Benjamin Fairfield

Kaho’olawe#

Lyrics#

About the Song#

When I first moved to Honolulu, I served as a social worker doing outreach to homeless veterans. I later moved to the fundraising office, and one year we tried a mail solicitation to local businesses in the downtown neighborhoods near the shelter. One of the response forms came back anonymously with a handwritten note that read, “I’ll give you money if you use it to ship them all to Kaho‘olawe. Get rid of those bums!” Kaho’olawe is an uninhabited island that was used for decades as a bombing range by the military. The idea that there is an “away” that we can send unwanted people, or things, to, is an unfortunately persistent and utterly false trope. Exile and scapegoating are convenient non-solutions in that they prevent us from self-examination, from dealing with systemic issues, and from constructive, compassionate, and collective action.

Videos#

The string instrument used in Kaho’olawe was custom-made from found objects. To learn more about how it, and similar instruments, are made, follow Ben on YouTube @benf5222.

About the Artist#

Benjamin Fairfield received his Master’s and Ph.D. in ethnomusicology. He has served as lecturer at the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa and Hawaiʻi Pacific University and was one of four 2025 State of Hawaiʻi Climate Artists-in-Residence funded by the Climate Change Mitigation and Adaptation Commission. He has led several instrument workshops; taught music at Ala Wai Elementary School; produced a high school garage rock band’s debut album in Thailand as a Peace Corps volunteer; and has published in various academic and literary journals. His debut illustrated children’s book about turning rubbish into musical instruments, Kani Ka ʻŌpala (How can garbage sing?), was published by UH Press in 2025. For tutorials, albums, and information on his other projects, please visit his website: kanikaopala.com.