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I may be a little late to this one, but I only just picked up on this single from Mattafix (Living Darfur). It is a great song with all proceeds donated to the Darfur crisis.
If you like the video/track, do the right thing and go buy it from your favourite music store/site.
Peter Gabriel, one of the world’s truly great men was honored by MIDEM (The World’s Music Market) last night at the Carlton Hotel in Cannes for his achievements in music, in technology as well as for his inspirational work for human rights, social and environmental causes.
As a musician, he is a legend. He built on his early success with Genesis and then become a globally successful solo artist. He also was hugely influential in bringing world music to the western world through WOMAD and his own label Real World.
As a pioneer and innovator, he has always been on the forefront of new technology whether through his use of video technology (Sledgehammer video, anyone?), multimedia/CD-Rom projects way before it was mainstream, launching the first online music distribution services (OD2) or more recently by being involved with two web startups we7 (ad-funded music downloads) and The Filter (personalised music recommendation service).
Peter Gabriel believes passionately about making a difference. Not only has he touched millions through his music and other projects, but he is also making a significant difference to the world. He has given his time and energy to a number of causes through the years including helping human rights through his Witness project that gives people the communication tools to document human rights abuses, as well as through the recent launch of The Elders which he set up with Sir Richard Branson and Nelson Mandela (see our Sign The Declaration of Human Rights story for more details on The Elders)
Peter Gabriel is an inspiration to anybody who wants to make a difference. He doesn’t just talk about it, he makes it happen. A truly great man. I am really pleased he has been honored in this way by the music industry.
Last week The Independent announced that Belu Water founder Reed Paget won the 2007 social entrepreneur award.
It turns out that The Schwab Foundation and the Boston Consulting Group have been the driving forces behind the search for social entrepreneurs not just in the UK, but throughout the globe. The Independent award for the UK is just one of 22 different country awards. The winners from the other countries have been announced over the last 12 months (with a few more to come):
France: Anne-Karine Stocchetti for Gepetto – a network that delivers childcare in the home for parents that work odd hours (nights, weekends, early mornings).
Singapore: Kenny Low for CHEC – an education centre that targets youths that have dropped out of the mainstream school system.
Israel: Bilha Piamenta for Kav-Or – distance learning for children in hospital using computers and tailored software to provide education, companionship, and opportunities to play.
Germany: Rose Volz-Schmidt for Wellcome – a support network for families with newborn children, providing help and respite if the mother feels overwhelmed.
Canada: Geoffrey Cape for Evergreen – whose missions is to bring communities and nature together for the benefit of both.
India: Harish Hande for Selco Solar Light – provides access to rural solar electrification for below poverty line families.
Brazil: Sebastião (Tião) Rocha for Centro Popular de Cultura e Desenvovimento (CPCD) – romote informal education and community development through reciprocal leaning, play, games, mobile libraries, theatre and music.
Indonesia: Anton Sudjarwo for Yayasan Dian Desa – focuses on product and service innovations that enhance the quality of life of marginalised communities, as well as to set them on a path towards self-reliance.
Argentina: Gustavo Gennuso for Fundación Gente Nueva – the foundation focuses on education and enterprise development for at-risk youths.
Colombia: Alvaro Dávila for Fundación Social – the foundation uses the interest of community savings accounts to invest in for-profit business enterprises. This has helped them towards their missions of “contributing to overcome the structural causes of poverty in Colombia by building a more humane, prosperous and just society”.
Chile: Mary Anne Müller for Fundación Origen and The Escuela Agro-Ecológica de Pirque – a revolutionary educational model taking organic agriculture as the inspiration for the work undertaken with at risk youth from low income families.
South Africa: Taffy Adler for Johannesburg Housing Company – refurbishing occupied buildings and construct new ones to offer affordable, safe housing in the Johannesburg inner city.
Turkey: Mustafa Sari for Nature Observers’ Society – by reversing the extinction of a commercial species of fish Mustafa Sari came up with a new approach to fishery management which he has been using since 1996 in the Lake Van region. As a result of this approach, fishermen have seen their revenues rise from 10% to 60%.
Czech Republic: Vojtech Sedlacek for Agentura ProVas – a venture that incubates projects and businesses that employ disabled individuals; a percentage of whom are employed in highly public areas to increase the awareness of the public and policy makers.
Switzerland: Markus Gander for Infoklick – focuses on promoting activities for children.
