Christophe Elie delivers an old-fashioned protest song with his newest single Columbia — showcasing today on Tinnitist.
Inspired in part by Neil Young’s immortal 1970 anthem Ohio, the Ottawa singer-songwriter’s latest release backs those calling for a ceasefire and the separation of the university from arms manufacturers and the war industry. Elie has followed the Israeli-Palestinian struggle. Seeing a parallel between the Columbia protests and the courageous activism of the ’60s, Elie penned the folky, introspective tune with the chorus:
“Columbia, the conscience of the people
Columbia, the students cry for peace.”
“After the Hamas attack on Oct. 7, I followed events daily and was hopeful in that first week, when (U.S. President Joe) Biden traveled to Israel. I thought, ‘He’ll help outline a path forward. He’ll lower the temperature.’ But it was just the opposite,” says Elie. “Then the students stood up! I thought ‘Fuck — finally someone is standing up and saying this just isn’t right.’ ”
He also felt that the students were being thoughtful, and mindful in the protests, even though they were painted as just the opposite in the media. “The students were not being honoured; they were being portrayed as troublemakers, as antisemitic, yet the protests had considerable Jewish representation,” he notes.
“Columbia University is like the coal mine and the students are the canaries,” he asserts. “These recent encampment protests mirror the Columbia University student occupation in 1968, when students and faculty raised their voices about the Vietnam War, just prior to the Kent State shootings. This new student uprising is a warning to our society and it’s a red flag being raised.”
Elie is in the midst of recording his third album. As a political folksinger, he is driven to write music when he sees injustice. He is a bilingual artist who has written songs about Canadian Indigenous relations, Quebec’s discriminatory Bill C-21, war and peace, and the international emigration crisis.
Columbia was recorded with producer Gareth Auden Hole and was mastered by legendary producer Rob Fraboni (Bob Dylan, The Band). The song features Juno winner Matt Sobb (MonkeyJunk) on drums, Indigenous artist David Finkle on bass and banjo, Susan Murphy and Jill Shipley on backup vocals, and James Renaud on congas. All proceeds from the song will go to UNICEF to support their work in Gaza.
“It’s often hard to make sense of why things are happening in this world,” Elie muses. “Songs are a way to shine a different kind of light on a topic and break it down to help us better understand it. And at a time when artists are silenced, and poets like Refaat Alareer are dying in this conflict, it’s incumbent on all artists to step up and share their voices.”
Check out Columbia above, hear more from Christophe Elie below, and join him on his website, Facebook, Instagram and TikTok.
