The Voice Project The Voice Project is a multimedia music based non-profit initiative focused on aiding women’s groups in Uganda

Uganda

Uganda , officially the Republic of Uganda, is a landlocked country in East Africa. Uganda is also known as the "Pearl of Africa". It is bordered on the east by Kenya, on the north by South Sudan, on the west by the Democratic Republic of the Congo, on the southwest by Rwanda, and on the south by...

, Sudan

Sudan

Sudan , officially the Republic of the Sudan , is a country in North Africa, sometimes considered part of the Middle East politically. It is bordered by Egypt to the north, the Red Sea to the northeast, Eritrea and Ethiopia to the east, South Sudan to the south, the Central African Republic to the...

, Democratic Republic Congo, and Central African Republic

Central African Republic

The Central African Republic , is a landlocked country in Central Africa. It borders Chad in the north, Sudan in the north east, South Sudan in the east, the Democratic Republic of the Congo and the Republic of the Congo in the south, and Cameroon in the west. The CAR covers a land area of about ,...

 affected by violence from the Lord's Resistance Army in one of Africa

Africa

Africa is the world's second largest and second most populous continent, after Asia. At about 30.2 million km² including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of the Earth's total surface area and 20.4% of the total land area...

's longest-running conflicts

Ongoing wars

The following is a list of ongoing military conflicts that are taking place around the world and which continue to result in violent deaths. This list is for the sole purpose of identifying present-day conflicts and the death toll associated with each conflict.Fatality figures include both civilian...

.

Overview

Founded in 2009, The Voice Project was inspired by women's groups in Northern Uganda who use songs passed by word of mouth and on the radio to let children and soldiers who have been abducted and forced to fight in Joseph Kony’s

Joseph Kony

Joseph Kony is an African terrorist who is the head of the Lord's Resistance Army , a guerrilla group that is engaged in a violent campaign to establish theocratic government based on the Ten Commandments in Uganda...

 Lord's Resistance Army

Lord's Resistance Army

The Lord's Resistance Army insurgency is an ongoing guerrilla campaign waged since 1987 by the Lord's Resistance Army rebel group, operating mainly in northern Uganda, but also in South Sudan and eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo...

 (LRA) know that they are forgiven for the atrocities they were forced to commit and are welcome home. The project enlists musicians from around the world in passing participation from one to another by word of mouth and through music by covering another artist’s song in “cover chains.” According to Rolling Stone

Rolling Stone

Rolling Stone is a US-based magazine devoted to music, liberal politics, and popular culture that is published every two weeks. Rolling Stone was founded in San Francisco in 1967 by Jann Wenner and music critic Ralph J...

 “To bring awareness to the problems of LRA violence plaguing Northern Uganda, Southern Sudan, Eastern Congo and Central African Republic, the Voice Project has recruited a number of artists to play a game of musical tag.” Each performance is video recorded and shown on The Voice Project’s website as well as distributed through social media platforms such as Facebook and Twitter. Participants have included indie rock acts such as Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros

Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros

Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros is an American band led by Alex Ebert, vocalist of the power pop group Ima Robot. Their first full-length recording, Up from Below, was released July 7, 2009, digitally and July 14, 2009, physically on Community Records...

, Andrew Bird

Andrew Bird

Andrew Bird is an American musician, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist.- Early life and the Bowl of Fire :...

, Dawes

Dawes

Dawes Cycles is a British bicycle manufacturer known for its high-quality hand-built bicycles. Dawes produces a full range of bikes including road, mountain bikes and tandems, but is best known for touring bikes, specifically the Galaxy and the Super Galaxy model lines.Founded in Birmingham, the...

, and Joe Purdy

Joe Purdy

Joe Purdy is an American folk singer-songwriter who has recorded and released ten albums in eight years.- The band :Joe Purdy's band members have included: Chris Seefried, Brian Wright, Willy C. Golden, , and .- Career :...

 as well as more popular and international artists such as Peter Gabriel

Peter Gabriel

Peter Brian Gabriel is an English singer, musician, and songwriter who rose to fame as the lead vocalist and flautist of the progressive rock group Genesis. After leaving Genesis, Gabriel went on to a successful solo career...

, Billy Bragg

Billy Bragg

Stephen William Bragg , better known as Billy Bragg, is an English alternative rock musician and left-wing activist. His music blends elements of folk music, punk rock and protest songs, and his lyrics mostly deal with political or romantic themes...

, Mike Mills

Mike Mills

Michael Edward "Mike" Mills is an American multi-instrumentalist and composer who was a founding member of the alternative rock group R.E.M.. Though known primarily as a bass guitarist, backing vocalist, and pianist, his musical repertoire includes also keyboards, guitar, and percussion instruments...

