The song Territorio, or Territory, is the sixth official single by the Brazilian band Sepultura, and the last of three from their 1993 album Chaos A.D.. Like most of the band’s songs, the song is a powerful commentary on war, power and racism in the Middle East.
Before analyzing your handwriting, we will talk about the video. This shows us the band members playing in a desert that refers to the Dead Sea, while images of the flag of Palestine and Israel, war tanks, videos of slums, Israeli and Palestinian people are interposed, symbolism, graffiti in favour of Palestine, small fragments of the Bible and the Koran, ceremonies in Jerusalem; and finally, a foot soldier and a newspaper where the signing of the Oslo Accords is mentioned.
‘War for territory‘
The song’s repetition of the phrase War for territory (A War for Territory) emphasizes the idea that many wars and conflicts are driven by greed and the desire to control more land and resources. When he mentions the unknown man speaking to the world, he refers to leaders and dictators who manipulate people’s information and trust for their own ends.
The band has been repeatedly vetoed by his strong criticism as he has been accused of satanism, to which the group has made it clear that all its members profess Catholicism, and their songs expose the political injustices in which the actions of the church, organizations and institutions are exposed, but in a destructive way as a merely social reproach.
Manipulation and misinformation
The song also criticizes the way propaganda and misinformation is used to control public opinion and manage people’s anger. This is a clear example of why one side of the population is in favor of Palestine and another side is with Israel.
Sepultura, no doubt uses his music to denounce the manipulation of dictators and how their rhetoric can lead to violence and racism. The song mentions how younger generations are taught to believe in these authoritarian figures and how racism can be a tool for maintaining power and division among people.
Resistance
With their song Territory, Sepultura presents a point of reflection on the consequences of war and racism, and how it has been shaping societies. It is a call to consciousness and resistance against the forces that seek to divide and conquer.