Maïa Barouh releases new music video to honor Indigenous knowledge and remind us of our deep connection to forests
PARIS, Oct. 2, 2024 /PRNewswire/ — Acclaimed musician and artist Maïa Barouh is proud to announce the release of her new music video La Forêt, which honors Indigenous knowledge and culture, and reminds people of the importance of forests and our deep connection to them.
Produced in partnership with forest conservation specialists Everland, La Forêt is the culmination of Barouh’s artistic exploration of forests as central to human survival. It features collaborations with artists from the Ainu community – the First Nation Peoples of Japan – and traditional Japanese folkloric rituals that celebrate the forest and its wildlife.
As we remember the knowledge and places Indigenous peoples have long protected, we must also recognize that the fate of our world depends on preserving these vital ecosystems.
“I set out to show how deeply intertwined we as people are with the forests. Nature can survive without us but when the trees feel thirst, so do we. When the trees burn, so do we. And if forests fall, so will we,” says Maïa Barouh. “Through this truth, I hope La Forêt inspires a moment of reflection on our relationship with nature, our choices and our responsibilities as consumers and voters. Perhaps it can even help us reconnect with a part of ourselves we often lose in the rush of life.”
By blending modern ‘pop’ and traditional Japanese folk music recorded with only wooden instruments, Barouh creates a rhythmic and natural soundscape to accompany her original poetry performed in French and Japanese. With lyrics that range from the lightness inspired by Barouh’s childhood experiences in the forests of rural France to the urgent and fatal consequences of deforestation, La Forêt charts the story of humanity’s complex and often destructive relationship with the natural world.
Throughout La Forêt, Barouh pays tribute to Indigenous and traditional communities and their land management practices that have preserved forests for generations. The music features musicians and influences from the Ainu community – an Indigenous community who primarily inhabit the island of Hokkaido – and have suffered colonialism, oppression and displacement, like many Indigenous communities around the world.
The video was filmed in Tono, Iwate Prefecture in collaboration with traditional performers from the region, and includes a performance of shishi odori or ‘deer dance’. This ancient performance art, which originated four centuries ago, evolved from a hunters’ ritual honoring the spirits of animals into an expression of respect for all living beings. The dancers wear intricate masks depicting creatures like deer, lions and dragons. These sacred creatures often overpower the human dancers to symbolize nature’s power.
Everland, which represents community-led forest conservation projects in the Global South, was keen to join forces with Maïa and her community partners to amplify their message in the belief that art can drive meaningful environmental and social change.
