the road

Description

The song "L'Attente" by the popular Montreal rapper Manu Militari describes an attack on Canadian troops in Afghanistan from the perspective of a Taliban fighter who just wants to "free" his land. While some are understandably offended, the song would likely have been ignored were Manu Militari not a subsidized rapper who had received more than $100,000 from a group funded by the Canadian Heritage department. A spokesman for James Moore, the Minister of Canadian Heritage, said Friday the money had been handed out by the federally-funded non-profit MusicAction and officials were "looking at options" to ensure it did not happen again. "The content of this song is offensive," said Sébastien Gariépy, the Minister's Press Secretary. "To glorify the Taliban and their terrorism is indefensible and wrong. MusicAction's contribution to this group does not meet the conditions of government of Canada funding. Appropriate measures will be taken in response." The album is scheduled for release on Sept. 11. The "L'Attente" video had been posted online in advance. It showed Taliban fighters preparing to ambush a Canadian convoy. "I expect the one who should have stayed home. I'm ready. ... I want to free my land. This is not about religion. So, why turn off your TVs, I've never hijacked airplanes." The Taliban are then shown detonating a bomb buried in the road as the convoy approaches and shooting the survivors. In the final scene, a gunman finds a Canadian seated on the road and aims his rifle at the soldier's head. Manu Militari took the video off the web on Friday following complaints that it glorified terrorism and disrespected Canadian troops who served in Afghanistan. But he said he never intended any offense. "Since the situation has become disproportionate, I have no choice but to remove the video 'L'Attente,'" he wrote in a Facebook post. "The goal was never to offend anyone but to denounce the war and to humanize an Afghan that we demonize. Nowhere was there mention of the Taliban, group I do not support." His fans responded by defending his right to free expression. One even wrote, "Manu Militari for Prime Minister." But the Conservatives denounced the song and video in a message on the party website. "The shocking video includes a reenactment of a roadside bomb attack on a Canadian military vehicle and the murder of Canadian soldiers. This music video is outrageous and offensive and our government denounces it in the strongest terms. "Our men and women in uniform have fought and 158 have died in Afghanistan in defence of the values that we hold dear. Canadian soldiers have been fighting in Afghanistan for over 10 years, longer than both World Wars. This music video glorifies terrorism and shows an utter lack of support to those who have sacrificed everything for us." Figures obtained by blogger Stephen Taylor showed that MusicAction handed out almost $110,000 since 2008 to support Manu Militari's songwriters, production and promotion. In 2012-2013 alone, he received $25,000 for national promotions and $7,700 for album production. The MusicAction website said Canadian Heritage contributed $6-million a year to the non-profit, while the radio industry gave $2-million.