One of the sources of creative vitality in Third World popular cultures is the uncanny ability to seize on local or global events and use them as symbols or metaphor, or simply to re-purpose names and words from the news for the purpose of entertainment that, by virtue of this method of assembly, is never completely innocent and certainly not mindless.
Also evidenced, not coincidentally, in the best hip-hop, this instinct to appropriate the signifiers of large and possibly uncontrollable events and redeploy them in the service of local meaning results in a constant renewal process in which, as one signifier runs its course, another emerges to supplant it, bringing with it new nicknames for objects in regular use — minibuses, beer bottles, bank notes, lengths of cloth — and new jokes and new dances and new fashions.
With “Bird Flu,” her new single, your girl M.I.A. taps into this endlessly rich seam. Vaguely mysterious, unpredictable, global in scope and potentially catastrophic, the bird flu that moved across several continents in 2006 was perfect for semiotic appropriation. Especially since birds, especially poultry, in various stages of ecstasy or distress have long been inspiration for dance moves — the Funky Chicken and the Dirty Bird come to mind. So it’s a chicken stuttering across a dusty village street that sets, in the video, the rhythm for the song, and much dancing, declamation, and additional avian imagery ensues. No connection to the “real” bird flu, and yet, all the connection in the world.
It’s a cool song, but before we rush to celebrate its originality I want to share with you another Bird Flu song that actually predates homegirl’s.This one came out in Côte d’Ivoire immediately after the disease scare passed. The hot style there now is called coupé-décalé; it’s a dance-driven pop that has taken French-speaking Africa and its diaspora by storm, supplanting soukouss as the let’s-get-down party sound of the moment. It’s also a very democratic music: the production values are pretty liberal and pretty much anybody can make a track and see if it catches. A guy called DJ Lewis did that with “Grippe Aviaire” (Bird Flu), which generated a little mini-crazy of people flapping like chickens wherever Francophone Africans congregate. Watch it here: the video is grainy and homegrown but it makes a cool compare-and-contrast exercise with Miss Maya’s track and imagery, with different beats, moves, and locations but a similar and salutary gonzo energy.
Bonus cut: the definitive treatment of the Funky Chicken, by Rufus Thomas at the classic 1972 Wattstax concert.
The Kathakali dancers come in around 1 min 24 sec in the video.
dear amitabh – lovely clip and that actress is quite the looker – but i’m scratching my head here and wondering if the tamil folks on the forum would be miffed at being lumped with everyone in the ‘south’ – to put it in perspective, let’s say we were talking about punjabi culture on the Guardian’s blog – and some poster said, “hey guys! i really likee your culture. here’s a clip of dandia that was filmed entirely in the thar desert. how cool!”
i’m just saying…
A wild guess. Probably still in the cradles, in bayarea & NJ. It’s only a matter of time, they have the right genes.
Back from Denny’s yo ! Moons over my hammie yo !
I’m Indian Tamil with a good number of Sri Lankan Tamil & Sinhalese friends. I was kind of f-ing with you and realize that in the words of the immortal (or at least much facelifted) Gloria Estefan that the “Rhythym is gonna get you” and for most people beats transcend politics. Hippies get it, voudun sangomas get it, siberian shaman get it, even club chicks high on E get it. But somehow I was born wound up too tight. Take the video for example, I see some pasangal from the gramam having a grand old time. Rhomba santhosam. But then I see kids with kerchiefs over their mouths and my Amrikan instincts for self preservation kick in. I think in rapid succession: a) Kadavul ennai kaapathu ! b) Where is the nearest point of egress ? Feet don’t fail me now ! c) My parents brought me to the US so I can die of Western afflictions (e.g. roadrage, transfats, severe Blackberry thumb). Getting snake bit or beaten by mobs is not an appropriate death for a somewhat assimilated dude like me.
I wasn’t offended by the use of your native tongue in mocking me, I am learning several N. Indian dialects so I can communicate with “the help” ( I keed, I keed)
As others have mentioned before, this is dappan koothu music with tavil and urumi melam. Pretty common in many Tamil movies. Interesting to see it with English lyrics. Here are a few samples with urumi melam.
Siva Sakthi Muniandy Urumee Melam at Mariamman temple in Malaysia.
Inthaadi Kappakizhange Movie: Dhool – 2002 Music: Vidyasagar Singers: Rafi, Tippu
Manmatha Raasa Movie: Thiruda Thirudi -2003 Music: Dhina Singers: Malathi, Shankar Mahadevan
One of the gaana hit songs from last year. No urumi melam here.
