Musician Michael Franti interviewed

This music video is called Michael Franti: Hey World (Don’t Give Up).

By Rebecca Carter, Truthout in the USA:

Michael Franti: “Music Gives Us New Energy and a Stronger Sense of Purpose”

Saturday, 25 August 2012 00:00

Musician. Poet. Activist. Messenger. These are all terms that fit Michael Franti. His brand of reggae music infused with hip-hop, folk and rock has been a vocal bridge spanning the ever-growing space between global crises and individual human destiny since the 1980s.

His 2001 album “Stay Human,” with its powerful opening track “Oh My God” was the first indicator of his place amongst the current activist/artists who represent this generation’s voice of change. His first documentary, “I Know I’m Not Alone,” released in 2005, followed Franti through Iraq, Palestine and Israel, where he met with civilians and soldiers on all sides of the fighting and captured street-level insight into the impact and human toll of war. Of his latest release, “The Sound of Sunshine,” he says: “Like sunshine, music is a powerful force that can instantly and almost chemically change your entire mood. Music gives us new energy and a stronger sense of purpose.”

Always combining the spiritual with the political, Franti’s message of “power to the peaceful” is as apropos and poignant on stage as on the street amongst an Occupy crowd. I spoke with Franti about his activism and his artistry.