We always believe that we can raise awareness about the situation of refugees through various means and one such way we are so excited to talk you about is through music.
In 2018, we started an annual tradition to organise charity concerts under the title 'Rhythm For Refugees'. We invited local musicians from Krakow and together use the power of music to create an atmosphere of love, support and solidarity. The events usually take place in December just before the Christmas break.
Here's a snapshot of the concerts we've had at our ever reliable partner Alchemia. Through music, we also try to emulate integration and inclusivity. The genres ranged from acoustic folk, rock, world music, folk music, acapella, jazz to name a few. We had musicians from Spain, Italy, Senagal, India, Syria, Poland, Mexico to join us for this fantastic cause. All musicians came and performed pro-bono and we couldn't be more grateful.
Every year, we decide to raise money for an NGO that does hands-on work with refugees. In 2018, we raised money for refugees and asylum seekers at Moria, Lesbos. The money was donated to The Hope Project to buy basic necessities for refugees. In 2019, we raised money for refugees along the Bosnian Border with the help of Agniseszka. In 2020, we had a live transmission of one part of the concert where musicians played live to an audience watching from all parts of the world. We raised money to help Syrian refugees rebuild their lives and donated it to the NGO Basmeh and Zaitooneh in Lebanon.
We want to extend our thanks to all 22 musicians who have helped us and I hope we can continue our musical collaboration. This is one of the few events in Krakow, where you can see locals and foreigners come together for a common cause and it is just a beautiful moment.
As one of our refugee friends Asif always says ''For some people music is part of life, but for me, music is life'', we hope you will join our journey to raise awareness and come together #RethinkRefugees