Why we must stop dancing to the sound of our own oppression | Madame Gandhi

Translator: Alakara Priscilla Reviewer: Nelson Simfukwe

So often,

Mara nyinyi

I'll take a fitness class,

Huwa nachukua darasa la mazoezi

or I'll go to a music venue,

Au naenda kwenye ukumbi wa muziki

or, really, anywhere that plays music in the background,

Au, kwa kweli, popote panapochezwa muziki kwa nyuma

and I'll find myself loving the rhythms

na najipata nayapenda mahadhi

and the melodies and the beats ...

na wimbo na midundo

And then I take a second to listen to the lyrics,

alafu nachukua Sekunde kuyasikiza maneno ya muziki

lyrics that, for example, place us in a position of subservience

maneno ambayo, kwa mfano

Yanatuweka katika nafasi ya utiifu

that we would never tolerate in any other context.

ambayo hatungevumilia katika mukhtadha wowote mwingine

And I'm aghast at the degree to which we normalize sexism in our culture.

Na nashangaa kiwango ambacho

tunafanya taasubi kuwa kawaida katika utamaduni wetu

I listen to this music and I'm like,

Nasikiliza wimbo huu na kufikiri

I don't want to have to turn up to the sound of my own oppression.

Sitaki kulazimika kuibuka kwa sauti ya huzuni yangu mwenyewe

You know, music is one of the most powerful forms of communication,

Unajua, muziki Ni moja ya mbinu za kuwasiliana ambayo Ina nguvu zaidi

because it has the potential to either uplift or oppress.

Kwa sababu Ina uwezo wa kuinua au kuhuzunisha

Music caters to the emotions. Music caters to the soul.

Muziki inahudumia hisia. Muziki inahudumia roho

Music opens up our soul.

Muziki yafungua roho zetu

It opens up our channels to receive information

Yafungua njia zetu kupokea habari

about somebody else's walk of life,

Kuhusu maisha ya mtu mwengine

to inform our own roles.

Kujuza majukumu yetu wenyewe

And while I have no problem with male fantasy,

Na ingawa Sina shida na ndoto zao wanaume

what I do have a problem with

Kile ambacho Nina shida nacho Ni,

is that, according to a recent study, only 2.6 percent of all music producers

Kulingana na matokeo ya utafiti hivi majuzi,

2.6 pekee ya waimbji Ni wanawake. Hii inamaanisha kuwa

identify as women.

That means an even smaller percentage identify as trans or gender nonconforming.

hata asilimia ndogo zaidi Ni wa jinsia nyingine

And why does this matter?

Kwa Nini Jambo hili Lina uzito

Because, if we don't own and control our own narrative,

Kwa sababu Kama hatumiliki na kudhibiti hadithi yetu

somebody else will tell our stories for us,

Mtu mwengine atatusemea hadithi zetu

and they will get it wrong,

Na itakuwa na makosa

perpetuating the very myths that hold us back.

Na kuendeleza hadithi zenyewe za uongo zinazoturudisha nyuma

And I'm not here to tell other people how to make their music.

Na sijakuja hapa kuwaambia wengine jinsi ya kutengeneza nyimbo zao

But I am here to provide and design the alternative.

Lakini Niko hapa kutoa mbadala wake

One strategy I take in my music

Mkakati mmoja ninaouchukua katika muziki wangu

is making uplifting, energetic, percussive global beats

Ni kutengeneza midundo yenye kupa nguvu na kuinua

and placing lyrics on top of them

Na kueka maneno ninayosema juu yao

that genuinely describe my life's experiences

Inayoeleza kwa halisi matukio ya maisha yangu

without contributing to the oppression of anybody else.

Bila kuchangia kuteseka kwa mwengine

It's funny, because it's the same reason

Ni ya kuchekesha kwani Ni sababu hii hii

as to why we excuse so many problematic lyrics;

Inayotufanya tupuuze maneno mengi yanayoleta shida

it's because we love how the beats make us feel.

Ni kwa sababu tunapenda hisia zinazoletwa na midundo

An example of this is my song "Top Knot Turn Up."

Mfano wa nyimbo hizi Ni wimbo wangu: "Top knot turn up"

(Music: "Top Knot Turn Up")

(Muziki: "Top knot turn up)

(Sings) I turned off my phone's notifications so I have more time /

(aimba) Nilizima arifa za simu yangu ili niwe na wakati

No bubbles to trouble my clear state of mind /

Hakuna Cha kusumbua utulivu wangu

One thing to know, I'm not here to please /

Kitu kimoja kijulikane sijakuja hapa kufurahisha

Hair tied up, I do it properly /

Nywele inapofungwa, naifanya vizuri

My time is not your property /

Wakati wangu si mali yako

When I'm productive like my ovaries, eyy! /

Nikiwa na nguvu za uzalishaji Kama ovari zangu

Give a grown girl room to breathe, basic rights and her liberty /

Mpe msichana mzima nafasi ya kupumua haki za kimsingi na Uhuru wake

Free from insecurity that the world's projecting onto me /

Bila ukosefu wa usalama ambayo dunia inanisababishia

Please do not trouble me when I am focused /

Tafadhali usinisumbue nikiwa makini

The future is female you already know this /

Siku zijazo wanawake watawala, tayari unajua hili

I'm fighting against the corruption on SCOTUS /

Napiga ufisadi katika SCOTUS

Turned up in my top knot since when I first wrote this /

Ilitokea katika fundo langu la juu tangu Mara ya kwanza nilipoandika hili

It's a top knot turn up It's a top knot turn up, turn up, turn up.

