The United Declaration of Music Freedom from Taiwan to the World

In Partnership with Freemuse for Music Freedom Day 2023

Freedom Shines Bright on the Tower of Songs

We are a group of scholars, media professionals, musicians, and citizens who have hearts for music, arts, freedom, and human rights in Taiwan. Lately, violations against the freedom of artistic expression have happened repeatedly on a global scale. For instance, Taiwanese musicians’ works and tours are banned or canceled in China, or, more catastrophically, the lives and works of Ukrainian artists are devastated and threatened by the Russian invasion. While the threat to freedom of expression in Taiwan, Ukraine, and the rest of the world burdens us, we believe music holds a great power to celebrate love and freedom as it can cradle the broken and the meek.

Beyond entertainment and culture, music voices our beliefs. Therefore, we treasure the freedom of artistic creation and political expression. Once musicians are muted by politics or commercialism, their dignity and human rights are wounded. While Taiwan is excluded from the United Nations, we nevertheless support the Universal Declaration of Human Rights which defends the freedom of expression. We make the following declarations:

I, We urge the world not to turn a blind eye to musicians affected by China’s censorship and interference.

The political and artistic expression of Taiwanese musicians faces China’s oppression by the means of policy, censorship, and the market. Arbitrary censorship suffocates live performances, digital music, and streaming services alike. Nationalistic web mobs, aiming for public figures, chokes musicians with terror, and mutilate our media ecosystem and popular culture. Besides Taiwan, we understand and feel the people of Hong Kong, Uighur, and Tibet who stand bravely in the face of oppression.

II, We shall address the oppression of musicians and end its tyranny.

Taiwan bears the scars from generations of regimes that violated musicians’ human rights and freedom. Through writing, education, movement, and daily life, we reflect on our history as we emphasize on the importance of free artistic expression. We listen to the once-prohibited music and the voice of victims, which allows us to shield contemporary musical works from censorship and oppression. When freedom of expression is secured, tyranny shall hear the truth.

III, United are the voices of artists and citizens, and un-strangled is the voice of freedom.

We believe our diverse democracies can be the harbour in which musicians can compose freely. We are willing to stand firmly with the musicians of the world in the battle against oppression and hope they can enjoy the freedom to create or perform in spite of their political beliefs and identities. May freedom allow us to learn that music can be a truthful and powerful wave to shape our world.

This is but a start. We invite people who share our beliefs to contact us and sign the declaration. The list of participants will be updated constantly. Let us embrace freedom together.

Invited Signatories (in alphabetical order)

CHEN, Han (Music Critic, DJ)

CHEN, Infong (Music Critic)

CHEN, Po-Liang (Assistant Professor, International College of Innovation)

CHAING, Jonathan (Translator / Writer)

CHIOU, Mu-An (muan.co)

CHU, Meng-Tze (Assistant Professor, Graduate Institute of Ethnomusicology, Tainan National University of the Arts)

FELL, Dafydd (Professor and Director of Centre of Taiwan Studies, SOAS University of London)

GUO, Li-Hsin (Professor at College of Communication, National Chengchi University [part-time])

HIOE, Brian (Founding Editor or New Bloom Magazine/ Writer/ DJ)

HO, Tunghung (Associate Professor, Department of Psychology, Fu Jen Catholic University)

HSIEH, Minyen (Saxophonist)

JACK (Musician from Wild Thing)

JIAN, Miaoju (Popular Music Researcher/ Professor, Department of Communication, National Chung Cheng University )

JIANG, Lee-Ping (Associate Professor, Hsing Wu University)

LEE, Mingtsung (Writer/ Editor/ Curator/ TV Producer)

LIAO, Ying-Po (Senior Software Engineering Manager, Microsoft)

LIN, Chen-Yu (Lecturer, School of Journalism, Media and Culture, Cardiff University)

LIN GuoTing (Assistant Professor, Department of New Media and Communication Administration, Ming Chuan University)

LIN, Yu-Peng (Assistant Professor, Department of Taiwan Languages and Communication, National United University)

HSIAO, Shuo (Composer / Lyricist / Music Producer)

TAI, Yu-Hui (Associate Professor, National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University, Department of Communication & Technology)

TSAI, Eva (Professor and Director. Graduate Institute of Mass Communication, National Taiwan Normal University)

TSAI, Hui-Ju (Assistant Professor, The Graduate Institute of Journalism, National Taiwan University)

WADDELL, Calum (Lecturer, University of Aberdeen/ Film Producer)

WANG, Hsin-Chuan (Music Journalist and Writer)

WU, Harry Y. J. (Musician/ Associate Professor, National Cheng Kung University)

