Musicians engaged to address conservation challenges

Some of the musicians who have been involved in this project include Gongwe Wamana (Botswana), Seronga Mohale (Botswana), Sotho Sounds (Lesotho), Bhudaza (Lesotho), Malealea Band (Lesotho), Golden Arrow (Lesotho) and Mosi-Oa-Tunya Band (Zambia).

Founded in 2015 by Alex Paullin, an American musician and geographer, the project empowers musicians to foster a global culture of sustainability using music as the messenger. This is done through collaborating with artists to compose, record and produce musical content about local conservation issues using local style and languages.

“We seek to add to the global appeal of these songs, to reach the world with inspiring messages from these countries,” Paullin was quoted as saying. “We seek to empower the voices of rural musicians and national celebrities alike to reach many thousands of people with messages that everyone needs to hear, broadcast nationally via radio and television and globally via new media and media partners. In collective harmony, we are planting the seeds of a brighter future in the hearts and the minds of each individual listener, musician and partner.”

Paullin, who was also an intern for the National Geographic Okavango Wilderness Project (NGOWP), works with musicians by catalysing songs in local genres and local languages. According to the CM website, his aim is to expand the project so that people can hear songs of conservation being sung throughout the world.

“By using the musical medium, the lessons of environmental stewardship are spoken to the heart and the mind simultaneously,” Paullin said. “A positive tone, easy, memorable melodies and a rhythm to dance to make this method of collective communication especially powerful. On top of this, it gives further cause to take the time to listen to realities that are often difficult to hear.”

How it began

While in Botswana, Paullin spent time with setinkane and mbira player Mohale and four-string guitarist Wamana. His association with Wamana gave birth to CM’s first song called ‘Ke Rata Okavango’ (I Love Okavango). Since then, the project has spread to three more countries – Lesotho, Zambia and Angola.

Paullin’s conservation targets in these countries include wildlife conservation, overfishing, excessive livestock, water, soil erosion, drought, climate change and HIV/AIDS. In return, a number of NGOs and individuals in these countries have volunteered to support the CM project. 

In Angola, Paullin is working with the NGOWP to spread awareness in that country on the crucial role of keeping the Okavango Delta watershed safe. In Zambia, they recorded a song called ‘Tushange Isamu’ (Plant Trees) with Mosi-Oa-Tunya Band. From a total of 73 Zambian native languages, Paullin and his team managed to include five into the song.

Paullin used his savings to run this project and he is currently assembling a crowd-funding campaign to help the mission carry on. For more about this project, please visit CM’s official website.