Online music festival kickstarts a global movement battling inequality
Online music festival kickstarts a global movement battling inequality
Migrant Voice is one of 20 charities being supported by RAAH. Fest, a free eight-hour online music festival held on 24 October, and the global youth movement that this festival has kickstarted.
If you missed it, watch the full festival here.
RAAH. Fest organiser Jasminder Odusanya says that seeing a friend arrested for being “undocumented”, and her experience of working in a refugee camp, inspired her to take action to help victims of displacement, trafficking and racial discrimination.
“Working in the camp really got to me and I was in tears. You just see people being treated as if they’re criminals, simply because they’re fleeing from persecution,” she says.
The movement is aiming to amplify the voices of people affected by migration displacement, human trafficking and racial discrimination, and, ultimately, to put an end to inequality.
The 24 October festival, livestreamed on YouTube, was just the first step. Headliners included Joy Crookes, Inoxia, Poppy Ajudha and Gabrielle Aplin.
Singer-songwriter Aplin says she that for years she has been inspired and educated “by wonderful friends who have dedicated their lives to people who have had to leave their homes and countries in the pursuit of safety.
"I'm a part of RAAH Fest because I believe that everyone deserves a life of safety, regardless of circumstance, and I'm disturbed at the way the mainstream UK press has reported on refugees and asylum seekers and the dangerous attitude this promotes.”
The event was run by a team of 130 volunteers and included documentaries, short films, personal testimonials and Q&As. Odusanya, who lives in Birmingham and calls herself “First Dreamer”, says she hopes it will become an annual affair.
Migrant Voice Director Nazek Ramadan said:
“We’re delighted to be part of this festival – and the global movement it has inspired. It’s fantastic to see young people standing up, challenging outdated systems, and fighting for the world they want to live in – one based on our shared humanity.”