When somebody listens to music, they might be unaware of all of the factors that have lead to that moment, from political decisions, economic factors, military engagements, and diplomatic negotiations, that have transpired. In many respects, music is another sphere of international discourse, with governments spending efforts to gain their share. Music diplomacy sends an economic message as well as a political message, that a citizen does not need to be extremely wealthy for their voice to be heard, and that their opinion is as significant as the opinions of the decision makers. This is significant because music diplomacy is a way in which artists from other countries, usually with more economic standing, will perform concerts or have copies of their music sent to advance ideas that relate the views of their home country. It can include promoting democratic values, economic liberation for women, and harmony between races and ethnic groups. For anyone who is aware of how oppressed groups can suffer in a political system that does not listen to them, this should be a source of hope for a perspective with a contrasting view to be included.
As the leader in many of the struggles and movements by opening the doors to women’s suffrage, and further establishing Civil Rights, there is a long history of change for the better in the United States. Using songs to give strength through music has been done by talented, multiple-Grammy winning artist Beyoncé in the song “Freedom” by singing “Freedom! Where are you? ’Cause I need freedom too, I break chains all by myself,” describing how liberation for women is needed in society. This, applied to places where women have barriers to reach higher levels of achievement in the business world, can mean that success is worth fighting for. By being an example, the arts and culture from a country can be spread to another country.
In the Augsburg Honors Review, while eloquently detailing how Hip Hop is used in revolutionary movements, the author Cantrall describes that “Rap is easy to create with limited resources….Even in the poorest and most oppressed communities, a group of people can get their hands on these simple tools. When recording instruments are not available, rap lends itself to be verbally passed down, since poetry is the core structure” (24). In this, they are claiming that there are no economic barriers to creating hip hop. I agree with the author’s claim, and would also say this advances the idea that the economic ideas of the US are also passed with the music, since in their traditional or local forms of music, there may be more focus on other accompanying features of music, that require more resources. Instead of going through any music industry, artists are functioning independently, and this means that they have lower budgets.
While much of the focus on music diplomacy is on using music to create changes in the people the music is being played to, sometimes the music can have the effect of changing indirectly those that are the audience of the music. As they review the history of this diplomatic tool, the author Zawisza magnificently states, “On tours that have coincided with meetings of the G7 or G8 countries, for instance, Bono, the frontman of Irish rock group U2, managed to get part of Africa’s financial debt erased by raising awareness among audiences and governments to the suffering of the African peoples” (6). By this, they are claiming that the actual audience of the music was the bankers, or owners of the debt, and not the African people, because that is where the singer wanted to effect change, in the hearts of those that had a way to alleviate their problems much greater than him.
The United State’s history of using music diplomacy was evident in the former West and East Germany, where there was the spread of jazz music. Looking back at the previous era of major powers seeking influence on other countries, the author Dunkel describes, “If American jazz diplomacy was primarily employed in order to represent the United States as a benevolent, egalitarian, multiethnic, and multiracial nation,… West German jazz diplomacy tended to be concerned with the representation of West Germany as an equal member of a peaceable, and noncommunist, world community that had once and for all discarded fascist ideology and was fundamentally different from its East German counterpart” (148). During the Cold War, the world was divided into two axes, those that supported the principles of free market, and those that were aligned with communism and the Soviet Union. Having the artists promote the economic system that was able to create that music, and show the people were across the Berlin wall that their system could be more like how the other side was, was the objective of music diplomacy and it occurred successfully.
Since there is always a cost to promoting music, from staging concerts in a venue, to sending albums to be played, in another country, it is important for the recipients to know how it is being paid for, so they can understand the full picture of what they are receiving. While they overview how this naturally happens within developing countries, the authors Herbert and McCollum illustrate, “At the next level, there is a need for sources of funding, which are often facilitated directly through institutions, but in other cases may come from separate public or private individuals or organizations, often in combination” (325).This is stating that there may be many interests involved in making music diplomacy, or just a single individual, that are responsible. It should be made aware as part of any campaign if it is a government, or a company, that they want their values spread.
It is always worth doing a good thing, no matter the cost, and many might argue that music diplomacy is worth the price, because of the help it gives to communities that are unable to afford other means of power, like to make themselves represented in a seat in the government, or buy an advertisement from a company. I would argue that while it is true that any attention given to them especially from a powerful nation is considered good, I would also insist that genuine support from individuals all over the globe in the form of a music video that represents their struggle, or a locally made album of musicians that have a message, would be able to make their voices heard.
It is fair to say that reduced barriers to entry for music, would allow more voices to be heard. This is the nature of Hip Hop, since it only takes a microphone, and an audience, for someone’s poetic verses to be spread. Music diplomacy may also be able to affect people that are related to its intended audience, such as bankers relieving debt on poor countries. It also has the ability to change the course of history as evidenced in the way jazz music brought down the Berlin wall in the Cold War. Overall, it is important for the audience of this music to know how it has been funded, and whether it is being promoted by an individual, a company, or even a government, since that will affect how they receive the message. We all know that music can make a difference, and we best hope it can be beneficial, well received, and worth the energy spent.
Works Cited
Cantrall, Samantha. The Influence of rap in the Arab Spring. Augsburg Honors Review: Vol. 6, Article 12, 2013.
Zawisza, Marie. How music is the real language of political diplomacy. The Guardian, 2015. https://www.theguardian.com/music/2015/oct/31/music-language-human-rights-political-diplomacy
Dunkel, Mario. “Jazz – Made In Germany” and the Transatlantic Beginnings of Jazz Diplomacy. Palgrave Macmillian, 2014. https://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1057/9781137463272_8
Herbert, David G. and Jonathan McCollum. Toward Global Models and Benchmarks for Music Diplomacy. Ethnomusicology and Cultural Diplomacy. Lexington Books, 2022. https://www.google.com/books/edition/Ethnomusicology_and_Cultural_Diplomacy/BxBsEAAAQBAJ?hl=en&gbpv=1&dq=music+and+diplomacy&pg=PA315&printsec=frontcover
