Occupy Honolulu: Worthy of Worldwide Attention

As President Obama met with no aloha and world leaders last month at the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) meeting in Hawaii to discuss how to bolster global trade, Occupy Honolulu protested economic inequity that they say would result from new trade agreements. Meanwhile, within the heavily guarded compound where the summit took place, renowned Hawaiian musician and guitarist Makana carried out his own act of protest.

Makana had been invited to play instrumental music at the gala dinner Saturday night. At the dinner, Makana opened his jacket to reveal a t-shirt which read, “Occupy with Aloha.”

Then, instead of performing the background instrumental he was scheduled to play, he started to sing a protest song he had released earlier that day. As world leaders including Obama and Chinese Premier Hu Jintao sat in the audience… Listen to Makana sing the incredible “We are the Many”…his new song inspired by the Occupy Wall Street movement, “We are the Many.” 

“It was an incredible experience to sing the words, those words…” said Makana

“I started out very subtly and subliminally. And I was like, ‘Ye come here, gather ’round the stage. The time has come for us to voice our rage,’” Makana says. “Then I realized that, ‘Wow! I didn’t get in trouble!’ So I played it again.”  “It was an epic feeling… it felt right.”  Makana continues, “I found it odd that I was afraid to do it at first…I found it disturbing… I didn’t like being afraid to sing a song that I created.”

The full internationally acclaimed version is below – please take the time to listen and pass along to your friends and family.

Mahalo, Makana. Your words and your voice are uplifting and inspirational.