Vaazha meenu Movie: Chithiram Pesuthadi – 2006 Music: Babu MSC Singer: Ulaganathan
voiceinthehead,
I dont think I will ever laugh more at any other usage of the word ‘right’, like it was done in the above line :))
I’m with you in the minority of minorities. When did the MIA non-haters club becoming so small?..meh.
Wow exam fever really turns my brain into dormant Indian English mode.
*become, not becoming.
Maybe I got the bird flu…
Some more Urumi melam and dances during Thaipusam in Malaysia. Check out all the related videos for more thaipusam clips.
One of the many good dancers at batu caves during thaipusam in Malaysia.
A couple more from thaipusam in Malaysia.
Extreme Devotion
Thaipusam Urumi
Hey, my hate donÂ’t discriminate. Been steady hating Jay-Z since Hawaiian Sophie days 🙂 Tells you what a fat lot I know. Having wasted babaÂ’s money for five years, I do know tiny bit about art though. Her Poco edition book is worth checking out. SheÂ’s got something interesting going there. Unfortunately her Tigger sympathies mess things up here as well.
I am with Lani on her analysis of MIA and her pseudo-revolutionary stuff. Reminds me of Madonna’s style of self-promotion–I mean revolution. I had to laugh at the revolutionary spirit of MIA when I was at the movies and saw Galanga being used for a Honda Civic ad! As a Sri Lankan too I am not so psyched about her music or celeb persona, though I am happy to see brown women doing things in any arena.
My impression from watching this video is that she is bringing in a Sri Lankan baila beat, which is the one good thing about the song! This is a specific kind of beat and time signature and is a traditional type of music from Sri Lanka (with Portugese influence and name)that all the uncles and aunties like to dance to at parties.
I laughed out loud when I read this, louiecypher. I’d like to throw in a kandraavi, for good measure.
The need for this was what? Do you seriously think a group of people who have to apologize for being proud of their community, as Punjabis often have to do, is going to be offended if other communities are also proud as well? If Rhomba Santhosam means Chuk dey, then I’m with you bro
Sahej- Amiable piss take. No harm intended bhai. Rhomba santhosam= Very Happy, meant to contrast with my subsequent over riding fear of the crunking thuglets and plea to the almighty to deliver me and my satchel full of Foreign Direct Investment to a less ominous locale
Ahhh, makes sense now. 🙂
Laughed out loud sitting in my cube ,causing fellow office workers ( all goras) to look up in alarm
“Romba santhosam” “Kandraavi”
Takes me back to childhood before I got “punjufied” through marriage 🙂 and all the “santhosams” became “balle balles”
My son represents the best of both worlds: tam bram on mom’s side, “kattar”punju on dad’s !
wow both awsome videos thanks for posting this
The Bird Flu is also a dancehall move: I couldn’t find the video for the song itself, but here and here are a couple of videos with people demonstrating it, and you can hear the song in the background.
Who was in Sri-Lanka first the Tamils or the Sinhalese? I get different responses each time I ask a Lankan. Sri-Lankans are really cute I don’t know why they want to fight among each other.
Though a Mumbaikaar by birth and several family visits, an Amrikan by raising, I still have my Tam pride–as should all of us with our respective sub-desi groups. Louiecypher, that was the funniest shit I have read in a long time!!! I can actually hear my fellow tam brams saying that in my head. Runa – I think People sitting across the hall outside my closed office door could hear me laughing my ass off.
Joining the game late, but I am not a member of the MIA-Hater club. Lani, great insights, very thought provoking. It’s just that I appreciate her as an artist because she is different and refreshing and controversial, in my opinion what art should be. I am not saying I agree with her approach all the time though, it’s just that it’s nice to see a Tamilian woman not wearing a sari, making fusion music, and drumming up news stories and open discussions like these.
I love Saris. If it weren’t for the crappy, cold weather and prejudice I’d inevitably receive at work I’d be wearing mine everyday. Went to Tokyo recently and the Jap chicks were reclaiming the kimono, same is catching on wih Korea’s hanbok in Seoul. Lani you sound like a cool gal, respect for the work you do, but is MIA really such a fake? Shilpa Poppadom, the answer is: Buddha, his footprint exists on Buddha’s peak.
diesel: #79– thanks!
By God, she is so so HOT. My tigress.
