The trailer to “Coming to you, Minu” reminds us of the important role that music plays in fights for migrant justice. Why do you think this is the case? How can we connect this question to the first reading you did in this course by Goffe, who also talked about the relationship between Chinese shopkeepers in Jamaica and music?
This week we discussed music and art once again in the context of building community. At the beginning of the course, this community was a sort of alliance between the Jamaican natives and the Chinese migrants, whereas this week the alliance is between migrant workers in Korea and low-wage Koreans. The trailer for Coming to you, Minu provides an example of how music can be used to forge connections and work, in this case, towards migrant justice. As discussed in the beginning of this course, music is a medium which allows for the exchange of cultures. In the 1950s, these Chinese shops became a place for multiculturalism, almost like a ‘safe space’ which excluded colonial values and allowed both groups of discriminated people enjoy their culture and share it with others. It allowed for a bond to be formed between native Jamaicans and the Chinese migrants, creating a new blend of music and culture.
The use of music in the fight for migrant justice in Korea is no different. As I mentioned in my second individual medium post, the consumption of someone else’s culture productions creates a connection. What Stop Crackdown, for example, did was just that. They used their music to try and create a connection with the low-wage Korean worker. Stop Crackdown performed a musical arrangement of the poem “The Dawn of Labor” by Park No He with the intention of showing the connection between their temporary migrant struggles and that of an older Korean labor movement.
Music also has the ability to spread a message to many people with different resources. Not everyone is able to understand the complexities of the policies put in place and the legal battles against them, but everyone can listen to and understand a song. Ultimately, music is an important tool when fighting for any cause. Music and art create emotion in people and allows activists to take a more pathos based approach when looking for support and solidarity. In general, music makes activism more accessible.