Ni tokeo la fundo la juu, Ni tokeo la fundo la juu, Ni tokeo, Ni tokeo

It's a top knot turn up It's a top knot turn up, turn up, turn up.

Ni tokeo la fundo la juu, Ni tokeo la fundo la juu, Ni tokeo Ni tokeo

It's a top knot turn up It's a top knot turn up, eyyy.

Ni tokeo la fundo la juu, Ni tokeo la fundo la juu, eyyyy

It's a top knot turn up.

Ni tokeo la fundo la juu

(Music ends)

(muziki unaisha)

I want us to keep making sex-positive, beautiful music

Nataka tuendelee kutengeneza nyimbo za kuinua jinsia zote na iliyo maridadi

about joy and freedom.

Kuhusu furaha na uhuru

I want us to embrace our own pleasure

Nataka tukumbatie raha yetu

just as much as we embrace our own pain.

Kama tunavyokumbatia uchungu wetu

I want us to celebrate the authentic,

Nataka tusherehekee ule uhalisi

nuanced,

Uwazi

multidimensional aspects of our human existence,

Na upana wa vipengele vya kuwepo kwetu

rather than perform false narratives of degrading sexuality

Badala ya kuwasilisha hadithi za uongo zinazodhalilisha ujinsia

in order to feel accepted or loved.

Ili kuhisi umekubalika au kupendwa

And another strategy that I take in my music

Na mkakati mwingine ninaochukua katika muziki wangu

to combat the misogyny that exists on the airwaves

Ni kupinga taasubi iliyopo kwenye hewa

is to visually depict the very world I wished we lived in.

Ni kuonyesha kwa macho dunia ambayo ningependa tuishi kwayo

In the music video for my song "See Me Thru,"

Katika video ya wimbo wangu "see me through"

which is like a vibe-y, queer electronic R and B song,

Ambao Ni wimbo wa R and B wenye mihemko na isiyo ya kawaida

I cast two of my dear friends, Ania and Dejha,

Naonyesha wawili wa marafiki wangu, Ania na Dejha

to play the role of the lovers, because they're married in real life.

Kufanya jukumu la wapendanao, kwa sababu wameolewa katika maisha halisi

But what you don't know is that they also are behind the camera

Lakini ambacho hujui na kuwa wapo pia nyuma ya kamera

concepting and directing the entire video.

Wakitengeneza na kuelekeza video nzima

(Video) Heyyyyy ohhhh My emotions were tired

(video) Heey ooh. Hisia zangu zilikuwa zimechoka

Music should be safe and accessible for all to experience.

Muziki unafaa kuwa salama na yenye kupatikana ili kila mtu ausikize

As you can see, it's not about losing the sex appeal or swag

Unavyoona, si kuhusu kupoteza rufaa ya ngono au madoido

that music has,

Iliyopo kwenye muziki

it's about writing messages that infuse tenderness and positivity

Ni kuhusu kuandika ujumbe unaoleta hisia chanya

into music that motivates us and challenges us.

Na kuifanya muziki unaotuinua na kutupa changamoto

And while we as musicians absolutely have the responsibility

Na ingawa sisi Kama wanamuziki tuna jukumu

to make music that isn't disempowering,

Kutengeneza muziki ambayo haidhalalishi

the consumers can be part of the change, too.

Wanaopokea wanaweza kuchangia katika badiliko hili

Firstly, we get to choose which songs we want to mute

Kwanza, tunaweza kuchagua nyimbo zipi hatutaki kusikiza

and which songs we want to turn louder.

Na nyimbo zipi tunataka kusikiza zaidi

We get to say, "I respect myself enough to say I don't want to listen to this,

Tunaweza kusema

"Heshima niliyo nayo inanitosha kusema

Sitaki kusikiza hii

and I don't want this to be in anybody else's space, either."

Na sitaki isikilizwe na wengine pia

Secondly, we can simply ask ourselves:

Pili, tunaweza kujiuliza

"Does this music or this message

Muziki huu au ujumbe huu

contribute to the oppression of somebody else?

Unaweza kuleta kuteseka kwa mtu mwengine

Why am I tolerating it?"

Mbona naivumilia

And finally, we can all be choosing to make playlists or DJ-ing music

Na mwisho, tunaweza wote kuchagua kutengeneza orodha ya nyimbo

that provides the right vibe or mood that we're looking for in that moment

Zinazoleta hisia tunazohitaji katika wakati huo

without the problematic messaging.

Na isiyokuwa na ujumbe wa kuleta shida

Why does this matter?

Kwa Nini Jambo hili Lina uzito

Because it's teaching algorithms in our streaming systems and our world

Kwa sababu inatoa mwelekeo kwa dunia kuhusu

exactly what it is that we do want to listen to,

kile ambacho tunataka kusikiliza

creating long-term change and a feedbacking mechanism

Na kutengeneza mabadiliko ya muda na utaratibu wa maoni

that impacts the entire industry.

Inayoathiri sekta yote ya muziki

This is not a message

Huu si ujumbe

for just a small group of people.

Wa kikundi kidogo tu Cha watu

This is a message that affects everybody,

Huu Ni ujumbe unaoathiri kila mmoja wetu

because when we protect and liberate our most vulnerable genders,

Kwa sababu tunapoinua na kuweka huru jinsia dhaifu

we liberate everybody.

Tunaweka kila mtu huru