12 April 2006

Greens CD reclaims "family" from Conservative Right

The Green Party and Loop Recordings have once again joined forces to showcase some of the best in contemporary music and culture on the Green Room 05: Whanau CD, to be released nationwide on April 19.

"Music is a direct expression of who we are. Supporting local creative talent is as much part of building an eco-nation as planting a tree," MP Nandor Tanczos says.

"That's why I'm happy to see this latest release in the Green Room series going out on the cusp of New Zealand Music Month in May."

The CD marks one more stage in an enduring commitment that the Greens and Loop have both made - namely, to expose and promote a range of new musical talent from New Zealand and the rest of the world.

"The decision to mark the passing of my friend and colleague Rod Donald in the liner note, a man who understood the link between creative culture and environmental activism, makes it especially meaningful," Nandor says.

"The word 'whanau' is a Maori word and as a Pakeha it is not for me to define. Increasing numbers of Pakeha use it because it clearly goes beyond narrow definitions of the nuclear family and talks to a broader kinship.

"The word 'family' has been co-opted by right-wing politicians in recent years as an excuse for intolerance, exclusivity and bigotry. By juxtaposing the concepts of family and whanau, I hope we can start to reclaim that most basic human reality: the importance of kin," Nandor says.

ENDS

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