Songs of Shies: The birth of music from the spirit of environmental protest

Abstract

The article examines the songwriting that emerged in connection with the protest against the construction of a landfill (officially called “Ecotechnopark”) in Lensky district of Arkhangelsk Oblast at the Shies railway station. The Shies case turned out to be unique for Russia in many respects. For example, there has been a stationary camp for two years, in which a round-the-clock watch has been conducted throughout the entire time: by this, the camp residents try to prevent the construction of the landfill. In these two years, Shies has become the center of domestic eco-protest and an example for environmentalists throughout the country. The garbage protest on Shies draws the authors’ attention primarily by its creative aspects. Over the two years of the struggle, dozens of songs that distinguish Shies from other protests in post-Soviet Russia were written. Some of these songs could be heard at rallies in support of Shies in various cities. Apart from the songs written specifically about the place, some other songs could be heard, many of which after some time came to be perceived in the circles of activists as Shies songs. Based on the results of participant observations in the camp and at rallies, and interviews with the protesters, this paper considers possible reasons for the creative activity of Shies defenders, identifies the most popular songs of the Shies protest, and attempts to understand reasons of their popularity.