A couple of weeks ago (16 September) I wandered down to the Waterloo headquarters of the London Fire Brigade, where hundreds of firefighters were staging a protest outside a meeting of the London Fire and Emergency Planning Authority (LFEPA). They were demonstrating against management proposals to impose new shift patterns - with the threat of mass sackings if they don't comply.
One thing I noticed was a new instrument of protest - the vuvuzela. The plastic trumpet beloved of South African football fans has now circulated around the world following the exposure given to it in this summer's world cup.
I saw a few firefighters blowing vuvuzelas to cheer speakers:
Seemingly back in June, firefighters staged a specific vuvuzela protest outside a similar management meeting:
So as cuts and austerity take effect, is the vuvuzela going to be the sonic weapon of choice for the strikers and demonstrators of 2010-11?
Certainly here in Sweden it's the big anti-racist demonstration trend, during the election campaign this fall it's been ever present both as assertion and as sonic disturbance (of the extreme right).
ReplyDeleteI think it might be heartening for you to know, by the way, that one of the best events of the anti-racist campaign leading up to the election was a big "dance for love" party right after the big extreme-right public meeting, in the same square in central Stockholm. The music was, entertainingly, eighties boogie, lots of D-Train and stuff. :) Only lasted an hour, unfortunately, I would have kept going all night.