KEY COMPONENTS OF SUCCESSFUL SOCIAL MOVEMENTS

-----------------------------------------------------------------------
"For me, the most important lesson
[of the Freedom Movement] is that by respecting the fact that fellow activists could passionately disagree over strategy and tactics—yet remain allies—they strengthened SNCC and the Movement as a whole."
From Bruce Hartford's article in Urban Habitat.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
MY WEBSITE: educationanddemocracy.org

Sunday, April 21, 2013

Flamenco Flash Mobs in Spain occupying Banks

From the BBC
Flamenco flash mobs - seemingly spontaneous dance and song performances - have been taking place in banks not just in Seville, but all over Andalusia, causing short, if amusing disruptions to the working day Some involve just one or two dancers, performing silently in front of bemused customers and clerks. Others can be made up of several dozen bailaores clicking their fingers and stomping their feet to recorded music. The flash mobs are staged by an anti-capitalist group known as Flo6x8 to express anger and frustration at the economic crisis

. . . . Talk to many people involved in flamenco today and they will tell you that there is nothing political about the music. Yet look back at the history of flamenco, and a different picture emerges. Far from concentrating on love and passion - themes that one might expect from such an explosive art form - the lyrics sung in the late 18th and early 19th Centuries were largely about poverty, suffering and the hardship of everyday life.

. . . . The Spanish government is clearly rattled - after a Flo6x8 video (see top of story) got over a million hits on YouTube they changed the law to make it much more difficult for the bank flash mobs to be carried out, and none has happened over the past year. Instead it has gone international. Flamenco flash mobs have been taking place, not only in Spain, but across Europe, in Milan, Rome and the UK, though it has become harmless fun, rather than a political act.

LYRICS:
The character & the will/ you have changed,my friend/ the character and the will/ since that you have money/ you have turned unbearable/ those are things of brand new rich man
Don't you bustle me anymore, Rodrigo (RATO-wikipedia: ex economy minister, exbankia and FMI director) because thanks to your bad head, we'll finish as furtives. I've looked for 2 jobs to pay the mortgage. U get into troubles, u fire me/send me out to the street because there is no money
ay bankia (x6) for u 6 lungs, for me not even a gill (x2). Am not gonna love u, not gonna want u, not even if u take my interest rate away, not even if you reduce my interest, is that i dont want u, Bankia i dont want u, no way! ay bankia bankia... 4 u 6 lungs, 4 me not even a gill


2 comments:

ahmina said...

Reading about the flo6x8 flamenco dance group, was not only inspiring and different, but has a slight heart ache to it as well. I love that the group formed to express their anger and frustration about the economic crisis in Spain and instead of violence they got together to dance, which is not just a love dance but a cultural dance in the country. They not only started a form of protest and rebel but a movement across Europe because others started to follow in their place. What makes this story a heart ache is that instead of being a political movement it turn int "harmless fun instead of political act". Hope that this continues and get back on the right track.

Lisa said...

During the Freedom Summer, the Freedom songs (a use of the arts) were self-empowering because the people and the community used it to maintain high spirits with one another and fight whatever problems they are facing. Freedom songs, were messages that had a story to tell and better yet, used at times when they are doing marches, sit-ins, jail-ins, and so forth. It was an act of nonviolence but singing while doing mass demonstrations were effective to scaring their opposers and making them want to make immediate action to stopping the blacks. However, in regards to the group in this video, it does not seem as effective because it seems like the woman dancing are doing it for show and it is not creating the correct message that it should be leaving (that is if they are leaving one). I may not understand whether dancing is an important factor of their culture or not but through observation, it seem like many people who were not dancing, were only enjoying the dance and afterwards, hearing the claps reveals an audience who had actually enjoyed watching the performance and all the singing. The people working at the bank continued doing their job, there was not a sense of urgency of the workers at the bank to feel threatened in any way.

This applies to my research paper only because we get to analyze and observe whether an event set by an organization to send a message to their opposers was effective and if it had done any justice. Doing research and understanding what appeals to the mass audience and knowing what is the most effective way to make the opposers feel threatened will bring a larger message.Some demonstrations are not as effective like this one. Especially when it is stated, that it is just for "fun". It may empower the people who sung and dance, but there probably was no outcome that result in having more people, networks, and supporters to actually be a part of their movement.