Rapping to End Child Marriage
“To the women of my beloved country: believe in yourselves. You are strong. Speak up about your dreams and your goals every day so that everyone knows that you exist and you have the right to choose.” -Sonita Alizadeh
Sonita Alizadeh came from a large family, living in poverty stricken Afghanistan. After her family moved to Itan she fell in love with music. Although it is illegal for women to sing solo in Iran, she found a few studio owners who allowed her to rehearse in secret. She wrote songs about women, war, and child labor. When her brother was getting ready for his wedding, her Mother was trying to help raise money, and to do this she suggested selling Sonita into a marriage first. That's when she wrote and published her song- "Brides for Sale".  |
She wears the dress and bar code while begging for women to be treated as a person, rather than a piece of merchandise.
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After her music video, published by an Iranian film maker, went viral she received comments from viewers all over the world. In an interview with Rolling Stone, she said "... It happens everywhere- every two seconds one girl is married off under the age of 18". Since winning a scholarship and moving to the US to study at a small preparatory school in Utah , she continues to advocate for women's rights. Most recently, she performed at the 2016 Women in the World Summit.
In her home country, 57% of girls are married before they are 19. I feel that Sonita's music is breaking boundaries and encouraging people to break their traditions and do what is right. Each time she speaks or her song is played, her message is heard. Hopefully in the future child marriage will become illegal in all corners of the world. Until then, activists like Sonita will continue to spread their messages for all to hear.
Sources:
Bloom, Deborah. "Afghan Teen Uses Rap to Escape Forced Marriage." CNN, Cable News Network, 12 Oct. 2015, www.cnn.com/2015/10/11/world/afghanistan-rapper-sonita-alizadeh/index.html.
Jones, Kyle. "The Tried to Sell Me to Pay for My Brother's Wife." The New York Times, The New York Times, 7 Feb. 2017, nytlive.nytimes.com/womenintheworld/2016/04/08/they-tried-to-sell-me-to-pay-for-my-brothers-wife/?mcubz=0.
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Stuart, Tessa. "Afghan Rapper Sonita Alizadeh Is Making Her Voice Heard to Change Lives." Rolling Stone, Rolling Stone, 18 July 2017, www.rollingstone.com/culture/features/afghan-rapper-sonita-alizadeh-advocates-against-forced-marriage-w492853.
I really enjoyed your blog post. I had no idea it was illegal for women to sing solo in Iran. It is so interesting how Sonita took a risk and made a difference in women's issues through music. Very inspiring!
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ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed reading your blog post. I hate to say that before now I had never heard of Sonita but I think that we are blinded of some many warrior women especially when they are from other countries. She clearly remains to have a large impact on not only other women but also the music industry as well. Her first song helped bring to spotlight the idea of arranged marriages especially since it is not something many Americans are used to. I look forward to hearing about her later successes in life. Thanks again for this post!
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed your blog post! I did a similar activist who also talks about women's issues including child marriage through her music. It was really cool to listen to Sonita Alizadeh's music.
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