Friday, September 26, 2008

Hijab Choreography Enters Campy Music Video

A newish pop group called Dragonette has surfaced with their newly released music video for "Competition." The beginning looks fun and upbeat, with pop-art type campish images. Then about the 45 second point, enter two hijab-swathed dancers.

Martina Sorbara, lead singer of Dragonette, who was formerly a solo singer, says:

"What I was doing before was very monochromatic–it was basically piano and guitar. Because of that, I had no avenue for what was going on in my head. That's why Dragonette is so colourful and all over the place. All this stuff never had a way out until now."

Islamic imagery enters where we have no control over what we think and what we do. While it seems innocuous enough, eventually, this imagery will not just stand alongside others, in the "colorful and all over the place" manner that Martian talks about, but will attempt to take over as well. Indiscriminate acceptance of everything around us will eventually destroy and displace the cultivated imagery that have been part of the Western world. That is why we have culture, to cultivate our imagery, and not to accept anything that comes our way. Such strong contenders as Islamic imagery are just more forceful than others, and more likely to take over when we leave those cultural entrances unmonitored.

It all seems far-fetched, what with the rest of Martina's video looking very much like a young MTV-girl's lipstick, short skirts and undulating dance haven. But, there are stories of rebellious girls, who in order to find stability in their lives, have converted to the strict, hijabed world of Islam, often by marrying a Muslim.


Dragonette's "Competetion"