The Music Of Opposition In Italy

Music is a powerful voice of opposition to political change. In Italy, a music video by the Tunisian-Italian rapper Ghali has been watched more times than any other video on Italian YouTube. The artist is clearly protesting the country’s increasingly conservative political bent.

In the words of Jamie McKay:

“As Italy moves to the right, the musical ecology is mutating to counteract this.”

Many of the musicians McKay writes of in this essay are of mixed cultural heritage; they’re the ones most likely affected by the xenophobia and racism heralded by the rise of far-right parties.

McKay portrays Italian musicians speaking out against the right wing through music, such as Laïoung, whose parents are from Italy and Sierra Leone. Laïoung is not afraid to call the new Italian governmental powers fascist, and a resurgence of 1940s beliefs. While he’s clear that education (and likely political activism) will be needed to have a real effect on the political landscape, he believes that music is an antidote to powerful propaganda. 

For those who want to hear the sounds of the burgeoning Italian rap scene, Radio Italia has a great selection of streaming music and podcasts.