Shilpa Poppadum wrote:
Who was in Sri-Lanka first the Tamils or the Sinhalese? I get different responses each time I ask a Lankan. Sri-Lankans are really cute I don’t know why they want to fight among each other.
“Cute”? You “don’t know”? Pretty condescending. Go look it up.
You get different answers because people answer as is politically expedient. It shouldn’t matter. The communities lived relatively peacefully together for a long time before the advent of Western elements.
Oh. So I guess it’s a heavy issue. Anyway you are more condescending.
Of course it’s a heavy issue when people are killing each other!
I have a problem with the question of who was there first because the various answers are used to justify gross wrongs. It’s not relevant to the bigger problem: war and human rights violations. Regardless of who was there first, the Sri Lankan government shouldn’t abuse Tamil civilians; nor should the LTTE attack innocents. This debate has been lively in many other Sepia threads.
As for “cute,” it’s offensive to apply that to a whole nationality–generalized statements about nationalities are often slippery slopes. Do you not see why?
Woah, chill out. I only said ‘cute’. Look at my username and ou will se that I was only being lighthearted. You must get angry at the world all the time judging by your reaction to me.
She is so hot. arrrr
She might be hot Topcat, but she only likes white men. She isn’t that hot anyways.
Context,
I changed m’name just for you….
la la la la la
mwah, my sweet desis x
lankan australian. love the music, hate the pseudo-politics, but i don´t think any of that matters…
is the real issue here is the apparent lack of sri lankan / south asian representation in music journalism?
what´s shocking is the total lack of knowledge any of the apparently underground music journos have on all the issues that M.I.A intentionally and unintentionally raises… i don´t totally agree with Lani´s absolute stance, but it´s nice to be able to read it…
Beautiful Sri-Lankan chick represents South South Asia and earns respect from desi and non-desi gorups alike: good
Makes interesting sounds and beats that are refreshing and from a Desi perspective: good
Female MC and visual artist: good
Likes white men: she does? So what, who cares?
Supports the LTTE and makes a name for herself: bad
So the good outweighs the bad? The LTTE you fucking morons!!!! You dumb bitch Maya, shut the fuck up! The issue is not lack of South Asian representation in MUSIC journalism, its lack of journalist coverage of the sad, preventable situation in Sri-Lanka. Anyone of you bloggers want to tackle this issue with insight and objectivity? MIA reads like those fucking fluroscent Palestinian scarves sooo in vogue among people who don’t give a fuck these days (hey let’s team one with with my I heart NY t-shirt). Empty, commercial, pointless no matter how good(?!) it looks.
Lux, what do you mean it doesn’t matter? It matters more than everthing, you fool. Lani from London spoke sense but none of you could handle the truth. I’d rather listen to what she has to say then some stupid pop act who doesn’t even make any sense.
Also readers, have you seen any images of dead Sinhalese children in poor areas of north Sri-lanka? Have you seen videos of Tamil children relating how they were snatched and forced to carry machine guns? Have you heard how hundreds, maybe thousands of orphaned Tsunami children were snatched and recruited into the LTTE? Do you know about the intimidation from the LTTE among Tamil communities in Toronto and London, England, forcing small businesses to fund their blood-letting? There have been over 100,000 deaths of innocents in the past 10 years in villages in Jaffna territories. THE TAMIL TIGERS ARE GUILTY OF ETHNIC CLEANSING, leave the peace-loving tolerant people of Sri-Lanka (Tamils, Sinhala, Moors, Malays and Burgers) alone. The Tamil Tigers are the primary cause of Sri-Lanka’s troubles, don’t let this bitch MIA convince you otherwise. They are thugs who don’t respect people no matter if they are Hindu Tamils, Moslems or Buddhist Sinhalese. They enjoy oppressing their women and children and their brand men who don’t follow as traitors that deserve to be tortured and assasinated.
I’m Sinhalese and live in Toronto and many Tamils agree with me. I’m glad the Sri-Lankan government is finally making a stand against this evil terror group. Also, Sri-Lanka is in no way comparable to Israel, so don’t get confused. Tamils and Sinhalese are close in race and have been marrying each other for many thousands of years before all this shit went crazy in the 1980s. Unlike caste-ridden India, Sri-Lankans don’t feel too strongly about race and we Sinhalese are proud to be a mixed race of aborigines and aryans with lots of intermarriage with Tamils too. Shilpa Poppadum, there is no answer to who was there first because, until recently, Sri-Lankans have mixed so easily for thousands of years.