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World Village Festival will be opened by the Sound of Peace concert, featuring Elsi Sloan, Samuli Putro, Emma & Matilda, Nemat Battah, Ramy Essam and house band Vimma. The proceeds from the fundraising organised with the concert will be donated to peace organisations, which are under threat by the Finnish government’s extensive cuts. Elsi Sloan and Samuli Putro reflect on the theme and their own role in peace work:
– Don’t even all dictators claim to be for peace but is there peace without demanding it in a fair and solidary way for all? wonders Elsi Sloan, the musician-actor-activist who will host the concert.
– What peace work has meant to me: working for Sivari & Totaali magazine, civil disobedience, demonstrations, peace camps and the firm belief in the future of a young person. More recently it has been about being in touch with the environment through music, says musician Samuli Putro.
The concert will raise money to support peace organisations. The proceeds of the fundraising will be donated to peace organisations’ peace promotion work via the Peace Union of Finland. The work of peace organisations is threatened by the government’s massive cuts. The general grant for peace work, which was abolished at the beginning of this year, was intended for organisations whose task is peace work and peace education in Finland. Peace organisations act as experts on a wide range of issues and are consulted by ministries, parliament and the UN. They also act as civic educators and trainers of peacebuilders.
Peace Union of Finland member organisations and other peace organisations are participating in the campaign.
Performers
Elsi Sloan: Elsi Sloan, a queer musician who has also gained fame as an actor, is a passionate activist whose artpop-style music takes a bold stand.
Samuli Putro: The multi-award-winning Samuli Putro is remembered for his iconic Zen Café band of years past, as well as his successful solo career spanning more than 20 years.
Emma & Matilda: With over 10 million streams of their debut EP, Emma & Matilda are a duo who make beautiful music even about the painful things, describing their music as ‘bedroom folk’.
Vimma: Vimma is an energetic indie rock band with an activist background, who write songs about what it feels like to have the planet destroyed and how to stop it.
“At Vimma’s gigs, I can dance, scream, be moved and release all the anxiety, frustration and restlessness that I can’t put into words.”
Nemat Battah: Palestinian-Jordanian musician Nemat Battah is trained in traditional Arabic music, and her self-composed music explores her own experiences of intergenerational war trauma.
“Peace is understanding that our diversity as humans shouldn’t divide us.”
Ramy Essam: A courageous defender of human rights and equality around the world, Ramy Essam is a relentless singer who has won numerous awards for his uncompromising activism and music.
