Boycott, Speak Out, Stand Together: Musicians for Palestine on “Solidarity Sounds”
Chatting with Musicians for Palestine about boycotts, speaking out in times of crisis, and their upcoming fundraiser event this weekend, "Solidarity Sounds"
Interview by Angus Plastow
Words by Musicians For Palestine
To start, for anyone unfamiliar, what is Musicians for Palestine?
Musicians For Palestine is a community of musicians and music lovers on unceded Kaurna land who believe in a free Palestine and have zero tolerance towards Zionism in the arts. We achieve this through boycotts, fundraiser events, and distributing resources to artists and music lovers.
Was the initiative created as a response to any particular event or just a gradual amalgamation of like-minded people looking to make an impact?
Since the occupation of Palestine by Israel in the 1940s on Nakba Day, and then especially after the October 7th attacks in 2023, there has been a massive growing conversation regarding Israel’s genocide in Gaza. What a lot of people who are learning about this will often ask is “What can I do?”. We know that this was a growing conversation that was taking place amongst musicians and their audiences here on Kaurna land as well. This, alongside some notable high-profile Zionist acts coming to perform in our own city, was the necessary ignition to start the fires of what has now become Musicians For Palestine.
In your mission statement, you talk about highlighting the intersection of social and political values with art. Why do you think that art can play such an important role in action and advocacy?
Art transcends. Art is something that can transcend language. It is a tool that is used by both creators and audiences to process really challenging and complicated emotions, and oftentimes to communicate a personal identity or life experience that they may not be able to express otherwise. Anything that has this much power will be political by nature.
So many artists use art, they use music, to talk about their own experiences with oppression. They use it to process complicated trauma that they might have to unpack from navigating through a world that is intentionally designed to work against them. For all of these reasons, if art has that much significance - if art is political - then art is such an important part of action and advocacy.
Music has such an incredible reach; it is something you engage with at almost any given moment. From the radio playing at the grocery store, to jingles that you hear in ads on TV, to the soundtracks of the movies you love. These are all ways, and times, and opportunities that an artist also has to be able to connect and advocate and encourage action within an audience.
Do you believe that every artist has a duty to speak up for what is right and use their platform to make a change? What would you say to artists/people in the community who are choosing to stay silent in these times?
For people who are choosing to stay silent in these times, what we would encourage is: take the time for introspection, sit with yourself and your own morals, your own values, and what you care about as a person—then ask yourself if the actions that you are taking in the world align with those morals and values. We don’t believe that anyone has a duty to speak up for what is right, because everyone has a different definition of what is “right” for them. Everyone’s version of what they think is “speaking up for what is right” is going to be different.
So do we believe every artist has a duty to speak up? No, but we also think that if every artist or every person within the community took the time to educate themselves on what was happening. To interact and engage with their local scene and within their community to understand how their community also felt, and to begin the process of learning and unlearning all these things. We believe that if they did take that time and they did learn those things, they would come out the other side feeling a sense of necessity about using their platform to make a change.
We do believe that if they are spending this much time creating art and sharing it with the world, we would hope they would also take some time to learn about the world that they are sharing their art with.
We recognise that the colonial structures that disadvantage artists - both here and globally - are the same ones that oppress the Palestinian people. To free ourselves as artists, musicians, and audiences, we must also work to dismantle the systems that deny our liberation.
A lot of your action revolves around organising large-scale boycotts of venues around Adelaide. Has this proven to be an effective method of change?
Boycotts have proven to be an effective method of change historically, and they have proven to be an effective method of change within our community as well. Earlier this year, Unibar was planning on hosting a Zionist music duo to perform at their venue. Although we did not have to boycott, community pressure was effective enough in and of itself, and they chose to cancel the event. That was one example of action related to Palestinian solidarity that came from within our local community, and we hope that it can set a really great precedent for venues in the future that are considering hosting zionist acts on their stage.
Since the conception of Musicians for Palestine, have you noticed any shifts or changes amongst the community?
We are still in such incredibly early stages of our conception at the moment, but we have noticed a shift amongst the community, and it has come in the form of this sort of fire that has ignited. We feel that there is a sense of excitement, a sense of justice, a sense of newfound desire to learn, to understand, and to engage with this issue on a deeper level, both for the musicians who are a part of this collective and for everyone else within the community. It's early days, but I feel that people are really excited, really passionate, and this is hopefully going to be something really great.
Another way you are taking action is through fundraising events. This weekend, you are hosting Solidarity Sounds. Tell us about this event.
This weekend, on Saturday, November 8th, we are hosting the first edition of Solidarity Sounds alongside Runt! Records. It is a multi-venue fundraiser featuring 17 artists across 3 different venues - The Exeter, Interim Studios, and Somewhere House. It is free entry, but we ask that you RSVP online before attending The Exeter or Interim’s shows. At the event, we will be strongly encouraging attendees to donate money to The Sameer Project, to raise money for Palestinian aid and to continue to bring awareness to the occupation of Gaza and the occupation of Palestine.
We just want to say that going to gigs, going to events like this, is awesome. Solidarity does not have to happen in isolation; it does not have to be solemn. It can be serious, but it can also be really joyful, and it can bring people together. Solidarity Sounds will be lots of fun.
How did you curate the lineup? What kind of artists or sounds did you want to highlight?
One of our big focuses for the lineup was diversity; we wanted to find ways to engage every corner of this local music scene, and are doing that through exploring a range of different genres and artists across the event. We have DJs, we have acoustic sets, we have full bands all playing in a mixed bag across the night, across the 3 different venues
All attendees to the event are being encouraged to donate to the Sameer Project. Can you tell us about what they do?
The Sameer Project is a mutual-aid initiative created by Palestinians in the diaspora to provide aid within Palestine. They directly fund and provide food, water, medical attention, tents, mental healthcare and money to Palestinians in Gaza.
How can people continue to support Gaza and Palestinian communities beyond this event?
Through action: attending protests, having conversations with anyone and everyone about the issue. Whether it be with your family or with coworkers, just continue the conversation. For as long as we continue to talk about it, Palestine will live on. Continue the process of education, the process of learning and unlearning. There is a list of companies that everyone should be boycotting, created by the BDS movement, that are shown to be supportive of the genocidal state of Israel.
Go to protests, boycott, talk about it, learn about it, read about it, watch a video on it, sign petitions, call or email your local MPs and representatives. Engage with the matter and stay engaged with it. Don't let it die out, don't let it go silent, don't let people stop talking about this.
Show your support this Saturday, November 8th, 4 PM —11 PM at Solidarity Sounds — a night of music, resistance, and collective care presented by Musicians for Palestine and Runt! Records.
📍 The Exeter, Interim Studios & Somewhere House
