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Institute of Island Studies and WUSC host a benefit concert for Burma August 20
| News
P.E.I. recording artists Tara MacLean and Catherine MacLellan will give a benefit concert on Wednesday, August 20, in the Dr. Steel Recital Hall at UPEI. Called Ricemusic, the concert is to aid refugees from Burma who are facing a food crisis due to the devastation caused by Cyclone Nargis this past May.
The event will also include an exhibition and sale of stunning photographic images--the work of refugees in the camps on the Thai border. The doors open at 7 p.m. for the photo exhibition and sale, with the concert starting at 8 p.m.
The area of Burma hit by the cyclone is one of the major rice-producing areas in the world. In addition to dealing with widespread death and destruction of homes, rice crops and livelihoods, the Burmese must cope with the recent, rapid rise in the price of imported rice.
The fundraiser is a collaborative effort of the Institute of Island Studies (IIS), WUSC (which supports refugee students at UPEI), community partners involved in the PEI Food Security Network, the Atlantic Centre for International Cooperation and refugees from Burma now living on P.E.I.
"The coast of Burma, like that of many small islands around the world, is extremely vulnerable to the natural disasters that accompany global climate change," says IIS director Dr. Irene Novaczek. "As Islanders facing an uncertain future that will involve increased coastal erosion, stronger and more frequent hurricanes, and flooding, we appreciate the importance of coming to the aid of other coastal and island people who are much less able, for reasons rooted in poverty and politics, to cope with natural disasters."
Inspiration for the project came from Island native Harmony Wagner, a practitioner of traditional Chinese medicine who has been volunteering for the past several years with the Mae Tao Clinic (www.maetaoclinic.org) in Mae Sot, Thailand, close to the Burmese border. This clinic provides free health care to refugees and migrant workers from Burma living in Thailand, and is run entirely on donations. When Nargis hit, Wagner had just returned from training medics at the Mae Tao.
“Mae Tao clinic and the five surrounding refugee camps were already scrambling to feed the 150,000 refugees in the area, due to the drastic increase in the price of rice,” says Wagner. “When I saw the news of the cyclone, I knew this meant that even more refugees would stream over the border seeking help from Mae Tao, taxing their capacity to adequately feed and provide health care for those already in the camps.”
Thus, Ricemusic was born from a deep compassion for the victims of Cyclone Nargis and the people struggling to assist them, and from the heartache of watching the shockingly inadequate response from the Burmese military junta.
Ricemusic has been developed to raise both funds and awareness of the ongoing plight of the people of Burma and to shine a light on the growing concern for global food security. At current rice prices, a $20 Ricemusic concert ticket will feed a refugee family of four for ten days. In return, concertgoers can look forward to an evening of musical magic, which will be hosted by Cynthia Dunsford. The fundraiser also includes a raffle for more than 40 prizes donated by Island businesses.
All proceeds from Ricemusic will go directly to buy food and medical supplies for the Mae Tao Clinic. The clinic has an emergency assistance team that can cross into Burma and provide direct support to the communities most affected by the cyclone, filling the gaps where other aid falls short and reporting back to the world first-hand accounts and pictures of the crisis.
Tickets for the concert and raffle are $20 and can be purchased at Timothy’s World Coffee, the Association for Newcomers to PEI, Charlottetown Farmers’ Market and at the door. Concerned Islanders are encouraged to make additional donations to the Institute of Island Studies/Ricemusic, for which they will receive a charitable tax receipt from UPEI. Check out www.ricemusic.ca for more information.
The event will also include an exhibition and sale of stunning photographic images--the work of refugees in the camps on the Thai border. The doors open at 7 p.m. for the photo exhibition and sale, with the concert starting at 8 p.m.
The area of Burma hit by the cyclone is one of the major rice-producing areas in the world. In addition to dealing with widespread death and destruction of homes, rice crops and livelihoods, the Burmese must cope with the recent, rapid rise in the price of imported rice.
The fundraiser is a collaborative effort of the Institute of Island Studies (IIS), WUSC (which supports refugee students at UPEI), community partners involved in the PEI Food Security Network, the Atlantic Centre for International Cooperation and refugees from Burma now living on P.E.I.
"The coast of Burma, like that of many small islands around the world, is extremely vulnerable to the natural disasters that accompany global climate change," says IIS director Dr. Irene Novaczek. "As Islanders facing an uncertain future that will involve increased coastal erosion, stronger and more frequent hurricanes, and flooding, we appreciate the importance of coming to the aid of other coastal and island people who are much less able, for reasons rooted in poverty and politics, to cope with natural disasters."
Inspiration for the project came from Island native Harmony Wagner, a practitioner of traditional Chinese medicine who has been volunteering for the past several years with the Mae Tao Clinic (www.maetaoclinic.org) in Mae Sot, Thailand, close to the Burmese border. This clinic provides free health care to refugees and migrant workers from Burma living in Thailand, and is run entirely on donations. When Nargis hit, Wagner had just returned from training medics at the Mae Tao.
“Mae Tao clinic and the five surrounding refugee camps were already scrambling to feed the 150,000 refugees in the area, due to the drastic increase in the price of rice,” says Wagner. “When I saw the news of the cyclone, I knew this meant that even more refugees would stream over the border seeking help from Mae Tao, taxing their capacity to adequately feed and provide health care for those already in the camps.”
Thus, Ricemusic was born from a deep compassion for the victims of Cyclone Nargis and the people struggling to assist them, and from the heartache of watching the shockingly inadequate response from the Burmese military junta.
Ricemusic has been developed to raise both funds and awareness of the ongoing plight of the people of Burma and to shine a light on the growing concern for global food security. At current rice prices, a $20 Ricemusic concert ticket will feed a refugee family of four for ten days. In return, concertgoers can look forward to an evening of musical magic, which will be hosted by Cynthia Dunsford. The fundraiser also includes a raffle for more than 40 prizes donated by Island businesses.
All proceeds from Ricemusic will go directly to buy food and medical supplies for the Mae Tao Clinic. The clinic has an emergency assistance team that can cross into Burma and provide direct support to the communities most affected by the cyclone, filling the gaps where other aid falls short and reporting back to the world first-hand accounts and pictures of the crisis.
Tickets for the concert and raffle are $20 and can be purchased at Timothy’s World Coffee, the Association for Newcomers to PEI, Charlottetown Farmers’ Market and at the door. Concerned Islanders are encouraged to make additional donations to the Institute of Island Studies/Ricemusic, for which they will receive a charitable tax receipt from UPEI. Check out www.ricemusic.ca for more information.
Contact
Anna MacDonald
Media Relations and Communications, Integrated Promotions
