Female:Pressure Rojava Solidarity Campaign and the Question of the Role of the Artist in the World

Female:pressure, an international enclave of female electronica artist, has launched an awareness and solidarity campaign for the cantons of #Rojava (located in northern Syria), where women participate on all levels of decision making and building a new society from scratch, with built-in social, racial and ethnic justice, religious freedom, ecological principles and gender equality.

Yet, even as members of female:pressure discussed how they as artists flung far across the globe could do more to help the Kurdish community of women, disheartening news of invasion and death brought about a discussion on the role of the artist in world events. After all, how could a simple soundcloud page with songs written by women who are not of the Rojava community enact real change when a global political tsunami hits?

And that is probably one of the greatest questions of the artist today. In a world where tweets matter more than action, the media glorifying hatred and sensationalism and celebrity over real issues, and stories like the inspirational women of Rojava can fly across the world in a matter of nanoseconds, what can an artist, or a group of artists, do to truly enact political change?

In the US, where celebrity often is tied to money and political influence, we can easily see how a single individual can fund entire campaigns for a favorite cause. But in other parts of the world where the infrastructure and war and poverty leaves millions, even a billion, people voiceless in a digital world, how can we as artists truly make a difference? How can we be little more than commentary or a shadowy mirror reflecting current events but unable to reach into the physical world and stop the bombs, the soldiers, the invasions, the war?

I don't have an answer to this. As female:pressure talks about further ways to help these women, from petitions to more awareness, how can we as artists, writers, filmmakers, musicians, and creative professionals truly enact change so that those like the women of Rojava have a voice?

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ABOUT SABRINA PENA YOUNG

Award-winning composer Sabrina Pena Young is a foremost expert on Virtual Opera Production and Music Technology. A sought after consultant and speaker in music, arts, and technology, Young continues to push musical boundaries. Critics have called her "Wagner 2.0"and "Talented" with her works presented at Art Basil Miami, Opera America in NYC. the Beijing Conservatory, ICMC, London's Angel Moving Image Festival, the Fort Lauderdale International Film Festival, SEAMUS, the NY International Independent Film Festival, Miramax's Project Greenlight, TEDxBuffalo, the Holland Animation Film Festival, TEDx, and countless venues in Europe, Asia, Australia, and the Americas.

Contact Young for your next project, coaching, or consulting at spenayoung@Gmail.com

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