 (R.E.M.

R.E.M.

R.E.M. was an American rock band formed in Athens, Georgia, in 1980 by singer Michael Stipe, guitarist Peter Buck, bassist Mike Mills and drummer Bill Berry. One of the first popular alternative rock bands, R.E.M. gained early attention due to Buck's ringing, arpeggiated guitar style and Stipe's...

), Angélique Kidjo

Angélique Kidjo

Angélique Kpasseloko Hinto Hounsinou Kandjo Manta Zogbin Kidjo, commonly known as Angélique Kidjo is a Grammy Award–winning Beninoise singer-songwriter and activist, noted for her diverse musical influences and creative music videos. Time Magazine has called her "Africa's premier diva". The BBC has...

 and former child soldier Emmanuel Jal

Emmanuel Jal

Emmanuel Jal is a South Sudanese musician and former child soldier.-Childhood:Born in the village of Tonj in Southern Sudan, Jal was a young child when the Second Sudanese Civil War broke out. His father joined the Sudan People's Liberation Army and when he was about seven years old his mother...

.

Participating Musicians

(in alphabetical order)

• Akello Miriam
• Andrew Bird

Andrew Bird

Andrew Bird is an American musician, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist.- Early life and the Bowl of Fire :...

• Angélique Kidjo

Angélique Kidjo

Angélique Kpasseloko Hinto Hounsinou Kandjo Manta Zogbin Kidjo, commonly known as Angélique Kidjo is a Grammy Award–winning Beninoise singer-songwriter and activist, noted for her diverse musical influences and creative music videos. Time Magazine has called her "Africa's premier diva". The BBC has...

• Babaluku (Bataka Squad)
• Bajah + Dry Eye Crew
• Bedouin Soundclash

Bedouin Soundclash

Bedouin Soundclash is a Canadian band currently based in Toronto. Their sound can be described as reggae and ska.-History:The band's current lineup consists of vocalist and guitarist Jay Malinowski, and bassist Eon Sinclair with Sekou Lumumba on drums. Their debut album, Root Fire, released in 2001...

• Billy Bragg

Billy Bragg

Stephen William Bragg , better known as Billy Bragg, is an English alternative rock musician and left-wing activist. His music blends elements of folk music, punk rock and protest songs, and his lyrics mostly deal with political or romantic themes...

• Brett Dennen

Brett Dennen

Brett Dennen is a folk/pop singer and songwriter from Northern California.-Biography:Brett Dennen attended UC Santa Cruz from 2000–2004, where he was a student at Kresge College....

• Chloe Chaidez (Kitten)
• Dawes

Dawes

Dawes Cycles is a British bicycle manufacturer known for its high-quality hand-built bicycles. Dawes produces a full range of bikes including road, mountain bikes and tandems, but is best known for touring bikes, specifically the Galaxy and the Super Galaxy model lines.Founded in Birmingham, the...

• Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros

Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros

Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros is an American band led by Alex Ebert, vocalist of the power pop group Ima Robot. Their first full-length recording, Up from Below, was released July 7, 2009, digitally and July 14, 2009, physically on Community Records...

• Emmanuel Jal

Emmanuel Jal

Emmanuel Jal is a South Sudanese musician and former child soldier.-Childhood:Born in the village of Tonj in Southern Sudan, Jal was a young child when the Second Sudanese Civil War broke out. His father joined the Sudan People's Liberation Army and when he was about seven years old his mother...

• Garrison Starr

Garrison Starr

Garrison Starr is a singer-songwriter who originally hails from Hernando, Mississippi, a suburb of Memphis, Tennessee. As a solo artist, she has recorded seven full-length albums, as well as two EPs and one live album...

• Gary Go

Gary Go

Gary Baker, also known by his stage name Gary Go is a British pop-rock singer, songwriter and producer. His debut single "Wonderful" was a Top 30 track in the UK, the debut album Gary Go was released May 2009 and reached number 22 in the UK Albums Chart...

• Greg Laswell

Greg Laswell

Greg Laswell is a musician, recording engineer, and producer from San Diego, California. He has released four studio albums: Good Movie in 2003, Through Toledo in 2006, and Three Flights from Alto Nido in 2008, and Take a Bow in 2010, as well as several EPs and special singles...

• Har Mar Superstar

Har Mar Superstar

Sean Matthew Tillmann , better known by his stage names of Har Mar Superstar and Sean Na Na, is an American singer.-Life and career:...

