Wavin Flag Critique

Introduction

Natural disasters cause devastation in many countries around the world, being one of the main causes of loss of population and destruction, especially in small villages. On January 12th, 2010, Haiti experienced a catastrophic earthquake, enforcing the evacuation of the majority of the population and increasing the death count of over 200 000 residents in the country. Due to these events, it became a worldwide known phenomenon. Somalian-Canadian artist K’naan, joined with 57 other Canadian artists to collaborate on his song “Wavin’ Flag.” Overall, it was intended for tribute purposes and raising awareness for the devastated country. It was important, not only as Canadians, but as a nation, to make a difference in order to help the

It is aimed towards the survivors of Haiti to encourage themselves to have faith and to stay strong. While this song brings a positive message on the survivors, it could also be aimed towards people living in developed countries, teaching an important moral on not taking anything for granted. Part of the lyrics, significant to the song, rapped by Drake, are, “If you weren’t involved before it’s never too late to start. You probably think that it’s too far to even have to care. Well take a look at where you live what if it happened there? You have to know the urge to make a change lies within and we can be the reason that they see the flag rise again.” This is an important aspect of the song that is aimed towards regular people being unaware of the seriousness of the issue and how they don’t understand how even a small contribution can make a difference for the population of Haiti. These lyrics put the event into perspective when mentioning what they would do if an occurrence like that were to happen in their own country. Overall, the flag being mentioned for the majority of the song symbolizes freedom and when the “flag rises again,” this could indicate the restoration of their country’s

He not only succeeds as an artist, but as an activist who supports what he believes in. The song “Wavin’ Flag” is still well-known today, even if the song was released six years ago. He played a huge part for the survival of the Haitian community and the insightful lyrics of his song can be used as motivation to keep going in life among the population, even though times may have been tough. His history and the devastation of the earthquake in Haiti connect when it comes to loss, fear, and hopelessness. In conclusion, K’naan proved his song to being positively influential for those losing strength and is effective at encouraging others to never give up on