F For Hong Kong Protest Music

When we talk about protests, you don't usually think about music. But the 2019 Hong Kong protest might just change your mind, offering a powerful reminder of how vital music can be in a social movement.

During the protests between 2019 and 2020, over 100 songs were created and used in all sorts of ways. I was in Oslo when things broke out, so while I couldn’t take to the streets, a thought suddenly struck me: I might not be able to join the action physically, but I could be a historian, an archiver, a storyteller – capturing the protest's tales through music.

With that in mind, I posted on my now-defunct music website, 3C Music, calling for volunteers to join me on a journey to create a book series about protest music. In no time, more than ten kind, talented people came forward, and the F For Team was born.

We quickly launched a crowdfunding campaign, garnering widespread media attention in Hong Kong, including from the key pro-democracy newspaper Apple Daily, which was forced to cease operations because of the protest. As a result, we managed to raise over HK$100,000 and published the first volume of the series within four months.

It might all sound rosy, but in reality it was a whirlwind affair, with so many unexpected events throwing a spanner in the works. The outbreak of the global pandemic and the imposition of the National Security Law by the Chinese government dealt the harshest blow, not only bringing the protests to an end but also making it nearly impossible for the F For Team to continue as planned.

Despite strong headwinds, we published the first volume and sold out the 1,000 copies within a month or two. However, creating the second volume proved far more challenging. With most of the original F For Team members gone for various reasons, I had to complete the book almost single-handedly alongside my full-time job.

After two long years, we finally managed to publish the second volume and happily distribute it to more bookshops than last time. It’s sold in the UK, Taipei, and Canada, and now graces the shelves of my favourite bookshops in various cities, including Do You Read Me? in Berlin, Athenaeum in Amsterdam, the Library Project in Dublin, and Bleak House Books in New York. Our most joyful experience was setting up a booth at the extraordinary Anarchy Bookfair in London, where we had the pleasure of sharing the books with so many incredible people.

I’m now planning the third book and hoping to secure funding for it. Hopefully, it’ll be completed before the end of the world. Stay tuned.

Want to grab a copy? Head over here.

Print designer: Grigory Popov