SINGING FOR
PEACE
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The different instruments, including drums, horns, rebabas, and more tribal instruments, play as the lovely, strong voices of the people from South Sudan harmonize together. The music brings everyone together as they forget about the war for a while and dance to the beat, swaying their bodies back and forth. The songs have a meaning to everyone with the artist's thoughts and experiences behind the lyrics.
"Maybe if me, a woman, I raise my voice, it may be helping other women out there who cannot fight for themselves," Joan Atieno, a female artist, stated. (Simpson, 2014)
Fighting, violence, and deaths have had a huge impact on the South Sudanese People. The civil war has caused a horrible crisis leaving people afraid and worried. Attacks on harmless people, destroyed villages, thousands killed, the failing economy, and less resources leave South Sudan a very dangerous county. The people there need a little more hope to continue their daily push through all the danger they are surrounded by.
“The music is not about the style you sing, but about the message, about the words. We are civilians, so we don’t have any weapons. So my weapon is the song I sing,” Charles James Oman said. (Simms, 2013)
With music being very popular in South Sudan, many artists have gotten together to use their voices as a way to spread hope and peace to their country. Their songs being sung encourage women and others to spread happiness and put an end to violence. They give people a little more optimism and as they gain strength from these songs, they feel stronger. The conclusion to these songs in South Sudan are for the country to become peaceful and a place of unity.
Author: Kiara Barry