Songs of Protest

In the mid ’90s,large deposits of bauxite (the mineral from which aluminum is made) were found in Kucheipadar in South Orissa — a place where the Khonda tribe lived. The region became a hotbed of conflict for the locals soon after,as mining corporations tried to take over. The movement also resulted in a vibrant collection of protest songs and music,which served as a uniting force for the people there. Two years ago music producer Chris McGuinness and Delhi-based dancehall artiste Taru Dalmia aka Delhi Sultanate decided to embark upon an expedition with their mobile music studio — the collective Word Sound Power — to understand these songs. They joined local singers and musicians in Kucheipadar for a collaboration and the result is “The Blood Earth Project” that comprises a film and music exhibition. The film and exhibition were a part of a show organised by Word Sound Power which concluded on July 28 .

A cross genre mash-up,combining revolutionary songs in languages such as Oriya and Kui,with dub poetry by Dalmia and electronic music composed by McGuinness,the songs were recorded and mixed during their travels with the help of local musical instruments like drums and dundka . “Word Sound Power now plans to come up with three projects every year. Each project will result in an EP,an album and a short film. Blood Earth will feature a four-song EP and the music will be available for free download on our website in September. We have already shot and recorded songs for Word Sound Power 3 and we’re working on the next field trip in December ,” says Dalmia.

The collective will take the exhibition to Kolkata,Shillong and Mumbai soon.