Tomorrow, Friday September 16, during the popular monthly Afropolitan Vibes concert, at Freedom Park, Lagos, Artwatch Africa, will formally present the musical video of “RIGHT TO LIFE”, a single it recorded with 11 popular artistes drawn from across eight countries on the continent.
The eleven leading artistes that featured in the audio and video recordings under the collective name of *Artwatch Africa Ambassadors for Creative Expressions are:
Didier Awadi ( Sénégal)
Soum Bill ( Côte d’Ivoire)
Josey ( Côte d’Ivoire)
Zeynab ( Bénin)
Master Soumy ( Mali)
Monza ( Mauritanie)
Smockey ( Burkina Faso)
Alif Naaba ( Burkina Faso)
Awa Sissao ( Burkina Faso)
Pheno Bi ( Niger)
Ade Bantu ( Nigéria)
Earlier this year, Art Watch Africa, an arm of the pan-continental body,Arterial Network, had launched the “Ambassadors for Creative Expressions” project, which has the sole aim of canvassing for freedom of artistic rights and creative expression. The launch was held through a two-day workshop in Ougadougou, Burkina Faso in the course of the 24th Pan-African Cinema and Television, FESPACO 2015.
In the two-day workshop, held March 4 to 5, the artistes were taken through a workshop on various issues involved in freedom of creative expression. Many of them meeting for the first time at the workshop, the artistes collaborated to forge common aims and strategies that could be adopted in championing freedom of artistic and creative expression on the continent.
With guidance from officials of the Artwatch Africa (of Arterial Network), the artistes set up a focus group and tried to identify challenges to be overcome so that artists would be accorded their due respect in all the countries of the continent.
The aim of the meeting, stressed Artwatch Africa officials, is to reinforce presence and involvement in the struggle for freedom of creative and artistic expression on the continent and to also provide them (artistes) with tools that will assist in the defence of freedom of expression such as interviews, concerts, their grassroots presence and field action.
The two-day session was concluded with a concert by the Burkinabe top rapper, Smockey as he launched his latest album, leading his fellow hip-hoppers, members of the “Balai Citoyen” (Citizen Broom collective), on March 5 in the ruins of the old National Assembly of Ouagadougou. The highlight of the workshop was the recording of joint single titled RIGHT TO LIFE, which was initiated by the Senegalese rapper and revolutionary singer, Didier Awadi. The song, according to him is an opportunity by the artistes from across the continent to unite their voices and record song on freedom of expression.
Aside the audio recording which was done with collaboration of Studio Sankara led by Smockey, Right To Life has also been released as a Musical Video. It will be formally presented in Nigeria on Friday September 18 during the monthly AFROPOLITAN VIBES concert of Ade Bantu. The Senegalese, Didier Awadi, who also has a bit of his family from Nigeria, will also be featuring in the concert as well as presenting the video clip. Time is 7pm in the Food Court of the Freedom Park, 1 Hospital Road, by Broad Street, Lagos.
See Video Here;
ON ARTERIAL NETWORK: *Arterial Network is a dynamic, pan-African civil society network comprising artists, activists, organizations and institutions engaged in the African creative sector. The Network is incubated in Nigeria by the leading culture advocacy group, the Committee for Relevant Art, CORA, and it is known as CORA-Arterial Network with headquarters in Surulere, Lagos.
