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Playing on the streets of Iraq, or in Israel or the Gaza strip, I'd sing angry protest songs against war. People would say, 'Make us clap, make us dance, and laugh and sing.' It really made me think about the importance of happy music.

Michael Franti

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Michael Franti
Age: 58
Born: 1966
Born: April 21
Composer
Guitarist
Peace Activist
Poet
Rapper
Singer
Oakland
California
Really
Streets
Israel
Make
Laughing
Sing
Would
Playing
Iraq
Think
Happy
Laugh
Thinking
War
Angry
Clap
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Gaza
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Songs
Protest

More quotes by Michael Franti

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We can bomb the world to pieces, but we can't bomb it into peace.
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I believe that in order to tackle the big issues of the world today, like environmental issues, we need everybody's involvement. We need the resources of the corporate world. We need the cooperation of governments. We need the wisdom of indigenous people.
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During my travels in Iraq, Israel, Gaza, Brazil, Indonesia, Japan, Europe and all over the United States, I have seen and heard the voices of people who want change. They want the stabilization of the economy, education and healthcare for all, renewable energy and an environmental vision with an eye on generations to come.
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I feel alive when I feel ease of heart.
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The hardest part about what I do, the most vulnerable place is my relationship with my family and Sara, my amazing partner, because I'm leaving a lot. And as a touring artist, I'm constantly coming and going, but also when I'm at home, my studio's at home. I'm leaving to go into a music world in my head.
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The music industry has been hijacked by corporate interests, but the way music affects people and resonates with them hasn't changed.
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I could be really sad and I start to cry I feel alive then. I could be at a concert and I throw my hands up in the air and I feel elation I feel alive then.
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Power to the peaceful!
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Whenever people go out of their way to help other people - there's power and beauty in our diversity.
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I went to Iraq because I wanted to see what one year of occupation had done to Iraqi society, and I went to the West Bank and Gaza Strip because I wanted to see what three generations of occupation had done to Palestinian society. I found a lot more hopelessness and despair in Palestine.
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I think of love as an action. Finding something that's outside of yourself, to serve someone else's soul, helping to ignite someone else's spirit, to bring about ease of heart and joy, serenity in somebody else.
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Be who you are, nothing more... nothing less.
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Music has the power to bring people together like no other art form.
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Everyone deserves music.
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Music is sunshine. Like sunshine, music is a powerful force that can instantly and almost chemically change your entire mood. Music gives us new energy and a stronger sense of purpose.
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Don't fear the night time, Because the monsters know that you're divine. And don't fear the sunshine, Because everything is better in the summer time...
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A lot of times we look at the whole world and think, 'it's so daunting, how can we change the whole world?' and you don't need to do that, what you need to do is change your world a little bit, and see if you can, through example, inspire others to do the same thing.
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We only have X amount of days and time on this planet - how am I going to spend that time? The way that I want to spend it is caring about the people that I love the most, and fighting to make the world a more livable place for everybody.
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The most difficult part for me is feeling connected to the people that I love but always being on the go to different places.
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