DUBDEM: Música • Design • Sound System

One of the tracks on the album is ”Dispacement” by Ukweli feat. Indigenous Resistance & Carlo Ertola. Toronto writer and cultural critic Prasad Bidaye has this to say about the track:

“I’m really proud of this track by my brother Ukweli and Indigenous Resistance. Imagine a house music record that’s beautifully lush and cosmic, but it also addresses the current genocide of indigenous peoples in West Papua at the hands of the Indonesian government. The spoken word goes deeper though and addresses the West Papuan people themselves through the wisdom of myths, metaphors, and medicine. To top it off, this message is accompanied by a sweet vocal sung in Ethiopian Amharic with touches of dub. #Outernationalism There are a lot of house music records that invoke Africa, but it’s more often than not in a romanticized way. There are very few that invoke indigenous struggles and traditions. "3 Generations" Walking is the only one that comes to mind. But “Displacement” is probably the FIRST that goes beyond invocation and actually intends to speak to the indigenous people outside of North America, let alone in West Papua. I’m pretty sure that this is historically unprecedented."

Compartimos estas hermosas palabras escritas por el crítico cultural Prasad Bidaye in Toronto, Canadá.

"Estoy verdaderamente orgulloso de éste tema hecho por mi hermano Ukweli junto con Indigenous Resistance. Imaginen un album de house que es cósmico y exhuberantemente bello, pero que también aborda el actual genocidio de los pueblos indígenas en Papúa Occidental a manos del gobierno de Indonesia. Sin embargo, Spoken Word (palabra hablada) va a lo profundo y presenta a la gente de Papúa Occidental a través de sus mitos, metáforas y de su medicina. Y como si fuera poco, éste mensaje está acompañado por líricas, cantadas en amhérico etiópe con un poco de Dub. #Outernationalism Hay muchos discos de house music que invocan a África, pero la mayoría de las veces lo hacen de una manera romántica. Hay muy pocos que invoquen luchas y tradiciones indígenas, "3 Generations Walking" es el único que viene a mi mente. Pero "Displacement" (Desplazamiento) es probablemente el PRIMERO que va más allá de la invocación y en realidad tiene la intención de hablar de los pueblos indígenas que habitan fuera de América del Norte, y mucho menos un disco de house music había hablado antes sobre el pueblo de Papúa Occidental. Estoy seguro de que esto no tiene precedentes históricos."

Compartilhamos estas belas palavras escritas pelo crítico cultural Prasad Bidaye, de Toronto, Canadá.

“Estou verdadeiramente orgulhoso deste tema feito por meu irmão Ukweli, junto com Indigenous Resistance. Imaginem um álbum de house-music que é cósmico e exuberantemente belo, mas que também aborda o atual genocídio dos povos indígenas de Papua Ocidental pelas mãos do governo da Indonésia. Mas, Spoken World (a palavra falada) chega no profundo e apresenta o povo de Papua Ocidental, seus mitos, metáforas e medicinas. Mais além, a mensagem é acompanhada pelas líricas, cantadas em amárico (Etiópia) também com dub-music. #Outernationalism tem muitos discos de house-music que remetem à África, mas na maioria das vezes são feitos de uma maneira romântica. Há poucos que evocam as lutas e tradições indígenas. “3 Generations Walking” é o único que me vem à mente. Mas “Displacement” (Deslocamento) é provavelmente o PRIMEIRO que vai mais além da invocação e na realidade tem a a intenção de falar com os povos indígenas que vivem fora da América do Norte, e muito menos um disco de house-music havia falado antes sobre o povo de Papua Ocidental. Estou seguro que não tem precedentes históricos.”

In memory of Greg YoungIng.

This track features Ethiopian Amharic singing by Carlo Ertola recorded at CE Studios Addis Ababa, Ethiopia (@carloertola / #makingdreamshappen). Engineered by Carlo Ertola. Thanks to Abeba Fantahun for the Amharic language translation assistance and Giovanna De Franco for the wonderful hospitality. Music composed, recorded and mixed by Ukweli in Toronto, Canada. Words & music two-track mix and edit by Dhangsha done in U.K. Mastered by Sean Savage at seansavage.ca in Canada. Dub thanks to Prasonik for the dub linkage with Curtis Smith aka Ukweli and Tapedave for the file relaying across borders.

