Mural in Spain: The dangerous activity of writing songs (6 photos)

Street Artist SOKRAM

Mural by SOKRAM on Political correctness in La Bañeza, León, Spain for Art Aero Rap.

SOKRAM on the mural “Political correctness”

Just over half year ago, a person went to prison for the dangerous activity of writing songs. In a civilized country this would be understood as an attack against the freedom of expression for all but, as you may know, Spain is different.

Pablo Hasel, a Catalan rapper, isn’t the first to have been punished simply for expressing his opinions in this “democratic” ​country, and neither, of course, will he be the last. Recent history suggests that the false democratic transition (to a parliamentary monarchy… XD), failed democracy and a court directly heir to the fascist Public Order Court renamed “Audiencia Nacional”, who sentenced Hasel to prison, have quite a lot to do with it.

It is clear that censorship and repression didn’t entirely stop in 1978 and that the de facto powers (who remain in the same hands) continue to exercise their power in different ways by censoring opinions, persecuting, silencing and demonizing ideologies; and in practice, “correcting” groups or individuals who do not abide by the immovable constitutional order directed and agreed upon by the winners of the civil war and abided by the rest.

I’ve had this idea sketched in a notebook for some time and it seemed appropriate to now paint it in a mural format for a festival that unites rap with its other activities.

Freedom of expression is a common good but it seems only a privileged few are allowed to exercise it. The rest of us mere mortals risk being erased or corrected by the powers that be if we choose to do so.

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