themselves and the empowerment of women at the center of their art another prime example was 17 year old lesley gore with you don't own me and british style icon dusty springfield proclaiming i want to be a free girl. helen reddy as i am woman also became a key song of the feminist movement. westerman singer nico with her dark and non-conformist demeanor established a new image of women. in 9 to 5 dolly parton song about unequal treatment in the workplace suzi quatro was the 1st female bass player to become a major rock star. in the early 1970 s. patti smith conquered yet another male bastion punk she crushed and cast aside practically every stereotype about how women should look and behave in the same. price might still be in power with female and male punk rockers. pushing growth goes taboos of the deal having to have makeup and means go look like the guy in. the rock sort of guitar player or the rock god it's. for a very long time and i think it's fantastic that women are just just pushing us aside and taking that role and being like you know this is who we are not like your bullshit. think it's great. to do and so she became a huge influence and inspiration for generations of female musicians. since the ninety's women have been increasingly claiming center stage in the upper echelons of pop today they are the superstars fighting for equal rights in their own unique way. i consider them to be artists like beyonce have this attitude of hey dude sit down listen so powerful i'm following. it's cool you. strong women generate a sort of excitement and i think that's just to see stuff like that it's very empowering they have so many followers and there's so many people that actually listen to what they have to say so i think it it does matter i would like to see more of that. these songs are expressing the idea freedom from any kind of restraints i'm feeling liberated and. i'm just expressing some kind of primal and she. says looking to me is hanging in the depths of. the kind of all you michael vick the other club i just can't be as hot. so he doesn't mince her words female empowerment is becoming the new norm but it's not without its risks says the rapper drake the miss most of feminism is in serious danger of being co-opted by capitalism and becomes a consumer good then it's not much use to us. if you go to the pharmacy and buy the feminist i should. range something's gone wrong but we needed things like fighting for abortion rights and so now after starting eat some biospheres since he had several of. the current political situation isn't always aligned with pop music trends. america great i sexist comments by donald trump have also helped to fuel female protest he dismissed as irrelevant and infamous recording of him making vulgar comments about women inappropriate words 12 years ago locker room whatever you want to call. plays down his massage mystic statements and the countless accusations of harassment. musician milk is among the many american women who say he's not their president. you know the language terms actions can vary. i such an ist you know talking about driving and all that i felt was very disrespectful so i felt like i needed to take a stand and say something i was. i. bought a song why it gives women a voice she performed it shortly before president trump was sworn into office. a video of the flash mob what viral on the song was sung by thousands of girls and women across the globe. i. think you can. just. move i got this underground movement of the song because i don't think the institutions were able to digest such a message. that the internet people are not heard quiet and they would have been able to share the song and it truly extends from the us to god. i want to change in my heart my words and then it changes to me was. the internet and social media are also changing the opportunities that music offers and the struggle for freedom. i put mass protest movements predate the online era of course some songs have changed the course of history others only later became part of the soundtrack of revolutionary change. in 1989 the citizens of communist east germany finally game their freedom. as a fabrications for private trips abroad may be submitted without preconditions reasons for travel family times comments will be issued a choice notice by i. just you know it's again top on. because when the people came over to the west in their truck vance it felt like we were suddenly discovering a foreign country and its people were now our friends and. i. was a time back and. how could that happen without any violence peaceful revolution is possible and it came from the people i need to change by west german rock band the scorpions became the anthem to the fall of the berlin wall. i almost think it's cold these days. it's talk to whistling to a mike. it's got the right time in the right places so my doc can be liberating i. owe. me a huge you know it was everywhere and i think about it but past a song for a german. i can almost see klaus myna walking through gorky park and just reflecting and thinking next something and he had this wind which is bringing about a change and then 3 or 4 months later the wall in berlin fell i wind of change had nothing to do with the ball as such and had been written some time before the historic event in the summer of 89 the scorpions traveled to russia to play at the moscow music peace festival alongside acts like bon jovi and ozzy osborne it was the soviet union's 1st rock festival with bands from the west. as the olympic flame was burning for rock n roll. the change was indeed in the air. defenses and he's the answer go to i'm sure i wasn't the only one of the moscow music peace festival who sense that the world. it's changing before our eyes. were playing the red army soldiers working in security at the front all took off their jackets and threw their caps and as the air was missing they turned toward us on the stage and become part of the audience of one type people. because you could see it in a lot of young people in moscow told us to the cold war would soon be over like. that feeling inspired wind of change. history. all the wind of change was not released as a single until january $91.00 the song is now in extra linked with the fall of the wall for a year earlier. the single