A Story to Be a Ray of Sunshine on Shaded Land

The book 'Our Songs,' compiled by the Roh Hoe-chan Foundation's oral history team, serves as a testament to the enduring spirit of protest songs and the people who create and cherish them. Following their previous work, 'Our Drama,' this collection shifts focus to the music that has accompanied social movements and the diverse individuals connected to it.

In an era where mainstream songs like "Into the New World" and "Apartment" replaced protest anthems at recent rallies, 'Our Songs' highlights the continued relevance of music as a voice for change. The book features a range of individuals, including Choi Do-eun, a singer who has stood in solidarity with laborers; Kim Won-jung, known for songs like "Rock Island" and "To the Maiden"; Min Jeong-yeon, a planner for the music group Flower Moth; Han Yeol-eum, a queer office worker; and Weno We Hnin Soe (Kang Seon-woo), who works between Myanmar and Korea.

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Young people will make music that contains the voice of changing the world, even if it is not called a labor song.

Min Jeong-yeon reflects on the potential fading of protest songs but asserts that "music that contains the voice of changing the world will be made by young people, even if it is not called a labor song." This sentiment underscores the book's broader definition of "songs" not just as performances, but as lived experiences and "our lives that we want to tell you about."

The title itself is drawn from composer Baek Chang-woo's protest song, "If Our Song Can Be a Ray of Sunshine on This Shaded Land." The book's section titles, 'On This Shaded Land,' 'All the Nameless Flowers Will Get Names,' and 'All the Hunched Shoulders Will Straighten', are also taken from the lyrics of this song, weaving a narrative of hope, recognition, and empowerment through music.

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The songs mentioned in the book do not just mean songs on stage. It means the way each person has lived, and 'our lives that we want to tell you about.'