Stupid Girls

Saturday, March 13, 2004

Sound Bite from Beijing

You are reading http://viridianariverstone.blogspot.com/.

SOUND - BITE FROM BEIJING
We, yes, We are rising up!
Rising from the depths of our despair.
Yes, we are rising up!
We are women of the world.
We're from the North, South, East and West
We are women of the world
We're from the mountains, the valleys, the cities and farms
We are women of the world, come from poverty, illiteracy, circumcision, shame
We are women of the world
We are housewives, 9 to 5's, mothers displaced
We are women of the world
And we're coming from Beijing ready for change
We, yes,
We are rising up!
Rising from the depths of our despair. yes,
We are rising up!
We are telling our stories and sharing our lives
So that never again can the truth be denied
We've untied our tongues and we're speaking out loud
We've unbound our feet and we're marching toward freedom
We are teaching each other and claiming our power
Together, we're building a better tomorrow.
We, yes,
We are rising up!
Rising from the depths of our despair. yes,
We are rising up!
Rising from the depths of our despair.
Women are rising, rising up!
Words and music by Ysaye M. Barnwell �1995 Barnwell's Notes Publishing (BMI)

In 1995, Sweet Honey In The Rock went to the International Women's Conference held in The Peoples Republic of China. An estimated 35-40,000 women, representing non-governmental organizations from around the world, assembled in Huairou outside of Beijing. When I returned home, I discovered that what had been described in the media here was not representative of the experience I had had. I had been commissioned to write a piece for the women's chorus of GALA Festival V and decided that the conference had provided obvious material. This song is my personal "sound-bite" on what happened at and as a result of the Beijing Womens'conference.
--Ysaye Maria Barnwell


http://www.rykodisc.com/RykoInternal/Features/361/beijing.htm