Initiator and Contact Person: LIN, Chen-Yu

Full text translated and edited by CHIANG, Jonathan

音樂自由聯合宣言:從台灣發聲

音樂的力量,讓自由的火炬不熄

我們是一群真切關心台灣音樂、藝術、自由、人權的人,包含學者、媒體人士、音樂工作者與公民。近年,侵害藝術自由的事件,於全球層出不窮。台灣的音樂人,作品在中國被下架、巡演被取消;俄羅斯入侵烏克蘭,大量摧毀藝術品且威脅藝術家的生命自由。我們擔心藝術創作的自由,在全球與台灣,都面臨威脅,也相信音樂有力量,宣揚愛與自由,也呵護破碎和脆弱。

音樂是娛樂亦是文化,也是傳達信念的管道。因此,我們珍視藝術創作與政治表達的自由。當音樂工作者,因政治或商業被噤聲,他們的尊嚴與人權便受到傷害。儘管台灣被排除在聯合國之外,我們支持《世界人權宣言》,相信人人有權享有主張和發表意見的自由。我們有以下幾點聲明:

一、我們呼籲國際社會,關注因中國政府管制與市場機制,而受影響的音樂工作者

過去與現在,中國時常透過政策、審查機制及市場壓力,限制台灣音樂工作者的政治與藝術表達。從現場演出報批,至針對數位音樂發行與創作者言論的管制,時而嚴格,時而反覆。針對公眾人物國族認同表達的網路集體霸凌,亦讓諸多音樂工作者心生畏懼,如履薄冰,這已影響我們的媒體生態及大眾文化。台灣的我們,對香港、新疆、西藏等地創作者經歷的壓迫,感同身受。

二、我們會正視過去音樂工作者遭受的壓迫,努力促使其不再發生

台灣的歷史中,許多政權都曾侵犯音樂工作者的人權與自由。我們會持續透過書寫、教育、行動及日常,反思歷史,也強調藝術表達自由的重要。我們願意仔細聆聽曾被禁止的音樂,與受害者的聲音。進而,守護當代音樂工作者免於審查與迫害,面對強權,能透過音樂,說出真話。

三、藝術工作者與公民們持續團結,讓自由的聲音在自由的土地被聽見

我們願民主多元的社會,能托住台灣的音樂工作者,不受壓迫地創作。我們願意堅定地與世界上其他受到迫害的音樂工作者站在一起,一同抵抗。我們盼望他們擁有表達自我、政治立場、身份及性別認同的自由,隨心所至創作、表演、享受藝術,免於歧視與阻礙。全世界的人們,也都能因著這份自由,體驗音樂真實而強大,能改變社會的力量。

這份宣言只是一個起點。邀請有同樣信念的你們,聯繫我們,留下簽名。我們會持續更新名單,請與我們一起擁抱自由。

邀請簽名名單(依姓氏筆劃排列)

王信權(音樂文字作者)

卡倫・沃爾德(電影製作人 / 英國阿伯丁大學電影系)

江力平(醒吾科技大學副教授級專業技術人員)

朱夢慈(國立臺南藝術大學民族音樂學研究所副教授)

李明璁(作家/編輯/策展人/電視節目製作人)

因奉(樂評人)

何東洪(輔仁大學心理系副教授)

吳易叡(鬥鬧熱走唱隊 / 國立成功大學副教授)

林玉鵬(國立聯合大學臺灣語文與傳播學系助理教授)  

林果葶(銘傳大學新媒體暨傳播管理學系助理教授)

林真宇(英國卡地夫大學新聞媒體文化學院)

邱琦欣(《破土》創始編輯 / 作家 / DJ )

邱慕安 Muan.co

郭力昕(國立政治大學廣播電視學系兼任教授)

陳柏良(國立政治大學法律系與創新國際學院合聘助理教授)

陳涵(樂評 / DJ)

廖英博(微軟高級工程經理)

蔡如音(國立臺灣師範大學大眾傳播研究所教授兼所長)

蔡蕙如(國立台灣大學新聞研究所助理教授)

蔣昀修(翻譯 / 文字工作者)

蕭賀碩(作曲人 / 作詞人 / 音樂製作人)

謝明諺(爵士樂手)

簡妙如(流行音樂研究者、國立中正大學傳播學系教授)

傑克(樂團「野東西」成員)

戴瑜慧(國立陽明交通大學傳播與科技系副教授)

羅達菲(英國倫敦大學亞非學院教授)

起草者與聯絡人:林真宇

Happy Music Freedom Day 2023 Message

Please join us and sign the declaration. 請加入我們,簽署宣言。