Dog Tribe: Resistance to being Dismissed and Silenced
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Hutnyk highlights the direct, unapologetic approach of Asian music groups from the 90’s for anti-racism efforts in the UK. Hutnyk discusses how bands like Fun Da Mental and the Kaliphz worked closely with anti-racist self-defense groups and engaged directly with victims of racial violence from the police and overall British public, instead of low-effort, performative statements that are often rewarded in society. Hutnyk states, “the blunt solution of the Rochdale band, the Kaliphz, would not find widespread approval from the softer elements of anti-racist badge-wearers. The lyrics of their single ‘Hang ’em High’ do not rely on subtlety, stating that the ‘remedy for white supremacy’ is to ‘kill the BNP and the Klan in Tennessee’” (page 67). Fun Da Mental also advocates for violence as self-defense in their song Dog Tribe, “People wonder why I'm positioned by the window, Ammunition close to the hand though Looking like the man brother Malcolm. If I can't reason, time for some action, you must hear me though, even though they don't know. Don't ask for violence, just self-defense”. Just as we discussed on Monday how Malcolm X’s advocacy for violent resistance and self-defense was misconstrued as blind hate from white America in the 50’s, the message in Dog Tribe was received negatively by most white Brits and consequently censored on major television music video distribution outlets.
Dog Tribe conveys frustration and the feeling of being fed-up. It reminds me of all the mitigating campaigns the British government undertook during the 60’s and 70’s after the race riots of the 50’s. The Sivanandan reading from a couple months ago accounted for how the government attempted to mitigate racial and civil unrest through new immigration acts and committee formations that did little to address deep racial inequalities in the country, actually even creating more restrictive policies for immigrants. Britain has a long history of exploiting and ignoring the inequalities of South Asian and Black citizens. Just as British officials ignored the murder of Altab Ali in 1978 and the attack of six West-Indian men in 1958, they also ignored the attack of Quddus Ali and British National Party members attacking South Asian businesses in 1993. The frustration, resentment, and resistance has been building up in the UK, as Fun Da Mental expresses, “there comes a time when enough is enough.”
Music videos like Fun Da Mental’s Dog Tribe was a tool for political activism for these bands. The censorship of that music video was only of political concern for Aki Nawaz, as it obstructed his effort to contribute to the anti-racism movement. The 90’s was a pre-social media age, without YouTube, Twitter, or TikTok, people could only rely on biased news channels for coverage on racial violence or lack thereof. Therefore, music videos like Dog Tribe were integral for providing information and important dialogue for the anti-racism movement.
