With the devastating tradegy in Haiti filling the headlines and drawing attention and much needed support from around the globe, I wanted to bring some more awareness to the musicians and artists who have either been doing ongoing work or are now joining forces to help one of the most decimated populations in the Western Hemisphere.
Most people know that musical superstar Wyclef Jean is of Haitian decent, but not everyone knows of his ongoing efforts to use his music and success to give support, rebuild and inspire his home country. In 2005, he established the Yéle Haiti Foundation which, in its first 2 years of operation, provided scholarships to over 7,000 children in Haiti, following the devastation of Hurricane Jeanne. This past week, along with his uncle, Raymond Alcide Joseph – a political activist, journalist and Haitian Ambassador to the United States since 2005, Wyclef has been heavily campaigning for international aid for relief from the devastation of the earthquake. Wyclef, who has been a creative inspiration to the fans and the global music community with his amazing musical talents and his conscious lyrics since his early days with the Fugees, is clearly walking the talk and rising to the call.
Other music and artist projects that have turned their focus to helping the Haiti earthquake relief programs include:
•Music For Relief is offering a compilation of unreleased music, available for free download on MusicForRelief.org. The site encourages donations, which will be divided equally among the United Nations Foundation, Habitat For Humanity, and Dave Matthews Band’s BAMA Works Haitian relief program.
•Artists For Peace and Justice is a relatively new organization with an advisory board of prominent celebrity activists, including Maria Bello, Madeleine Stowe, Charlize Theron, Oliver Stone and Josh Brolin. Founded by filmmaker Paul Haggis, the group originally sought to help build functional schools in impoverished regions in Haiti. Since the earthquake, they’ve directed all of their funds to recovery efforts with a focus on helping to rebuild schools, hospitals and orphanages.
I’m sure their are many other musicians and artists around the globe turning their energy and support toward Haiti at this time. As successful artists, we have the unique ability to not only provide support and create awareness, but to create a sense of inspsiration and hope by uniting people through the music itself.
A final note: Aside from those artists and organizations mentioned here, there are many dedicated people and organizations working tirelessly to bring relief to the crisis and, most importantly, to the children of Haiti. You can learn about many of them through a list compiled by the Huffington Post at http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/01/12/haiti-earthquake-relief-h_n_421014.html.
