Give a Home for Human Rights took place on Wed 20th September. The global refugee concert series was created by Amnesty International and Sofar Sounds saw 1000 artists perform 300 unique living room shows across 60 countries. Sets from Emeli Sande, Ed Sheeran, Jessie Ware, Tom Odell and Rudimental were also streamed via Facebook Live on their respective pages, as well as by Sofar Sounds. MCs at London gigs included Reggie Yates, Maya Jama, Sam Roddick and Gemma Cairney.
Give a Home brings together some of the world’s most recognised musicians, refugee artists and activists with refugees and local communities, with the money raised going to support Amnesty’s work to protect human rights around the world. The one of a kind event comes as the global refugee population exceeds 22 million – the worst refugee crisis since the Second World War – with people forced to flee conflict and persecution across the world.
However, despite the numbers the international community’s response has, for the most part, been completely inadequate. With a few notable exceptions, governments have demonstrated what Amnesty has termed a “shocking failure of leadership”, building walls and fences and introducing policies to keep refugees out, rather than working to share responsibility for hosting and assisting refugees, and to address the root causes of the crisis.
Kate Allen, Director of Amnesty UK, said: “We are delighted that so many fantastic musicians signed up to Give a Home and that so many people around the world are opening their doors to host these gigs in solidarity with refugees. Governments have displayed a shocking failure of leadership over the refugee crisis, but ordinary people in communities across the world have been going out of their way to welcome refugees. Everyone performing, hosting or attending one of these gigs will be part of this movement for a better response to the crisis, in the UK and around the globe.”
Give a Home for Human Rights
The concert series is a collaboration between Amnesty International, the world’s largest human rights organisation, and Sofar Sounds, a London-based company that specialises in arranging secret concerts in people’s homes around the world. Sofar Sounds have previously hosted shows in venues ranging from back gardens in Cape Town to greenhouses in Tokyo.
Tackling the global refugee crisis and ‘I Welcome’
The refugee crisis affects the lives of more than 22 million people worldwide. Almost all are hosted outside the wealthiest nations, and currently just ten of the world’s 193 countries host more than half its refugees.
Give a Home For Human Rights is part of Amnesty’s ‘I Welcome’ campaign, which calls for a better international response to the global refugee crisis through governments sharing responsibility for hosting and assisting refugees.The campaign also aims to build grassroots solidarity with refugees, and create more welcoming communities across the UK for those fleeing conflict and persecution.
