OROR: Rhythms for Peace
by Catharine Richert

This weekend, thousands will converge on Washington, D.C. to protest America’s imminent war. While the customary chants and signs saturate the air, a different sound will also be heard. Oberlin Roots of Resistance will join the crowds in D.C. expressing anti-war sentiments though music.
The samba ensemble was formed this fall semester, although not as a direct response to the aftermath of Sept. 11 events. “We began organizing a samba band a month ago with the intention of demonstrating at the IMF/WB manifestation,” senior Lindsey Shromen-Wawrin said. “September 11th made us reconsider our tactics for a mass demonstration. Really though, we are still demonstrating against the same things, war and racism. The difference is in the institution under criticism.”
Expressing resistance through percussion is not a technique unique to Oberlin. As the rhythmic form of samba is rooted in protest and resistance, many protest groups all over the world have latched on to the idea of percussion as a form of resistance. Groups such as Reclaim the Streets and the East London University Anthropology group in London often used music during demonstrations, but found the issues of getting sound systems into the protest problematic. Thus, Rhythms of Resistance, which grew out of these two organizations, overcame the problem by forming a samba ensemble consisting of percussionists and instruments that could be transported anywhere.
Junior Marianna Leavy-Sperounis identified that the act of demonstrating in D.C. for a war that has not yet been declared is a tricky situation.

“At this point, I feel totally comfortable protesting the armed strategy of retaliation that is being developed by the Bush administration,” said Leavy-Sperounis. “But the fact that there has not yet been a declaration of war and no acts of violence that we know of have been taken against the Taliban or Afghani civilians makes this kind of a precarious situation.”
Despite that fact, the demonstration is not any less significant. “I’m going to participate in D.C. this weekend with the hope that we will be able to make clear the message that we do not support the acts of violence that will likely be inflicted upon Afghani civilians, should the Bush administration implement the kind of highly militarized strategy of war,” said Leavy-Sperounis.
Although demonstrations such as the one to be held in D.C. this weekend can be exhilarating and intimidating at once, Leavy-Sperounis feels secure in demonstrating with OROR. “In order to be effective as activists, but especially as a drumming group, there has to be a lot of trust because we depend on each other to make our message heard and to be safe,” Leavy-Sperounis said.
Indeed, the uplifting beats of percussion lends a degree of conviction to those playing and listening. “It mobilizes people and gives us all self-confidence,” said Schromen-Wawrin. Additionally, the nature of samba music is precisely aligned with OROR’s message. Schromen-Wawrin said, “It reflects the world we want to create: participatory, free, without borders.”

September 28
October 5

site designed and maintained by jon macdonald and ben alschuler :::