Three speakers will explore the role music plays in inciting violence and mobilizing the masses Thursday.

The ‘Refugees and Exile’ colloquium will take place at 7:30 p.m. in Syracuse University’s Kittredge Auditorium.

The colloquium, a collaborative effort among the Department of Art and Music Histories, the College of Arts and Sciences, the South Asia Center and the SU Humanities Center, is part of a larger symposium and will be followed on Friday with a mini-seminar, luncheon, film screening and concert. The symposium is the third in the yearlong four-part Ray Smith Symposium series.

John Baily, a professor of ethnomusicology at the University of London; Michael Frishkopf, a professor of ethnomusicology at the University of Alberta; and Peter Castro, an associate professor in the Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs, will all speak on the role music plays in different countries at the colloquium.

‘Music both expresses and undermines conflict and facilitates social change,’ said Carol Babiracki, an organizing member of the symposium and associate professor in the Department of Art and Music Histories.

Baily, from the University of London, will examine the circulation of Afghan music throughout the world, Babiracki said.

Six million Afghans have fled to neighboring Pakistan and Iran, as well as the United States and Europe, since political unrest began in Afghanistan during the late 1970s, she said.

The resulting Taliban state tightly monitored all forms of media, banning all music except Taliban and religious chants. Musicians and instrumentalists were left with two options: forfeit their musical cassettes and sever all ties to their craft or flee, Babiracki said.

Despite social and political ails, Afghan music has persevered in the United States, Europe and especially Pakistan, Babiracki said.

‘Arabs, Christians and Jews have always made music together,’ she said. ‘Music has always had the ability to flow freely across boundaries.’

Babiracki also emphasized the need to examine conflict and reconciliation under an artistic light. Media often focuses solely on the political implications of warring and resolution, she said.

Recent social upheavals in Egypt and the widespread dissatisfaction of Egyptians have made the conversation about music’s role in conflict and reconciliation especially timely, Babiracki said.

Frishkopf, from the University of Alberta, will discuss the dynamic of popular music and its function as peace monger in Liberian refugee camps, Babiracki said.

Stephen Meyer, an associate professor in the Department of Art and Music Histories and event organizer, said the audience members will not ‘be automatically transported to Liberian refugee camps’ but hopes they will gain a stronger grasp of the current situation.

Meyer said music’s capacity extends beyond merely entertainment.

‘I think around the world and throughout history, music has been an important vehicle of social change,’ he said.  

Baily and Frishkopf will be followed by remarks from SU’s Castro in the program for analysis and resolution of conflicts.

Audience members will be allowed to voice their opinions and concerns in a short discussion period following the speakers.

Malinda Masing, a freshman magazine journalism major, said she is excited for the symposium.

‘A music symposium sounds interesting,’ she said. ‘It makes me curious to see how they’re going to show how music can incite violence or cause peace.’ 

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Published on February 16, 2011 at 12:00 pm

Contact Debbie: [email protected] | @debbietruong