FilmAid charity uses The Joy Formidable for refugee video
Mold trio The Joy Formidable have found their work going into the most unforeseen of locations, courtesy of refugee workers in Kenya.
The Joy Formidable
Fresh from recording their second album in America and touring with Foo Fighters, the band were contacted by Paola Mendoza and Topaz Adizes, two filmmakers working as volunteers at the Kakuma Refugee Camp in northern Kenya, which mostly houses Sudanese refugees.
The filmmakers had used a previous single, A Heavy Abacus, as the soundtrack music for a short film made as part of , the organisation Mendoza and Adizes work for, and World Refugee Day on 20 June.
It features young residents of the camp lip-synching to the music. Watch the FilmAid video here:
The Joy Formidable, after seeing the film and the work of FilmAid, have been spreading the word about the project.
"There are a whole lot of problems to tackle in the area where they're working, but I think the way they're approaching it, through the power of images and art as a way of connecting with people is great," .
"We hope the video helps them reach a wider audience. It challenges people to think for a second about how other people are living. Ultimately the idea of the video is to encourage people to donate to what is a great charity."
Mendoza has written a short piece for in which she says: "My time spent in Kakuma Refugee Camp was life-changing. I lived both ends of the emotional spectrum. I felt inspired as I met people that had overcome the impossible, but I also felt heartbreak as I heard the atrocities they had lived through.
"In the sea of these emotions, my partner Topaz Adizes and I decided to make a music video. We grabbed our camera; two bounce boards and my iPhone and went into the camp. As soon as we got to Juba (a Sudanese community where we shot the video) we were greeted with open arms and lots of smiles.
"I am so proud of this music video because the people shine with beauty, joy and dignity. It's magical because their light is bright and it envelops everyone that sees it.
"As soon as the band The Joy Formidable saw it, they fell in love with it. They said we had made them a gift. I hope you feel the same when you watch it."
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