Gig: a tribute to families affected by gender violence
Shillong folk-fusion band Summersalt will perform on the first day of the Monolith Festival 2016 on Thursday (March 31st) evening to present the evolving Khasi indigenous music and to pay tribute to the families who have been aggrieved by gender violence in recent times.
Fully aware that the Monolith Festival of the KHADC organised by the Khasi Heritage Conservation Forum (KHCF) is an indigenous cultural extravaganza, Summersalt this time intends to drive home the message that true cultural expression can never happen if the culture of aggression hovers around.
The parallel but important culture of peace and justice has to come guaranteed with the traditional culture of the land, which used to prevail in the past but no more.
In many of the band’s songs written between 2009 and 2016, the voice of protest against gender violence and a call for holistic solution to such social ills have emerged as an underlining message, hence, the timely artistic dedication to a cause such as this.
As representatives of the artistes’ community in and from Meghalaya, Summersalt also called for all members of society including family, government, media, artistes, business organisations, church and religious organisations to get into the roots of all this evil and put an end to the violence and murder.
Managing member Kit Shangpliang says, “We need to look beyond candle light vigils, we even need to look beyond dedicating songs to victims of gender violence. We need to strategically put our heads and our acts together for the sake of our future and the well-being of our children.”
“We believe that Arts has to be relevant to society and has to feel its heartbeat. There is need to speak out but with discernment, to draw the line between being destructive and constructive in our comments”, he said. For many years, social thinkers have been grappling with the sensitive notion around gender identity in Meghalaya, to which the band is trying to seek clarity and possible solution.
Come Thursday, Summersalt will belt out their usual tracks and some new materials, one of which, talks about the gentle but tough words of a mother inviting her son to understand his identity, his role and his responsibility to his family and to his own kind.