From Thomas Mapfumo to Bob Marley, William Parker to Frank Zappa, Edgard Varese to Ice-T; from American blues to West African drumming, hip-hop to son, gospel singing to rock 'n' roll cabaret, rebel music is at the heart of some of the most incisive critiques of global politics. With explosive lyrics and driving rhythms, a new wave of rebel musicians are helping to mobilise movements for political change and social justice around the world. Original in concept, unrivalled in content, Rebel Musics is alone in placing human rights issues side by side with different forms of music. A wide range of accomplished contributors from a variety of disciplines and performance contexts, examine the ways in which human rights and music are explicitly linked, how musical activism resonates in practical, political terms, and how music is enacted - how it serves to bring together voices that might otherwise remain silent, and how political action through music can increase the potential for people to choose and determine their own fate.