#Songs4Change (www.bit.ly/Songs4Change) is a weekly dose of revolutionary music to inspire social progress in Nigeria and Africa more broadly. The songs — a mixture of old and new — advocate for positive change and bring awareness to important issues in our society. The initiative, called “Chime Asonye presents #Songs4Change,” will feature primarily African artist but will occasionally include songs from others that advance the theme of societal advancement and political consciousness. Do you want to recommend a #Songs4Change or partner with this initiative? Please submit an emial to: Songs4ChangeNG@gmail.com
[soundcloud url=”https://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/179226793″ params=”auto_play=false&hide_related=false&show_comments=true&show_user=true&show_reposts=false&visual=true” width=”100%” height=”450″ iframe=”true” /]Nigeria often exist as a paradox. The 2011 general elections was no different. According to the United States Institute of Peace, the elections were the best run since our return to democracy in 1999, “But post-election violence claimed 800 lives over three days in northern Nigeria and displaced 65,000 people, making the elections the most violent in Nigeria’s history.”
As the elections greet us in little over a month, #Songs4Change will be focused on issues connected to this upcoming national exercise. Given our recent history, one important concern is that this electoral process should not only be free and fair, but peaceful and non-violent. A lot of individuals, especially youth and National Youth Serve Corps members, lost their lives in the last electoral cycle. One’s mortality should not be the price of exercising their democratic right.
To help stop this trend, music icon 2Face has teamed up with a prominent youth organization, the Youngstars Development Initiative, to encourage youth to get out to vote and not be used as political tools. As well as to support a peaceful process surrounding the election. The campaign’s slogan is, “Vote Not Fight: Election No Be War,” please enjoy the song released in honor of the project.
You can learn more about the Vote Not Fight initiative, by visiting the official website here.