Why a music project?

I have been very shocked by the plight of the thousands of displaced refugees living in horrendous conditions just a few miles from our shores in Northern France. I experienced first hand one of the most notorious Refugee camps in Dunkirk having worked there as a volunteer from December 2015 to April 2016. With very little running water or electricity, no infrastructure, limited organised medical aid 2-3,000 Kurdish refugees were fighting for their survival with men, women and children living together in rat infested mud with whatever tents or canvas they could scavenge. A shocking display of Western hospitality!

One of the most horrific elements of this experience was the lack of centralised aid and Government support that was being provided, by the French and English Authorities. From the moment I arrived at the camp in December what quickly became clear to me and the other volunteers who had committed their time to the camp was that the situation was in serious need of focussed and consistent attention. Following a concerted effort of many charities the Media and as a result the public became aware of the terrible conditions and influence was exerted by many to move the refugees to a more acceptable camp with at least some infrastructure and more facilities to support life in the camp. With the camp moved in April we all breathed a small sigh of relief.

Overview of the Project

Following this experience and the incredible relationships I have formed with so many refugees my life has been transformed and I feel very committed to work more with the refugees to try to do what I can to make this scenario just that little bit better for those few that I believe I can help. With this next phase of my involvement in mind I have had a number of conversations with other charitable organisations and volunteers working on the front line of the crisis and applied to that my background as a musician and my interest in music therapy. I believe that the power of music can have a real impact and with this project I want to bring music into the hearts and souls of as many refugees and I can. The project follows the huge success of the Good Chance Theatre Project in the Calais Refugee Camp which has shown the enormous impact that art forms can have on the daily lives of the refugees. The music project is therefore to play, create and record a number of pieces of music from different refugee camps across Europe. We intend to go to a number of different Refugee Camps across Europe with groups of musicians from the local areas and cultures and to take live music into the camps and to collaborate with the refugees to create a piece of music from each of the Refugee camps. We hope that with a number of tracks taken together, alongside the benefits integral to the process of making music, we can capture something unique from these communities of people and form and create something that is musically diverse and compelling.

The main aims of the project are as follows:

1. To take music to the refugees to change enhance their experience and to bring the power of music into their lives. Running workshops and putting on collaborative performances in the camps that we visit;
2. To give the refugees the chance to “create” as an integral part of the project – to draw on their musical experience is a key part of this;
3. To raise the profile of the plight of the refugees by making music which can speak to the people of Europe and remind them (in non-political terms) of what is happening on their doorstep;
4. It is hoped that with the sale of the music we can raise funds to contribute to the much needed fund raising efforts which are ongoing.

Underpinning the Project

I am considering all of the potential strands and directions which this project can take whilst drumming up collaborative support from all those who can see the benefits and share the passion of taking music to the refugees. I am currently involved in a number of conversations with different collaborators to explore how I can turn this dream into a reality. I have a number of contacts in the music industry who are really excited to be involved, both on the creative and the production side of the project.

I am also speaking with documentary makers to see I if this is a further element to the project which we can include to help boost our aims of raising money and awareness. I have spoken with several of the charities working in Northern France to see how they can help and they are also very keen to be involved believing that this could have a very meaningful impact on the refugees and the camps.

What’s next?

The project will start with Dunkirk camp, the camp is made up mainly of Kurdish people and following my work there I am well known to the refugees and the Charities working there. I therefore believe it will be a relatively easy place for us to start the project and to test our ideas. We will take a samba reggae band from London (Tribo) (of which I am a part) alongside a vocalist, guitarist, bassist, and keyboard player. We will go for 1 day - the plan will be to arrive on site at 10am, do a parade through the camp at noon in mind of gathering people to take part in workshops at 1pm. We will have a general workshop for everybody for 2 hours. In this time we will find some musicians to join us for a rehearsal/workshop to start at 4pm. At 6.30pm we will do a performance to include some of the work achieved during the workshops. We will record the performance and aim to produce a single track from the material. A second visit may be necessary in order to record parts for the single and some studio time back in London will then be needed to produce the first of our collaborative creations.

Costs and funding

I am keen to raise funds to help get the project off the ground and at this stage the needs are focussed on the Dunkirk Trip. The cost of going to the Dunkirk camp will involve an investment of £2,500.00. This will enable us to take and provide the relevant musicians, audio and recording equipment to the camp and to carry out some studio work following the day. I am able to borrow much of the equipment but what I cannot borrow I will be hiring. I would be very grateful for the opportunity to speak with anyone interested in the project to explain more about my ambitions in the hope that I am able to find more people who want to get involved, whether as creative collaborators or financial backers.