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CONCERT FOR REFUGEES: LOG ON FOR AN UNFORGETTABLE EXPERIENCE Yvonne Chaka Chaka, Wendy Oldfield and Lebo Mashile will be there.
Iconic South African artists will be giving voice to the global refugee crisis with the second part of an award-winning concert on Thursday at 7.30pm. To create awareness about the challenges of the refugees and other forcibly displaced people, the Turquoise Harmony Institute hosted a concert for refugees in Johannesburg on 21 June last year, the day after World Refugee Day, at the University of the Witwatersrand’s Linder Auditorium.
The concert set a new precedent for social justice workers around the world and the institute was awarded the Pioneers in SDGs Project Stakeholders award at the United Nations ( UN) General Assembly in New York last year.
This year’s concert will be held on World Human Rights Day on Thursday.
World Human Rights Day honours the UN General Assembly’s adoption and proclamation, on 10 December 1948, of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
Thursday’s concert provides an opportunity for people around the world to stand for refugees and other forcibly displaced people.
All profits will go towards providing services and support to refugees and other forcibly displaced people in SA.
Already confirmed for this unmissable event are Yvonne Chaka Chaka, pictured, Wouter Kellerman, Pops Mohamed, Wendy Oldfield, Tresor, Ertugrul Erkisi and Buskaid, with Lebo Mashile adding to the heavyweight line-up.
The programme of jazz, Afro-pop and light classical music will be accompanied by a video presentation that captures stories of refugees, with a particular focus on women and children.
Executive director of the Turquoise Harmony Institute Ayhan Cetin said: “We are honoured to have such incredible musicians taking part in the concert – and are calling on South Africans to enjoy a very special evening of music that’s devoted to one of the most urgent crises facing the world today.”
The institute is spearheading A Concert for Refugees 2020, working with partner institutions Samro Foundation (the Southern African Music Rights Organisation), Nelson Mandela Foundation, Amnesty International SA, Universal Rights Association, Horizon Educational Trust, Time to Care SA, the South African Human Rights Commission, Buskaid, Music in Africa Foundation, Sojac, the National Arts Council, Concerts SA, IKS Cultural Consulting, Refugee Social Services, Scalabrini Centre, Soda Studios and the Three2Six Project.
“We are gratified that so many organisations and artists have answered the call,” said Cetin. “This is a chance for the public to show they stand with forcibly displaced people – globally and here in SA.”
The UN High Commissioner for Refugees recently reported that 79.5 million people around the world had been forced from their homes.
A n estimated 30 to 34 million (38-43%) were children below the age of 18.
There were also an estimated 4.2 million stateless people, denied nationality and access to basic rights such as education, healthcare, employment and freedom of movement.
Nearly one person was forcibly displaced every two seconds as a result of conflict or persecution. There were 266 700 refugees and asylum seekers in SA – and according to unofficial figures, it was more than a million. SA was home to the highest number of unresolved asylum cases in the world. Issues of subsistence, shelter, protection against crime and eviction and the threat of xenophobia, weigh heavily on their minds.
“We assure music lovers of an extraordinary experience,” said Cetin.