 (Sean Na Na)
• Joan Wasser (Joan As Police Woman)
• JBM
• Jesca Hoop

Jesca Hoop

Jesca Ada Hoop is an American singer-songwriter and guitarist from Northern California, who writes and performs in diverse musical styles, under the initial encouragement and guidance of her former employer, musician Tom Waits.-Biography:...

• Joe Purdy

Joe Purdy

Joe Purdy is an American folk singer-songwriter who has recorded and released ten albums in eight years.- The band :Joe Purdy's band members have included: Chris Seefried, Brian Wright, Willy C. Golden, , and .- Career :...

• Joey Ryan
• John McCauley (Deer Tick)
• Joseph Arthur

Joseph Arthur

Joseph Arthur is an American singer-songwriter and artist from Akron, Ohio. Combining poetic lyrics with a layered sonic palette, Arthur has built his reputation over the years through critically acclaimed releases and constant touring; his unique solo live performances incorporate the use of a...

• Kenneth Pattengale
• Maria Taylor (Azure Ray

Azure Ray

Azure Ray is an American dream pop duo, consisting of musicians Maria Taylor and Orenda Fink. The pair met at the age of 15 at the Alabama School of Fine Arts...

)
• Matt Vasquez (Delta Spirit

Delta Spirit

Delta Spirit is a band from San Diego, California. The group combines unconventional instruments such as trash cans lids and orchestral bass drums, multi-instrumentalism and spiritually themed lyrics into a hybrid of rock and northern soul...

)
• Mike Mills

Mike Mills

Michael Edward "Mike" Mills is an American multi-instrumentalist and composer who was a founding member of the alternative rock group R.E.M.. Though known primarily as a bass guitarist, backing vocalist, and pianist, his musical repertoire includes also keyboards, guitar, and percussion instruments...

 (R.E.M.

R.E.M.

R.E.M. was an American rock band formed in Athens, Georgia, in 1980 by singer Michael Stipe, guitarist Peter Buck, bassist Mike Mills and drummer Bill Berry. One of the first popular alternative rock bands, R.E.M. gained early attention due to Buck's ringing, arpeggiated guitar style and Stipe's...

)
• Naked Hearts

Naked Hearts

Naked Hearts is a 1966 French drama film directed by Édouard Luntz. It was entered into the 16th Berlin International Film Festival.-Cast:* Gérard Zimmermann - Zim* Marise Maire - Jacqueline* Eric Penet - Jean-Pierre* Françoise Bonneau - Patricia...

• O+S
• Parts & Labor

Parts & Labor

Parts & Labor is an American experimental rock/noise rock band. The group was formed in 2002 by B.J. Warshaw and Dan Friel in Brooklyn, NY. Drummer Joe Wong joined the band in 2007. Parts & Labor has released five albums, two EPs, one split album , and numerous 7"s and compilation tracks...

• Peter Gabriel

Peter Gabriel

Peter Brian Gabriel is an English singer, musician, and songwriter who rose to fame as the lead vocalist and flautist of the progressive rock group Genesis. After leaving Genesis, Gabriel went on to a successful solo career...

• Priscilla Ahn

Priscilla Ahn

Priscilla Ahn is an American singer-songwriter.-Early life and education:Ahn was born Priscilla Natalie Hartranft in Fort Stewart, Georgia to Kay and Harry Hartranft and spent her childhood living in the USA and South Korea. She lived in Berks County, Pennsylvania for several years and attended...

• SoKo

SOKO

SOKO was an aircraft factory situated in Mostar, Bosnia and Herzegovina. It gained prominence in Yugoslavia.-Products:* Soko 522* Soko S-55-5 Mk...

• Steel Train

Steel Train

Steel Train is an indie rock band from New Jersey. They have toured with Tegan and Sara, Girl in a Coma, Ben Folds, The Fray, Silversun Pickups, Hanson, The Format, Gomez, O.A.R., Barenaked Ladies, Fun and others...

• The Black Swan Effect
• The Gulu Widows Choir
• The Moor
• The Shivers
• The Submarines

The Submarines

-Band history:Working as solo artists in Boston, the two members of the band, John Dragonetti and Blake Hazard, were introduced through a mutual friend, Joe Klompus. Dragonetti and Hazard became partners and soon toured Europe together as members of the band. The relationship lasted for four...

• Tom Freund

Tom Freund

Tom Freund is a singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist from the U.S.A.. Freund met Ben Harper when he was attending Pitzer College in Claremont, California. In 1992 the duo released an album, Pleasure and Pain. Not long after, he joined the alternative country group The Silos as their bassist,...

External links

voiceproject.org