Billy Bragg has released a new original song to show his support for the Palestinian people. The title Hundred Years of Hunger was inspired by a new book of the same name by Mark Windle about the history of chronic malnutrition and deprivation in Gaza and will raise money for the Amos Trust’s Gaza Appeal.
Writing on Instagram, the British protest singer said the song “looks at the current famine that Israel has created in Gaza through the lens of a century of forced food insecurity and malnutrition imposed on the Palestinian people, first by British imperialism, then as a weapon of mass displacement by the state of Israel.”
The song was released to coincide with a new humanitarian flotilla – with Greta Thunberg among its number – setting sail from Barcelona to try to “end the illegal siege of Gaza”, organisers said. The aim is to open a humanitarian corridor and deliver aid to the famine-stricken territory. It is expected to arrive in mid-September. Israel has previously blocked two attempts by activists to deliver aid by ship to Gaza.
Last week, an Israeli military spokesman announced that it would no longer authorize fighting to allow aid into Gaza City, a decision that is likely to exacerbate famine in the northern part of the territory.
“Now my kids ask me why the watching world stands by / While Israel creates hunger as a weapon in their war,” Bragg sings on the track.
The chorus of the song is in Arabic. Bragg explained that “Sumud” translates as “steadfastness or perseverance. It is used by Palestinians to describe their nonviolent daily resistance to Israeli occupation. Sumud emphasizes the determination of the Palestinian people to remain on their land, despite their land, despite hardship and oppression, elevating their daily existence to a form of resistance.”
The second term, “Lan Narhal,” Bragg wrote, “translates as ‘we will not leave.’ Together, ‘Sumud! Sumud! Lan Narhal’ reveals the determination of the Palestinian people to refuse to be displaced.”
On September 20, Bragg is hosting a Palestine benefit concert, like this one, at London’s O2 Shepherd’s Bush Empire, featuring acts including Jamie Webster, Billy, who has been a fan of Antony Szmjerek, Reverend and the Makers and the Big Special, to support the Amos Trust’s Gaza appeal. He previously voiced support for Irish rap trio Kneecap, who were accused of allegedly displaying a flag supporting the banned terrorist organization Hezbollah last year.
Bragg said in May: “The charging of Kneecap’s Liam Óg Ó Hannaidh with a terrorism offence by the Metropolitan Police is the latest development in a disturbing and wider trend over the past few years in which the state has sought to criminalise creative expression.”
Bragg released his final album, A Million Things That Never Happened, in 2021.
