How K’naan’s Wavin’ Flag became an anthem of peace and hope for youth from areas of conflict
NEW YORK | K’naan’s Wavin’ Flag, the 2010 World Cup anthem that took the world by storm this past summer, has recently been remixed, Seeds of Peace style.
Seeds of Peace is proud to release Wagin’ Peace, a new version of Wavin’ Flag that was written and produced by young leaders from the Middle East, South Asia, and the United States. The song is the collaborative effort of Palestinian, Israeli, Jordanian, Egyptian, Indian, Pakistani, Afghan, and American young leaders who attended the Seeds of Peace International Camp in Maine.
“The Seeds of Peace take on my song Wavin’ Flag really moved me,” says K’naan. “It shows that it’s less about our starting points, and much more about the belief that no matter how tiresome and long the race may be, by staying the course we can change our world. I love the ambition and the beautiful group of young people who came together to do this. I am honored. Thank you.”
The song is the product of an intensive, week-long partnership between Seeds of Peace and Meridian Hill Pictures. Meridian Hill Pictures is a media education and documentary production company that works with young people and socially-responsible organizations to use film to build stronger communities.
During the second session of Camp, teaching artists from Meridian Hill Pictures and Seeds of Peace staff designed a project to provide Seeds with a comprehensive overview of all aspects of the filmmaking and creative process. Using K’naan’s Wavin’ Flag as a foundation for the project was an obvious choice.
This summer, over 300 young leaders from the Middle East, South Asia, and the United States gathered at the Seeds Peace International Camp to learn leadership and coexistence skills. Wavin’ Flag, with its upbeat sound and unifying message, became the unofficial Camp anthem this summer and one of the common bonds that brought the teenagers together.
Wavin’ Flag became the “bunk song” of several cabins, the chant used to rally teams before competitions, and the song that was constantly stuck in everyone’s heads—campers, counselor, and facilitators alike. The song provided an ideal framework to further creatively express the Seed’s own experiences both at Camp and in their home countries.
Using K’naan’s version as a guide, Seeds developed their own original concept for the song and music video. In just three days, driven by pure effort and enthusiasm, they wrote and recorded Wagin’ Peace, the Seeds of Peace remix to Wavin’ Flag. They wrote lyrics in English, Arabic, and Hebrew, focusing on a message that could communicate their transformative and unifying experiences at Camp to their home communities and people around the world.
In the Camp’s “music shack,” the Seeds learned about music production and recorded their own vocals and instrumental tracks. The entire song was recorded with all new instrumentation played by the Seeds and counselors. It features Middle Eastern instruments like the oud (lute), mijwiz (double reed clarinet), and the tablah (hand drum).
The accompanying video to the song was also created by Seeds. Although Seeds of Peace and Meridian Hill Pictures staff provided guidance and instruction, the Seeds themselves took full ownership over the project. “It was inspiring to see how naturally the ‘Seeds’ worked together and made this video their own,” says Brandon Kramer, Meridian Hill Pictures media teaching artist. “Within just a few days, these campers became a mobile film crew.” B-roll for the music video was shot by Kate Fizpatrick, a videographer who documented day-to-day scenes of Camp throughout the first session this summer
Seeds also learned to “stomp”—a style of dance which uses the body to create rhythmic percussion sounds. A group of 14 Seeds with no prior experience in this style of dance dedicated themselves to creating their own choreography for the Wagin’ Peace music video. Leem, a Palestinian Seed and “stomper” was able to further develop her passion for music and says, “Stomping made me realize that we can enjoy music even without musical instruments; music is all around us.”
Contributing to the creative process behind Wagin’ Peace was a great opportunity for the campers. As counselor Orlando describes, “We had kids from all different backgrounds and music levels and it was great to see them come together and help each other out. Some had no musical or dance background at all but were simply interested in learning and exploring.”
In an interview with CBC Radio, K’naan describes the emotional backdrop of Wavin’ Flag resembling the feeling of finally being able to take a breath of air after being under water for a long time. Within that moment, there are feelings of resilience, hope, frustration, and defiance.” As K’naan explains, “It’s a song about the emergence of light after darkness.”
The experience K’naan is describing is in many ways what Seeds of Peace is like for its participants. Camp is often a life-changing experience—one that instills hope and encouragement. As they learn to grapple with difficult questions about identity, history, terrorism, and war, the Seeds of Peace International Camp has a tremendous impact on the way that these teens see the world.
However, the life-changing Camp experience is only just the beginning. As these young people return to their home countries, they continue the difficult process of reexamining preconceived ideas about themselves, their relationships, and their societies. It was once said about the Seeds of Peace experience that, “In order to make peace with your enemy, you must go to war with yourself.”
For many, Seeds of Peace can be simultaneously shocking, frustrating, and inspirational. Although there are extremists that will work against their efforts for peace, these young leaders know that they have to withstand the pressures. Involvement in Seeds of Peace year-round regional programming helps Seeds stay connected and hopeful in their struggle for peace.
The chorus of the song reflects this very notion:
Though we are younger
Now we are stronger
Let’s get together
Let’s make a stand for peace
… the way life should be
The teenagers that come to Seeds of Peace’s International Camp in Maine defy the stereotypes that all too often define their home communities. These dynamic young leaders come from regions rooted in conflict. However, they have made conscious choices to work together in hopes of breaking the cycles of violence. The story of Seeds of Peace campers is not another negative news peg from the Middle East and South Asia. Seeds of Peace teenagers offer an alternative perspective: a proclamation of tolerance, cooperation, and hope.