Music is not always just for entertainment. There are some songs that add a new wave to the wave of change. Or, let's say, music not only calms the mind, sometimes it can stir the brain and make the body grow thorns of rebellion.

The pain of the landless in the fields of the landlords, the folk songs sung by women in the fields, and the songs sung by oppressed nations or communities are hidden in both explicit and implicit forms. Whether it is to express the pain of slaves in American history or to vent their anger against colonialism in Asia and Africa, songs and music have been an important medium.  

In the 1900s, Charles Tyndale's 'We Will Overcome Some Day', written in the gospel genre, later transformed into 'We Shall Overcome...', which became a representative song of labor movements around the world.   'Saare Jahan Se Accha...', which became famous during the freedom struggle in 1947, is still equally popular in India.   In the 1960s, Bob Dylan's 'Blow in the Bind' became famous among the civil rights movement and anti-war youth in America.

Bob Marley's 'Redemption Song', released in 1980, was on the lips of the youth of newly liberated African countries. In South Africa, this song became famous in the anti-apartheid struggle. In Nepal, Ramesh-Rayan's song 'Gaun-Gaunbat Uth' became popular in the people's movements of 2046 and 063.

In the 'Arab Spring', the biggest movement of the 21st century in terms of public participation, the song 'Mero Shabd Swatantra Cha' sung by Emel Mathluthi was on the lips of the people just like the national anthem. The poem, composed by the young poet Amin Al Ghojji, was prepared by her before she left Tunisia for France in 2007.

Its lines say:

I am the one who is free and never afraid

I am the mystery that never ends

I am the voice that never gives up

I am the meaning of instability

The Arab Spring began with Tunisia's 'Jasmine Revolution'. Over time, this movement, along with the song, spread throughout the Arab region and even took the place of dictators in the rest of the world. The movement that spread in various countries from 2010-12 demanded good governance, employment, freedom and equal rights.

Mathluthi, who sings rebel songs in North African folklore, is also called the 'voice of the Arab Spring'. The same Mathluthi is currently in Kathmandu to participate as a panelist in the 'Movement Towards Opportunities' session of the Kantipur Conclave.

Mohamed Bouziji was the first martyr of this revolution. He used to run a cart near a shopping mart in Sidi Bouzid, Tunisia. His older brother, Ali Mohamed, also used to drive another cart with Bouziji. According to Ali, Bouziji, who lost his father at the age of 3, was driving a cart to raise his mother and six sisters. He used to say that the meaning of his life was to educate his sisters. He started working at the age of 10 to lift his family out of poverty.

Since street trading is illegal in Tunisia, it was not uncommon for the police to confiscate carts or take small traders to jail for a day or two. Bouziji would go to the wholesale market to buy vegetables on the spur of the moment and sell them on the street from morning to evening. The police would take bribes from such traders if they could, and if they could not, they would confiscate their carts. Boujiji, who had become accustomed to all these situations, was adept at making everyone laugh by telling jokes.

On the evening of December 16, 2010, he bought fruits and vegetables on credit. The next day, during a check, the police confiscated his cart and scattered the fruits and vegetables on the road. When he tried to resist, a police officer publicly abused Boujiji and slapped him on the cheek. After this, he tried to file a case of harassment with the local administration, seeking justice. But the governor refused to register it.

Then, Boujiji, who was mentally disturbed, came from a nearby pump with a bottle of petrol. He sat in front of the administration holding the bottle and shouting for about 1 hour. However, no one listened to his complaints. And then he set himself on fire.

A driver bravely put out the fire with his jacket, but Bouzidzi was in critical condition by the time he was taken to the hospital. Immediately, people gathered on the streets to protest the corrupt government. The state media was trying to cover up all these developments. However, in the age of social media, it is difficult to hide anything. Ordinary people used their smartphones to make every incident of the movement viral on social media. This increased public participation in the movement day by day.

Emel Mathlouthi, who had spent three years in Paris, had returned to Tunisia for a short time. Seeing that songs of social justice and rebellion were not gaining ground in Tunisia, she went to Paris in 2007. Immediately after arriving in Paris, she sang ‘Mero Shabd Awatan Cha’ at a live concert in front of the Bastille Palace. She was presenting the problems faced by young people, including poverty, unemployment, police repression, and lack of opportunities, in a simple style, without the loud sound of drums or angry gestures. Her performance reminded her of singers like Bob Dylan and John Boyega.

Many people heard the song on social media. But it was not broadcast on Tunisian radio and television. During this period, she kept going back and forth between France and Tunisia, but she was not able to sing in public in Tunisia. In an interview with ‘News and Noise’ in 2012, she said, ‘In Tunisia, I was supported by a small leftist community.’ After moving to Paris, I started giving concerts. Then the young people of Tunisia also started to recognize me.'

Mac Rai, a Tunisian singer and composer living in San Francisco, USA, praised Mathlouthi's concert in Paris, saying, 'Even when the old dictators were in power in Tunisia, she dared to sing.' Although she lived in both France and Tunisia. I think she is a true artist and that is what art is.'

Although a video of her performance during the protests went viral at the end of 2010, few people knew that Amel Mathlouthi was still in Tunisia. On January 4, 2011, the Ben Arous Burn and Trauma Center in Tunisia announced Bouazizi's death. The fire of the protests that had been burning since December 17 spread like wildfire after this incident. People from all walks of life were in the protests. Mathlouthi could not hold back. On January 14, she fearlessly performed her song in front of the protesters gathered in front of Avenue Habib Bourguiba in Tunis. The intensity of the movement was high, within a few hours, President Abdin Ben Ali fled to Saudi Arabia. In Tunisia, 23 years of dictatorship ended. However, this was only the beginning in the entire Arab region. Within a short time, the dictators of Egypt and Libya were overthrown. The fire of the movement spread to Bahrain, Jordan, Yemen and Syria. In all these regions, the protesters were on the tongues of Amel's song 'My word is free.'

Amel was born on January 11, 1982 in Tunis. She began to show her singing and acting skills at the age of eight. She also wrote songs at the age of 10. At the age of 15, well-wishers began to tell her, ‘Your voice could be suitable for professional singing.’ She was influenced by pop singers such as Tori Amos, Alanis Morissette and Celine Dion. While studying engineering, she formed a metal band with her friends, which further developed her passion for music.

During this time, she began to be influenced by the songs of John Boyz. She left the band after being impressed by the rebellion and social justice expressed in Boyz’s folk music. She then began to express social and political issues through North African folk songs. In a 2012 interview, she said that she was also influenced by the rebellious songs of Marcel Khalifa, Mahmoud Darwish, Fairuz, Sheikh Imam and Bob Dylan. ‘They had rhythm from a young age. This freedom was important to me,’ she said.