Casino Camp, Australia, 1944. Trained troops from the West Indies and Australia for the fight against the Japanese.
The Second World War in Music is a project focusing on the meaning of music in the Netherlands, the former Dutch East Indies, Suriname, and the Netherlands Antilles during the Second World War. The project focuses on themes such as musical life during the war years, banned music, music in the transit and death camps, satirical songs, propaganda, light music, and commemorative music. The personal stories of people for whom music played a meaningful role during the Second World War are presented as well. The Second World War in Music is a project developed and initiated by MusicForce Foundation in cooperation with the Netherlands Music Institute. It is made possible by the Dutch Ministry of Health, Welfare, and Sport through its Erfgoed van de Oorlog (“Legacy of War”) subsidy program.
www.wwII-music.nl
Every year, Music Freedom Day is observed on March 3, when musicians and others all over the world call attention to the freedom of expression for musicians and the right to music. This commemoration was established by the international human rights organization Freemuse, which defends musicians’ freedom of expression. MusicForce will be organizing Music Freedom Day in the Netherlands starting in 2010. The events will take place in The Hague, the city of international law. Music Freedom Day 2010 is made possible by the municipality of The Hague, Fonds 1818 and the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
www.musicfreedomday.nl
Music is one of the oldest and most universal forms of human expression. It involves people’s identity. MusicForce is focused on music’s layered meaning and the right to perform music, resulting in projects at the crossroads of music, society and politics. The foundation has previously studied the use of music in the War on Terror (Dutch only).