Passion, Commitment and a Great Day Out

Yesterday I put together a music show for the Jubilee Debt Campaign who were founded 10 years ago when the G8 came to Birmingham. They started through a huge act of protest over world debt when nearly 8000 people joined hands to demand that the chains of debt be broken from the world’s poorest countries.

Ten years on they are celebrating the fact that their protest and campaigning has made a huge difference but that there is still 80% of the debt to be cancelled. There was a big conference in the ICC and I put on the music outside.

Thanks to all those who performed: Khaliq, the Shofar Blowers, Azaad Dhol Group, Steve Yimga, Ulfah Singing Group, The Birmingham City All Stars, Raw Nerve Theatre Company, Soweto Kinch and the Dhol Blasters.

The square built up nicely early on, had a quiet period when lots of people went inside the ICC and then was pack at the end when people came out for the final act.

 

A Journey to Justice

I’ve spent the last few months working with the Jubillee Debt Campaign to help them with some music for their event at the ICC next Sunday (18th May) - Journey to Justice.

The event is designed to:

Celebrate… 10 years since the Birmingham human chain 
Discover… the impact of debt cancellation so far 
Demand… a lasting solution to the debt crisis

All hosted by Adrian Goldberg, editor of www.thestirrer.com. 

Their conference at 2.30pm inside the ICC has some big names coming and video messages from leaders all over the world including Gordon Brown and Archbishop Desmond Tutu.

If you are interested in the issues surrounding world debt it is certainly the place to be next Sunday. Tickets for the ICC bit are just £10 and I know that they have sold over 500 already and you can get them here.

My brief for the music was to get music from around the world and there are some great people involved. Between 12.30pm and 5.30pm a programme of celebratory music and other activities is planned for Centenary Square. 

To open the event the square will resonate to the sound of the Jewish Shofar Horn then the celebrations will begin in earnest. Other performers include:

• the Azaad Dhol Group drawn from professional Dhol players and the very best young dhol players in the city
• Ulfah Arts Singing Group - Ulfah Arts is a pioneering arts organisation, which acts as an umbrella to a number of initiatives specialising in faith and the arts.
• Zirak Hamad – talented Birmingham based violinist who came to England in 2002 from Iraqi Kurdistan where he worked as a primary school teacher, festival organiser, broadcaster, television presenter and music critic.
• Raw Nerve Theatre Company perform a short play called ‘The Bigger Issue’. Raw Nerve Theatre Company was founded out of Riverside School of Performing Arts (RSPA) in 2007, after over a decade’s worth of work in and amongst the local community of Birmingham.
• Soweto Kinch – Birmingham’s mulit award winning jazz saxophone musician will give us a taste of music from his acclaimed B19 album.
• The Dhol Blasters fronted by their maestro Gucharan Mall are well known faces in Birmingham and beyond as they perform at all kinds of events including LIVE 8 with UB40.

The square will also include family activities including free facepainting and circus skills activities and information about the Jubilee Debt Campaign and other related organisations.

At 4.45pm there will be an action in the square where people will be invited to stand with giant ‘drop the debt’ lettering and pose for an image that will send a strong message to the politicians about world debt.

Come and join in!