diaCRITIC Anhvu Buchanan reports on jailed singer and Communist critic Viet Khang, and asks you to do something about his cause.
As some of you might know, there is a petition out there right now, urging the White House to press Vietnam harder on human rights. This is a direct response to the “Free Viet Khang” movement, aiming to spread awareness of how brutal the Vietnamese Communist regime is. Viet Khang is a talented and courageous musician. It’s been a few months since the Vietnamese police arrested Viet Khang, a musician who was brave enough to raise the crimes of the Communist Party to the public. Because of his music, Viet Khang is now in jail, but because of Viet Khang, the Communists are both scared and worried.
Two of Viet Khang’s songs have caused quite a stir in the country. One song is titled “Viet Nam Toi Dau?”, which translates to “Where Is My Vietnam?” The other song is called “Anh La Ai?”, when translated to English, means “Who Are You?” Both of these songs raise some very core issues in Vietnam today, issues that the Vietnamese government has been trying to cover up for the longest time. I have included both below.
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_KEPmduvlAg&w=420&h=315]
The song “Viet Nam Toi Dau (Where Is My Vietnam)?” raises the issues of the Chinese invasion and the islands of Paracel and Spratley. Viet Khang sings about all of the embarrassing concessions that the Vietnamese government has made to China, and asks when it all went so wrong.
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6wkcu_2SSlo&w=560&h=315]
The second song is translated “Who Are You?” and includes below the English translation of the lyrics. The video briefly features a speech given by Congresswoman Loretta Sanchez. Ms. Sanchez has been an important advocate for the Vietnamese community in the state of California.
If you support the human rights movement, and would like to contribute to the cause, please sign this petition and help Free Viet Khang. All you have to do is click on the link below and follow a few simple steps. It shouldn’t take more than 3 minutes. The petition currently has 65,000 signatures but the more names we have, the more likely The White House will take this seriously. Please sign and help spread the word and let’s work together and #freevietkhang.
Sign this White House Petition and help Free Viet Khang
– Anhvu Buchanan
Anhvu Buchanan is a San Francisco-based poet with an MFA from San Francisco State University. He co-curates The Living Room Reading Series and collects wonderful internet findings and blogs them.
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Thank you, Mr. Buchanan for the wonderful post!
I’m a bit surprised (tickled pink) that Diacritics would gone over (its literary) board to publish this call to free singer Việt Khang, although the White House Stop Expanding Trade with VN petition is over since March 5, 2102 with close to 150, 000 signatures gathered to break the record of the highest numbers of any signed petitions in one month time. My thanks to Anh Vu Buchanan and Diacritics editors for raising consciousness with readers who might not have been aware of the on-going problems and issues in VN. I know for Vietnamese sometimes it is a respite to seek escape from Vietnamese heavily laden news in places like Diacritics.