“We have a responsibility to sing about what is happening in the lives of the people” — Thomas Mapfumo, the “Lion of Zimbabwe”
People often speak of rights: human rights, rights of nature, constitutional rights. The fight to secure and protect rights is a constant struggle for the majority of humanity and all living entities here on planet Earth. Yet, rarely do we hear people speak of responsibility. In the Hawaiian mind, rights and responsibility are one and the same. They are two sides to a coin, dependent upon each other. The Hawaiians call this KULEANA. These are my Kuleana. They concern me, they inspire me, they ask of me a simple question:
“Sadako and the Thousand Paper Cranes” commemorates the 75th anniversary of the atomic bombings at Hiroshima and Nagasaki, Japan that occurred on August 6 & 9 (respectively) 1945. Composed by Makana and Kayko Tamaki, the recording features a vocal performance by the Kwassui Girls School Choir. The lyrics are bilingual (English and Japanese).
Read MoreA song written in support of the Kia'i (protectors) of Mauna Kea and the #WeAreMaunaKea movement which aims to end and prevent any further desecration of this most sacred of Hawaiian places. Kū Kia'i Mauna!
Read MoreAs President Obama met with world leaders this weekend at the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation meeting in Hawaii to discuss how to bolster global trade, activists with the group Occupy Honolulu protested economic inequity that they say would result from new trade agreements.
Read MoreCivil Rights, Women’s Rights and Immigrant Rights all moved forward until war and corporate greed dismantled the dream of an ever progressing society. Now is our time to reignite the fires of democracy founded on equitable representation. The message is clear: our broken, polarized, corrupt system must be replaced by a courageous and public values centered movement that creates integrity and health in economy, ecology, politics, law and social fabric. Bernie is the practical and symbolic elder of this transformation.
Read More“Standing in the tomb-like space, my soul began to cry in the form of song,” says Makana. As one of over a million people in Hawai'i who were told on January 13, 2018 that they were about to be hit by a nuclear missile, renowned Hawai’i artist Makana said, “Waking to an alert of a nuclear attack in Hawai’i got me thinking. Why is this even a possibility?”
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