Week 9 discussion

The trailer to “Coming to you, Minu” reminds us of the important role that music plays in fights for migrant justice. Why do you think this is the case? How can we connect this question to the first reading you did in this course by Goffe, who also talked about the relationship between Chinese shopkeepers in Jamaica and music?

As we discussed in Medium post#2, music, as a cultural product, can convey ideas and unite people who share common ideas. As opposed to violent acts of protest, music is not violent and does not cause conflict leading to someone getting hurt. Music spreads quickly, which means that more people can know and even participate in fights for migrant justice. Connected to Goffe’s article, we could know that music can have its uniqueness in different regions, and at the same time, music can evolve over a long period of time. This means that some songs from a certain era will remain, also including what different people from that era wanted to express. The Chinese shopkeepers provided an environment for local music, and the music then became famous and unique, Reggae music appeared. In “Coming to you, Minu”, it is easier for people at that time to encounter with music and make songs, so they used it to share their experience and feelings. In conclusion, music is a good way to express thoughts and it is almost everywhere in the world.