Entertainment

M.I.A.'s New Music Video Shows You What The Refugee Crisis Looks Like (Video)

by Stacey Leasca

M.I.A. is looking to make a statement with her latest self-directed video for her song "Borders."

In the video, the singer/rapper is seen singing in front of long lines of refugees, climbing fences and taking a boat crammed with dozens of others trying to make it safely to a new country.

Both the song and its lyrics are politically charged, aiming to make viewers stop and think about the refugee crisis. The lyrics also juxtapose the refugee crisis with other political issues and pop culture terms.

"Borders" will be included in M.I.A.'s upcoming fifth studio album Matahdatah. In a tweet, M.I.A. says she is dedicating the album to her uncle, adding,

I want to dedicate this video to my uncle Bala, my icon and role model. One of the first Tamil migrants to come to the UK in the '60s who went [on] to inspire so many people as a creative, daring man ... Thank you for helping my family come to England and taking us out of Sri Lanka and saving us.

Check out the entire video, above.