still from the video for M.I.A’s “Born Free.” Video below

Red heads serve as perfect stand-ins for an oppressed minority: there are very few of them, they get made fun of by children…but no adult would seriously discriminate against them. South Park’s creators have taken advantage of these facts on numerous occasions, including the recently aired “200” and “201” episodes that have roiled some groups of Muslims. But in this new music video, the musician M.I.A. presents a particularly disturbing picture of government oppressing the scarlet-headed minority.

The song experiments with a late 70’s Dead Kennedys-esque punk sound, and features samples from the no-wave song “Ghost Rider” by Suicide—all novel for M.I.A. But this is not an idle exercise on her part. Née Mathangi Arulpragasam, the Shri Lankan artist is famously the daughter of a prominent Tamil Tiger. Arular, the name of her 2005 first album and a middle name of her son, is the “revolutionary” name her father took upon joining up with the tigers. M.I.A. suffered through a war torn childhood. She saw close friends and relatives die. Around the age of 10 or 11, she became a refuge in London. And at the age of 18 or 19, she was attending fashion college Central St. Martins and picking out arty club outfits between reading news reports of whether her father was missing, dead, or alive. Years later while recording her second album, 2007’s Kala, she was banned from entering the United States, a development which forced her to drop plans to work with producer Timbaland. Supposedly in the last year her family has been banned from visiting her or her baby now that she is back in the States.

So the question is, what does this video represent politically. The conflict in Shri Lanka is pretty much over. Does this video attempt to return some attention to the plight of the ethnic Tamils in that country? A one point, intifada scarves are worn by a trio of boys. Undoubtedly, many will see this as a reference to Palestine. Certain leftist circles will see this as support for their sophomoric anti-Israel perspective. The video goes out of its way to make clear that the “police” force is American. But if Maya is attacking domestic politics, then what precisely is her target?

Her as of yet untitled new album is out June 29 from N.E.E.T. records

KEYWORDS: Music, video