View the video Read the lyrics
To hear The World piece about the project, go to http://www.theworld.org/
click on the April 22, 2005 archive entry on the left side, then click on the
Global Hit piece (the last item).
In 2004, and early 2005 my friend Marielle (a volunteer in Notsie) and I got
together a media campaign project against bush fires, probably the
leading hindrance of forest regeneration here in Togo. The country in
this area is pretty much forestless and this is partly due to the rampant
bush fires. Bush fires are set for a variety of reasons predominately for
chasing animals out of the bush to hunt and fires that were
started to clear fields spread uncontrolled. The logic behind the project was
that we gotta get people thinking about the environment. And how did that happen
in the states? Partly through media campaigns.
We wrote a proposal and received a modest amount of funding from
the Peace Corps. The campaign took a three pronged approach.
First, we partnered
with local NGO's and local radio, and touched over 10,000 students
in all the Notse and Tsevie lycees and CEGs (roughly the Togolese equivalent of high schools
and middle schools) with classroom talks about bush fires and reforestation. In these
talks we
also encouraged student participation in the second prong of our project, a
contest to
write the best hip hop song discouraging bush fires. For weeks we broadcasted
advertisements about the competition and concerts,
We saw
student artist participation of over 100 groups, and ultimately, hosted
successful,
well
attended concerts with Eric MC (one of the top hip hop artists in the country),
reaching over
2,000 audience members. People talked
about the project, and were
inspired by their youths' performances, and by the talent they didn't know existed in their communities.
Thirdly, we selected three winners produced the songs on cd and distributed a
media package with PSAs (public service announcements) to a large number of radio stations.
First place went to MC Tino, a high school senior. He also won a music video
featuring himself and his song. The video was filmed outside of my village of
Akame with friends and villagers participating. Click here to View the video.
Click here to read the lyrics which are better in French but are still quite powerful
in English. (By the way, at the beginning of the video, in MC Tino’s dream about nymphs
dressed in purple and cavorting in the woods, I am the blond, and Marielle is the
other white person.)
On April 22, 2005 (Earth Day), Marco Werman (a former Togo Peace Corps Volunteer) and
now the Music Editor for the National Public Radio program, The World did a piece
about our project. To hear it, go to http://www.theworld.org/ click on the April 22, 2005 archive
entry on the left side, then click on the Global Hit piece
(the last item).