Music of the Arab Spring

This genre of music was directly fueled by the outbreak of the Arab Spring protests across the Middle East and the 2011 revolution in Libya.  

The music focusses on the freedom of the Libyan people and is performed in both English and Arabic so it can be supported by those in Libya and across the diaspora. The themes in focus are democracy, redemption, perseverance, justice and understanding. 

An example of this is, ‘We Will Never Surrender’ by Jasmine Ikanovic and Hussein Kablan, a rock ballad that was written shortly after the liberation of Benghazi. It honours those who lost their lives in the fight for liberation and intends to inspire the Libyan people to continue the resistance.  

This era of music has gone beyond censorship and managed to popularise contemporary Muslim music  

A strong subgenre in Music of the Arab Spring is Libyan rap.