Mathangi
‘Maya’ Arulpragasm or popularly known as M.I.A joined forces with
Stephen Loveridge, the director to make a documentary that shows her
rise to fame from being a Sri Lankan refugee. The Paper Planes
hitmaker was only 11, when she fled the ongoing war in the country
and came to U.K. in 1985 with her mother and siblings. Her father,
who was reported to be one of the founders of the Tamil resistance
had opted to stay behind.
The
global star hopes that her documentary will provide a voice to those
who struggled and continue to struggle because of the war. M.I.A
confessed to Deeyah Khan, the filmmaker that the documentary also
contains actual footage that was shot during her return to Sri Lanka
in 2001.
The
rapper believed that it was vital for Sri Lankan refugees to have a
voice and have their stories told. She shared a heartbreaking story
of her 13-year old cousin who was living in the country during the
civil war saying that he explained that the food was so scarce there
that every time a fruit fell from a tree, they had to race the
animals to get to it first.
M.I.A
had first gotten her education at film school before joining the
music industry. Which is why she tried to document the situation in
Sri Lanka after the war but due to strict media policies in Sri
Lanka, she was unable to make any progress. Therefore, she turned to
music to make something of herself and gain a voice. She is still
being widely criticized for telling the story as people keep pointing
fingers at her suitability. A Sri Lankan official also made a comment
about the rapper sticking to her job and just making music. However,
as a prominent figure in the society, M.I.A argues that it is up to
her to speak out for those who struggled. She says that since
politicians just sit in an office and give orders not caring about
the situation in the war zone, or the people there, it is her
responsibility to shine the spotlight on the struggles faced by the
people and hence, give them a voice.
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