Wonder Woman of the Week: M.I.A.

I am certain there are millions of upset people today. If you are one of those people, you may feel like things are only going to get worse from today on. Thinking about the next four years and the hardships that may follow can be intimidating and frightening. But while all of this is likely true, it is as important as ever to continue to work, live, and be ourselves. This feeling of hopelessness may be new to some Americans, but to women, the LGBT community, and people of color around the world- this is far from unique. This week’s spotlight is a powerful woman from a country wherein she too was a minority by both race and gender. She fought hardships of her own to overcome adversity and produce music that educated people of her home country about the racism and sexism around the world. The Wonder Woman of the Week is Mathangi Arulpragasam aka M.I.A.

Mathangi Arulpragasam was born in London in 1975 to parents of Sri Lankan descent. At age six, Arulpragasam and her family moved back to Sri Lanka. Arulpragasam ‘s father took part in the Tamil independence movement- meaning Mathangi had to grow up with a family on the run from the government. In 1986, Mathangi’s family returned to the United Kingdom. Arulpragasam went on to graduate from art school in the late 1990’s and found early success as a graphic artist and filmmaker. While filming the band Elastica’s 2001 tour, the band’s lead singer lent Arulpragasam a sequencer/drum machine with which Arulpragasam used to create her first demo tape. Arulpragasam took on the stage name M.I.A. and quickly gained attention for her music. [1]

After releasing two albums in 2003 and 2004, M.I.A. released the album Arular produced entirely out of her bedroom in London. The themes of the album included identity politics, globalism, and revolution. She created songs about issues faced by Tamils, Palestinians, and African-Americans. The album earned M.I.A. international praise and made her a household name in music and peaked at number 190 on the Billboard 200. Her next album- Kala- made it to number 18 and was named best album of the year by Rolling Stone. [2]

M.I.A.’s newest album AIM continued the artist’s tradition of performing music about oppressed people around the world. And like with previous albums, M.I.A. created music for AIM that was able to discuss the issues affecting oppressed people in a way that did not create any sense of pity or ethnocentrism. [3] The song “Borders” discusses migrations of peoples all over the world- through deserts, walls, and water- and highlights the underplayed racism of depicting ambiguously brown people as the stereotypical villain. [4]

Mathangi Arulpragasam grew up with a father rebelling against his government in Sri Lanka and fled the country as a child to the United Kingdom as a refugee. When given the opportunity to make her voice heard, M.I.A. not only told the story of her people- the Tamil- but used her platform to tell the stories of oppressed people across the world. Her music helped bring attention to racism and sexism, xenophobia, and backlash against immigration to an international audience. M.I.A. is important- maybe more so now than ever- because she reminds young women and men how important the power of words can be. So if you are one of the people who feels afraid, marginalized, or oppressed; remember that you are not alone, you are wanted, and you will be listen to- and most of all that you matter. That is the power of M.I.A.

“M.I.A. Biography.” Biography.com. A&E Entertainment; nd. Web. 9 November 2016.

“M.I.A. Bio.” Rolling Stone Magazine. np; nd. Web. 9 November 2016.

Dolan, Jon. “Review: M.I.A.’s ‘AIM’ Keeps Things Radical.” Rolling Stone Magazine. np; 8 September 2016. Web. 9 November 2016.

Kornhaber, Spencer. “The Rapper of Refugees.” The Atlantic. np; 30 November 2015. Web. 9 November 2016.