Photo credit: New Bloom Magazine
A musical band led by an Indonesian national is using music to protest the indignities suffered by migrant workers in Taiwan.
AlJazeera reports that Rudi, the band leader, and his members whip the audience into a frenzy of excitement by singing about their woes in Taiwan.
“Silenced by threats, here we stand against this system of slavery,” he sings. A banner between two microphones reads, “Migrant workers have the right to a voice”.
He says, “It’s hard to find work in Indonesia, almost impossible. I didn’t have any permanent job. I did everything I could.”
He moved to Taiwan in 2015 looking for employment. However, in Indonesia, migrant workers are often exploited, although they earn more. Many of them are trapped in debt or facing physical and sexual abuse. Due to these reasons, many are pushing back, forming labour unions and NGOs, and engaging in protests varying from flash mob dances to musical performances.
Rudi’s band is named Southern Riot, and it is made up of four workers from Indonesia. Mixing poetry and funk music, the band is already performing at Taiwan’s largest annual music festival, Megaport.
The band also provides a space for its audience, which consists mostly of migrant workers, to express themselves and escape from working life.
Most of the workers arrive in Taiwan through employment agencies or brokers, which immediately opens them up for exploitation.
