100 million. That is the number of people who are displaced in the world today. That is more than 1.5 times the population of France.
When they leave, they leave behind their homes, their communities and often their passions. In their new refuge, they try to find a routine and to rebuild themselves thanks to what made them alive yesterday: their passion, music.
On the occasion of World Music Day, musicians who have left everything behind share their message of hope with us in 3 video clips, from Burkina Faso, the Democratic Republic of Congo and Iraq.
Patrick Kabré, a Burkinabe musician, went to meet displaced people in Kaya, in the north of Burkina Faso, and delivers their message of hope with this video clip sung in unison, Tal Timbo :
Since 2016, the security situation in Burkina Faso has continued to deteriorate. The year 2019 has been particularly violent, causing an unprecedented wave of displacement. Humanitarian needs are increasing and a large number of the population is food insecure.
The number of displaced people has increased from 100.00 to 1.8 million in less than 2 years, with 1/3 of the country affected by population displacement.
In the Democratic Republic of te Congo, we meet Enoc and Laiza. Originally from a village several kilometres from Nyunzu, they were forced to flee due to conflicts between communities.
Upon their arrival, they met Mapenzi and Dori, also musicians. Together they have since formed a band and started writing songs.
For them, being at home means being able to pursue their passion. Music remains an important foundation in their daily lives in exile.
In recent years, more than 700,000 people have been forced to flee the province of Tanganyika due to inter-communal conflicts.
ACTED and the European Union are assisting 85,000 displaced people living in camps and villages, including through training and sensitization of local actors to help build cohesion and improve relations between people from different communities.
More than a hundred people live in this camp on the outskirts of Mosul. Amal is their message of hope that they deliver in music.
Since 2014, 3 million people have fled the armed conflict in Iraq, almost one in 10 Iraqis. 1.3 million of them are internally displaced, mostly living in informal settlements.
Due to the lack of activities and jobs, sources of income are shrinking. In the country, 10,000 IDPs are receiving humanitarian assistance through ACTED’s programme, in partnership with the European Union.
ACTED is actively involved in informing the humanitarian community in order to better respond to the needs of the populations and coordinate basic services in 26 informal settlements.