We send this out to the people of West Papua

who are experiencing current modern day colonisation

Indonesian transmigration

Let's rewind in time

When our melanin

became a synomn for evil

under those who would have us despise ourselves

To further their own selfish methods of

Exploitation

Domination

Subjugation

From this poison there was no rapid wake up

Abandoned abundance

Life turned into ever sharper cruelties

We see you

Those with fidelity to those who spit on you

Dirtied with the ash of the oppressors context

Those who killed their own mind

Were spared their body

A people deaf to purpose are lost

From Maafa to present day Chagos islands

The poison still continues today

West Papua Highlanders suffer

As phosphorus dropped from the air

Our ancestors cry out

Where are the guardians of the way

Where is the respect for life today

The way is creation

Avoiding the temptations to just become takers

Reciprocity the key word in any deed

Healers seers imaginers rememberers utterers

called to link memory with prophecy

Called to pass on the truth of our origins

Called to transmit dub visions of purpose

to those struggling for survival

The way is creation

The beautiful music of revolt

The utterers transmitting seen visions of purpose

Midnight voices from the source

Mes larmes coulent, car en 2019,

je dois signaler que la Papouasie occidentale

est toujours colonisée.

400 000 papous occidentaux

tués par l'armée indonésienne.

Leurs terres sacrées sont exploitées

et détruites par des activités minières

qui ne profitent qu'aux multinationales

et au gouvernement indonésien,

mais pas à l'Ouest local papoues.

Des brutalités policières et militaires

toujours répandues, des actes de torture,

l'utilisation d'armes chimiques.

Les habitants de la Papouasie occidentale

continuent de manifester et de résister.

et nous disons ceci: si Fela Kuti

et Thomas Sankara étaient là, ils diraient

la Papouasie occidentale libre.

My tears flow, because in 2019,

I must point out that West Papua

is still colonized.

400,000 Western Papuans killed

by the Indonesian army.

Their sacred lands are mined and

destroyed by mining activities that

benefit only the multinationals and

the Indonesian government,

but not the local West Papuans.

The police and military brutalities

still widespread, the acts of torture,

the use of chemical weapons.

The people of West Papua continue to
demonstrate and resist. and we say this:
if Fela Kuti and Thomas Sankara were there,
they would say free West Papua.

Fast forward to 2019 and the genocide and exploitation of the natural resources of west Papua continues. Illegal logging is rife, and the world's largest gold and copper mine, Freeport, has caused such permanent environmental devastation to sacred lands that it is visible from space.

Who is profiting from this?

Certainly not the local west Papuans who still live in economic poverty. The answer lies with companies including Freeport, Rio Tinto and BP – and, of course, the Indonesian government.

When West Papua was colonised by Indonesia in the early 1960s, Indonesia quickly awarded the rights to the US company Freeport-McMoRan (under the guidance of Henry Kissinger, who later joined Freeport's board). No international journalists are allowed into West Papua. No foreign non-government organisations are allowed. No outside observers are allowed. Only the presence of phones with cameras in some instances have allowed the documentation of many atrocities. And the murder torture and arrest of those protesting the Indonesian colonisation of West Papua continues to be constant.

White phosphorus–a banned chemical weapon was used in December 2018 by the Indonesian military in West Papua. White phosphorus burns skin and flesh, down to the bone. In December, Indonesian helicopters dropped white phosphorus on four villages in West Papua’s highlands. atrocities. This occurred days after Indonesia arrested more than 500 people, reportedly including Indonesian supporters at West Papua independence rallies across the archipelago.

There have been documented cases which reflects a widespread pattern of violence, alleged arbitrary arrests and detention as well as methods amounting to torture used by the Indonesian police and military in Papua.

400,000 West Papuans have been killed by the Indonesian army. Despite the brutality of the Indonesian response which has often resulted in deaths of protesters West Papuans and their supporters continue to protest and resist!