British singer songwriter Billy Bragg has released a new song to show his support for the people of Palestine.
The title of ‘Hundred Year Hunger’ was inspired by a new book of the same name by author E Mark Windle about the history of malnutrition and deprivation in Gaza and will raise money for the Amos Trust Gaza Appeal which raises funds for food and medical supplies for the warn-torn territory.
Writing on Instagram, the British protest singer said that the song: ‘Looks at the current famine that Israel has created in Gaza through the lens of a century of enforced food insecurity and malnutrition imposed on the Palestinian people, firstly by British imperialism, then as a weapon of mass displacement by the state of Israel.’
The song was originally released to coincide with a new humanitarian aid flotilla, called ‘Sumud’, setting sail from Barcelona to try to ‘break the illegal siege of Gaza’. However storm conditions forced the lead vessel, with activist Greta Thunberg on board, back to port and the attempt has now been abandoned temporarily.
‘Now my children ask me why the watching world is standing by / While Israel creates famine as a weapon in their war,’ Billy Bragg sings on the track.
The chorus of the song is in Arabic and Bragg explained that ‘sumud’ translates as: ‘Steadfastness or perseverance. It is used by Palestinians to describe their nonviolent everyday resistance against Israel’s occupation. Sumud emphasises the commitment of the Palestinian people to remain on their land despite hardship and oppression, elevating their everyday existence into a form of resistance.’
Also the phrase ‘lan narhal’, Bragg wrote: ‘Translates as “we will not leave”. Together “Sumud! Sumud! Lan narhal” conveys the determination of the Palestinian people to refuse to be displaced.’
Billy Bragg has long combined music with activism. From his early days at the forefront of the miners’ strike and Rock Against Racism to more recent support for climate justice marches, anti-incinerator protests, and wildlife conservation manifestos, Bragg shows up for chnage. In 2019, he joined Youth Strike for Climate demonstrations, and earlier that year, he stood alongside Chris Packham in calling for pro-wildlife policies in central London
On Saturday September 20th, Bragg is hosting a Palestine benefit gig, called Days Like These, at London’s O2 Shepherd’s Bush Empire, featuring acts including Jamie Webster, Billy Nomates, Antony Szmierek, Reverend and the Makers and Big Special, to support the Amos Trust’s Gaza Appeal
Bragg released his last album, The Million Things That Never Happened, in 2021.
