MATHANGI Arulpragasam; better known as simply M.I.A., is not an artist who’ll ever create art for the frivolous and superficial reasons that all too many are happy to. She’s a firebrand, a revolutionary and an outspoken woman whose message shall never be mired by any outside forces or external pressures.
Having proven that’s she capable of pointing the microscope directly at society’s most deeply entrenched problems on previous albums, she’s now released the utterly compelling video for ‘Borders’, a track which encapsulates the discouraging and unjust nature of the modern world in which we live.
Based upon a striking trap-based beat that could’ve been crafted by Flosstradamus or RL Grime, ‘Borders’ is a vehicle for M.I.A to be both inquisitive and critical about the many ills of today’s society; with particular emphasis being placed upon issues such as the ongoing refugee crisis and the incomprehensible levels of police brutality which many black youths in America have lost their lives to.
Aligning herself with the plight of the refugees who are fleeing from oppression and unspeakable cruelty yet find no tranquility when they reach the shores of Europe, her self-directed video is a harrowing yet vitally important watch.
Cramped onto a vastly overcrowded boat alongside those who’ve scaled fences in search of a better life, the video’s stirring imagery is sure to shine a light on some unpleasant truths about what those who are looking for a better quality of life may endure.
M.IA.’s forthcoming new album Matahdatah will be released on an as yet unspecified date in 2016.
Watch the video below:
