Most people buy into the idea that music immensely impact human life especially pertaining to emotions. Plato, the renowned Greek philosopher posited “music is a moral law. It gives soul to the universe, wings to the mind, flight to the imagination, and charm and gaiety to life and to everything.” This statement sheds light on the fact that music is entwined with soul. Against this backdrop, one can fathom that music has the power of conditioning the feeling of care, affection, sympathy and belongingness among people.
I cannot wrap my mind around how people take the songs meant to create sympathy as sources of entertainment. The influence of the song “We are the world” was undeniable in availing medical supplies and food products for Ethiopia during the famine that hard hit the country in 1983. The song “Do they know it’s Christmas ?” that donated medical supplies and food coasted 11 million USD is also another good example that shows songs have the potential of unifying fellows for extending helping hands to one another.
It is to be recalled that two years after the Great Ethiopian Famine, crisscrossing the globe, Ethiopian artists did stage a great music festival known as Hizb le Hizb (people-to-people) in 60 cities. As the saying goes a friend in need is a friend indeed, the objectives of this huge event were to express heartfelt gratitude to the international community for standing with Ethiopia during the famine and to convey the message that Ethiopia of ancient civilization boasting alluring tangible and intangible heritages keeps going a robust and magnificent country. The event bore testimony to the fact that music is endowed with the potential of encapsulating and conveying feelings like thankfulness and elation.
Heart-touching songs have high degree of persuading people in alms seeking. This technique has been used for many years and it could be said it was effective. Street performers or Buskers perform on the streets to garner money, food and drink. Besides, exploiting the potential of songs in triggering sympathy as an advantage, patients who cannot afford their medication fee and begging is whose last chance of survival, use such heartfelt songs together with compassionate words to win good Samaritans over.
For the support they garnered during the fund-raising process I am sure that patients who recuperated via such means are grateful to the songs besides the kind people. Understanding the potential of such songs in creating compassion and care, wily people abuse the good fortune to indulge in theft and of course they succeed. Fortunately, people begin to understand that such untoward practices are becoming common and different media outlets are exposing this craftiness. As such the tendency of duping people is decreasing.
A friend of mine believes that such songs have valuable impacts in the fundraising process. He said, “For me, the value of art in history of compassionate & charity services is undeniable. Heartfelt songs play such valuable role that contributes to a plenty of fundraising events that saves the lives of many people. But, nowadays, they’re being abused like other good things. This makes the donors suspect their generosity is being exploited. They doubt their generous activity being taken as an advantage or as a means of income generation by others. This also erodes philanthropists’ trust and erects a barrier to reach the right people in need. So, I recommend such things to be institutionalized”. He also added from his religious point of view that “if possible, I will try to prioritize those I feel suffer the most. But, whether I got cheated or not, I always prefer to give for those who ask from me and I will keep on being fooled for I believe I will get blessings from above,”
Let’s say, such songs are not part of the begging technique, what do you think will happen?
I suppose the degree people feel compassionate about the patients would gradually dwindle. But, then what should be done to let people help the needy without complaining about the system of begging, especially the pity-triggering songs? I leave this question for you.
What is most important is that music/ songs have the power to boost the feeling of care, unity, peace, love and the like among human beings. There are lots of songs that are meant for such purposes and that proved globally influential. For instance: We are the world, One love and what a wonderful world are but to mention a few. In Ethiopia also there are songs specifically meant for such purpose. These songs include Ethiopia, Selam, Aynorm and Ene negn derash le wegene.
This benevolent music: Ene negn derash lewegene is the best and foremost example in this regard. The music is released in 2016 by “kidney patients’ dialysis charity association” .It was sung by four young famous and talented vocalists. In its aesthetic value, the music has an incredible melody with extremely initiative heart-melting lyrics, also the music video shows how sociable Ethiopians are and the part taken from a movie called Lamba shares similar ideas with the music. This music reaches its apex with its main purpose (the purpose related to kidney patients) and now we see people on streets using this music for raising funds for people who could not afford their medication fee.
Our beloved musicians of such passionate songs, I forward this question to you and for all musicians/artists. It is presumable that it’s tough to produce such songs concerning someone’s pain and grief putting oneself in his/her shoe. There is no gainsaying your works will pass down generations’ lane, as Ethiopians never forget such favors. Your massive work has been touching sensitive cords in citizens’ hearts for 6 years now. Hence, why don’t you come up with such impact-wielding songs more and more?
For the Russian author Leo Tolstoy, music is the shorthand of emotions, in which human emotions are easily and deeply expressed through music. Accordingly, the unquestionable influence of songs in many aspects of human life should be recognized.We should make the most out of it.
BY DANAT AND TSION
The Ethiopian Herald 28 May 2022
