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Activist Usman, singer Once commemorate Munir’s death in new song
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Protesters wear masks showing the face of the assassinated human rights activist Munir Said Thalib on Sept. 7, 2017, during the weekly Kamisan silent protest in front of the State Palace in Jakarta. (JP/Ibrahim Irsyad)
A
ctivist Usman Hamid and his band, The Blackstones, along with singer Once Mekel, released a song to commemorate human rights icon Munir Said Thalib, 19 years after his murder.
Munir, the founder of rights group the Commission for Missing Persons and Victims of Violence (Kontras) and a vocal activist during Indonesia’s early Reform years, was poisoned with arsenic and died on Sept. 7, 2004, aboard a Garuda Indonesia flight from Jakarta to Amsterdam.
His death is remembered by many, not only because of the mysterious circumstances under which it occurred, but also as a reminder of the chilling repercussions that might face anyone who speaks up against state injustices, even after the fall of the authoritarian New Order.
In honor of Munir’s human rights legacy, Usman and The Blackstones teamed up with prominent soloist Once and the Trisakti University Student Choir (PSMUT) to record a tribute song titled "Munir”.
“The song tells us that even though we might be exhausted by violence and lies, we cannot give up the humanitarian struggle,” Usman, who is also the executive director of Amnesty International Indonesia, said in a press release last week, as quoted by kompas.com.
The song was released on streaming services on Sept. 6 and joins the list of songs about human rights that Usman has written and performed with The Blackstones after “Sa Kong Sa” and “Terlepas” (Detached), which were also released this year.
Once, who is a former vocalist of famed Indonesian rock band Dewa, noted how proud he is to be included, adding that the song is a “meaningful contribution to the struggle for human rights in the country".
