“Be Aware Brother, Be Aware Sister” — “Aware Migrants”
“Be aware brother, be aware sister” is the song that Rokia Traoré has written specially for the Aware Migrants Project.
Malian singer Rokia Traoré has released a new single – “Be Aware Brother, Be Aware Sister” – as part of the “Aware Migrants” campaign launched by International Organization for Migration and the Italian Ministry of Interior.
The campaign uses the voices of some of the tens of thousands of young West African migrants who leave home to try to find a better life in Libya and Europe to tell their stories and relate their experiences to family and friends left behind. Their testimony aims to inform others – through social media and other channels – about some of the risks and dangers that face them if they also decide to opt for irregular migration and set off across the Sahara.
“For many years, I’ve been meeting migrants who, at the end of my concerts, would tell me about tremendous suffering they faced during their journeys, and would ask me to warn their brothers and sisters back home about how hard and dangerous this type of experience was,” says Rokia Traoré.
“There are not enough words, there are not enough notes, to tell the tragedies these people were forced to face. My song is only a small contribution, which should be combined with many other initiatives, to highlight how crucial it is to give a response to this humanitarian emergency. My contribution is a hymn to life.”
In “Be Aware Brother, Be Aware Sister,” Traoré combines English, French, Arabic and several African languages to warn young people to “Be Aware” before they make a decision that could change their life forever – or end it.
“Our research shows that many migrants still leave their country of origin without a specific destination in mind. Many suffer violence and abuse in Libya at the hands of smugglers and local militias. As a result, many decide to continue their journey to Europe with the smugglers. And many – an estimated 3,453 in 2016 – drown in the Mediterranean between Libya and Italy,” says IOM Rome spokesperson Flavio Di Giacomo.
Listen to “Be Aware Brother, Be Aware Sister” and learn more about the Aware Migrants campaign here.
KJ