arrived as the event was already receding into the history books and how did it was featured in documentaries about the fall of the wall all there were didn't even come out until around a year after that the thing is the scorpions are an international band but they come from germany. so to fans in the us the song has an authenticity about its. sometimes certain songs they have their own dynamic because something happens in history that is not in your hands now a sound that samba comes in the end to a certain historical people choose their own freedom songs it's a process that's very difficult to influence so it's often surprising even for the musicians themselves. the song wouldn't come to symbolize the fall of the wall if we just taken advantage of the images on t.v. and said cool marketing idea the wall fell 2 years ago now we'll release an anthem to celebrate it no it would have been shameless that law is kind of is. after the fall of the wall the techno scene in reunified berlin began to boom and for many it became the soundtrack to a new life of freedom. i experienced reunification through east germany is i could feel the energy there was something very naive about it because east germans were sort of in the dark. they stumbled into the dozen in world of the west a bit like kids. suddenly so much was possible they could listen to any music be loud and do what they liked. suddenly they could get drugs and all the things that the east german regime warned would happen did happen it was a sudden promise of salvation. and hates bush was. the love parade in berlin became one of the biggest music festivals of the ninety's attracting crowds of over 1000000 people. freedom songs are songs of celebration you know i'm celebrating our successes celebrating who we are celebrating our culture that is also a part of that freedom song family that notion that you all. the things in life was perhaps best summed up by the american radical emma goldman who said when she was criticised for dancing. at a party event and she was serious enough about politics she said if i can't dance i don't want to be part of your. dancing was a statement and an act of liberation. the love parade was seen by many as much more than an expression of hedonism. the love for. think the love parade was the most political development in the history of music in germany. produced of us you can see it played a huge role in the reinvention of the country. from the world outside got to see germany in a different light because we always believed in the liberating force of music and. music obviously has several different functions one is to entertain one is to inform one is to inspire another is to question and obviously the entertainment you know that we've got that covered. but you can spend your life on the don's floor you know you do have to engage with reality. in today's america one rapper in particular is holding a mirror up to society. childish gambino you know this is america i mean that's probably the most radical thing i'm in the 21st century. with i'm going to get just live and not childish gambino paints a dark picture of hate and extreme violence in america is the era when talking about a whole different level of expression puts a lot of these multiple levels what he watches before and which is all about this crazy entertainment it's kind of not live to the fact the rule destructed want to be entertained but if you forget about a fool going to look at what's going on in the background oh my god you know that oh my god. in just 2 days the video for this is america amassed 30000000 views a rapper referenced racist attacks and the reality of life for people of color in the united states. of america his song triggered a huge public discussion of live and you can have to go out and face reality whenever people are suffering pop music becomes more political because it often expresses what they're going through with the fewest so. the fight against the oppression of the black population is deeply in great american music in the 1st half of the 20th century the ku klux klan terrorized the southern states of the us racially motivated violence was endemic. lynchings of african-americans were part of everyday life. one young woman lamented the state of affairs with a deeply moving piece of music. the leaves. and blood at the. back in the day when my great great great great grandparents were being lynched from trees. billie holiday was touring around the south she unfortunately would see what she described the strange fruit which were black people hanging by the neck stand in trees. that is swinging. in this at the end of the 1930 s. the song strange fruit by jazz singer billie holiday was the 1st to openly deplore the lynch laws of america for impassioned protest sparked violent reactions this isn't something pretty holy day billie holiday 1st made the song known in the clubs of new york then she wanted to record it for her label columbia records but her producer john hammond said it was too much and they couldn't do it and then she went to another label to commodore music where old friend milton glaser said ok let's record this get a standoff. billie holiday experienced racism firsthand on a daily basis strange fruit was a song of the deep pain and billie holiday being able to carry that song or that pain and that story in the way that she did there's no one else who could have done the latter the way. this. as of a month her memoirs give you a glimpse into her turbulent life drugs prostitution all kinds of humiliating experiences because she went through everything you can imagine a character god once wrote the mouth of an artist is molded in such a way that when they let out a cry of pain it sounds like beautiful music that's billie holiday you have a day. job was. this thing about music is it really hits you never very profound the brain gets into the implant stream straight away in a way that maybe other forms can't and its ability to communicate means and i do think it can carry messages to people and be a really strong sosa pounced. by the early 1960 s. the civil rights movement had emerged to fight discrimination against african-americans. was i have a dream. but one day the. business will rise up. live out the true meaning of that screen. was also at the