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DR Congo: Using a Song to Raise Awareness of Human Rights

by Danish Refugee Council | Danish Refugee Council (DRC) - Denmark
Tuesday, 1 May 2012 14:13 GMT

* Any views expressed in this article are those of the author and not of Thomson Reuters Foundation.

Abductions, sexual violence and arbitrary detention are just a few examples of the grave human rights violations taking place in the Democratic Republic of Congo. The Danish Refugee Council has released a human rights song to help the civilians by raising awareness of their basic rights.

I have the right to live in freedom, to be equal, to have justice, to move freely, to have my opinion and to express it, to work, to associate with others, to receive an education and to not be discriminated. And I have the right to live in peace.

The basic human rights have been put on verse in the new Human Rights Song produced in the Haut Uélé District of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DR Congo), a part of the world where peace, rights and justice are not to be taken for granted. Every day basic human rights are being violated in this remote area of DR Congo.

“Non respect for human dignity, torture, lack of children’s access to education, homicide, sexual violence, arbitrary detention and abuse of power are just some examples of the violations people from this territory are suffering,” says Iune Baravalle, Assistant Protection Project Manager at the Danish Refugee Council Faradje, DR Congo.

By releasing the song the Danish Refugee Council wish to establish Community Protection Committees and raise awareness of the rights of the civilian population. To make sure the message of the song reach as many as possible the song has been translated into the local language, Lingala, sung by a local musician and diffused by the radio.

“Our hope is that this song will be an important tool in the fight against these grave human rights violations,” says Iune Baravalle.

The project is part of the Protection Monitoring Project by the Danish Refugee Council in DR Congo. It  has been funded by the POOLED FUND.

Read the lyrics of the song or hear it as sung by the local artist: http://www.drc.dk/news/news/artikel/i-have-the-right-to-live-in-peace/

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