historic march on washington in 1963 joan baez perform the song that united people in protest we shall overcome was originally a gospel song it combines a simple melody with an appeal for a peaceful future. the music from the struggle doesn't always have to be polished or sad or angry it can sometimes be lifting you're trying to empower people to try to sighted people you have going to do this this is going to happen you know change is going to compete the load it's a spirit of unification it's about that week the take knowledge that we're not alone in this in arcane hacking and in our resistance. but the spirits of we shall overcome quickly became a distant memory. was the 1960 s. continued to see racially motivated murders and brutal police action. in the song mississippi goddam nina simone was explicit and her condemnation of this reality. while other musicians also stood up for the african-american struggle for freedom. so you sing from anger no i sing from. intelligence i sing from letting them know their i know who they are and what they have done to my of people around the wound that's around angola it anger anger rises fear is anger as are the fire. lose think this is. going to get it. i don't know nina simone became an activist through her music and not read anything at nina's voice is a liberated voice her dynamics were incredible you know very very brave very very radical. everything. you think of those songs from the civil rights movement in the night and sixty's those songs chose stars august's those issues pressed on those artists to such an extent by forced to articulate their feelings about politics well than just what songs about russian ships. in the 21st century controversy continues to rage on with police violence and racism in the u.s. . new protests broke out across the country following a series of police killings of innocent young african-american men. are superior to the reasons we share carey says that was. one of the beautiful things about pain is that. it awakens us you know pain is a very powerful tool to awaken us to move towards action. the black lives matter movement was born a range of music stars have also addressed the issue and their material. to the money came out with a song called the hell you talk about as musicians in the mainstream to speak about police violence is a very radical thing to do you know. things have you know you sound as i whipping them remained silent as. the song lists the names of those who have been killed a litany of police violence so. for me the challenge has always been like how do you. take all these ideas that you know that you have and then how do you put them in another room and how do you talk to people about political ideas that maybe they're not used to it or maybe they don't agree with you like how do you go on stage and communicate that with people. even mainstream pop can be political as illustrated by superstar beyond say. you know. isn't really a civil rights act to restore a protest singer beyonce as an entertainer did it help them. but the code she uses convey a message that goes beyond that. the imagery of her videos speaks primarily to the african-american community and is subtle enough not to put off less politically minded fans. beyond say also make statements with the outfits she chooses are dancers costumes are a reference to the black panther movement in the 1960 s. and seventy's. if you think. using opportunity. to be a. focus of american culture for a moment. when she makes a statement about black. they're not dangerous and almost you know. i kind of oh i said i like the poetry. i also like the actions well i like the things that get you off your i get you involved. protests on the street turn this song into an anthem. for the mars all right. if you're looking for someone who communicates with words who depicts the complexity of life for african-americans in the u.s. then that's kendrick lamar on his even. as he went he observes things and in a really interesting way. he won the pulitzer prize which to a certain extent says the white establishment has recognized him as a poet. to say. the black lives matter movement demonstrates the enormous spectrum of music that plays its part in today's struggles for freedom. in the end the question remains what can the songs of childish gambino beyond kendrick lamar really achieve can music change the world in times of social crisis the truth is revealed lucian re record we can't count on pop musicians to save the world for us because it won't happen but we can use pop music to help save the world that's why. i'm here because of music and i have friends that are lawyers and human rights activists and because of music so i do think the music in its changes things and changes. people strategic tree life. music has always accompanied great historical changes sometimes it can even change the course of history because music is a mobilizing force more than that it can articulate our aspirations and be the soundtrack to our individual freedom music has always gone hand in hand with the struggle for justice and peace. was. i. was i. was. most people are frightened of crocodile slaying butler risa taking his love son. to violent justice one of the world's top crocodile researchers. in belize a central america she is campaigning to protect these endangered predators despite people's fear and prejudice 3000. and 90 minutes on d w. they were forced into a nameless mass. their bodies and their tools. the history of the slave trade is africa's history. it describes how before our entropic plummeted an entire continent into chaos and violence. the slave system created the greatest planned accumulation of wealth the world had ever seen up to that moment to. this is the journey back into the history of slavery. i think will truly be making progress when we all accept the history of slavery as all of our history. our documentary series slavery routes starts march 9th on d. w. . the book. bag. this is news coming to you live from berlin a political earthquake in germany politics the woman tipped to succeed chancellor angela merkel says she will not and is resigning as party leader on a good kind of balance and the answer comes after america's conservative party was shaken over relations with the far right if tea party.