Step by step forward

This is our second announcement whilst preparing for the 4th Music for Gaza CD-exchange event and benefit concert in Heerlen. Click here if this is your first visit to our blog!

Merlijn Twaalfhoven has sent a newletter from Foundation La Vie Sur Terre, the organization behind the Music for Gaza projects.

"Last January, together with a team of volunteers, I have organized three benefit evenings in Amsterdam, Tilburg and Utrecht. For an interview in Dutch on Mambopoint TV, please click here. The audience was invited to bring CD's they wanted to donate and exchange for others and there were performances of Susies Haarlok and The Tunes, to name just a couple.

We've managed to collect €5237,- so far and donations via our bank added another €759,85. I am very pleased with every donation, some even gave more than 100 euro. The Oecumenic Elementary School 'De As' from Heerenveen even collected more than 200 euro for our project. That is really commendable and very special!

Our goal was to collect money for a huge music project we wanted to establish for the children in Gaza, in cooperation with the local music school that had been severely affected in its operations during the recent bombardments. Music enables people to express their emotions. Especially in places where fear and tragedy dominate daily life, people lose the ability to communicate with an open heart. And specificly for the children, music can play an important role in dealing with the trauma of recent tragic events.

To make sure that the music project I intend to organize for the children of Gaza won't be a one-off occasion, but a long term project to help train local music teachers how to educate and help the children with music therapy programs for a number of years, I'm now aiming for a much higher figure! It's also only the beginning, so I will continue organizing a variety in events and activities."


To donate from outside the Netherlands:

IBAN: NL72INGB0009442547 BIC: INGBNL2A
La Vie sur Terre, Amsterdam, the Netherlands
with description: “Donation Gaza”.

Please include your name and email address as well. That way we'll be able to keep you posted about the project and how your donation will be spent.


What's next?
So we're now focussed on the Music for Gaza event we plan for May 3. What can we tell you after a few days of intensive lobbying, sending emails, setting up meetings, telephone calls?

Info-stand May 5 Liberation Festival Limburg in Roermond
Ronald Kohnen, director of the festival organization COS Limburg (center for international cooperation) offered us a stand at the annual Liberation Festival in Roermond that attracts 25.000 visitors. They can't participate in our May 3 event, for obvious reasons, but support the Music for Gaza project wholeheartedly. That's why we'll proudly be present May 5, with a Music for Gaza info-stand. What can you expect? Besides a lot of CD's you can buy for 1 euro, there will be brochures and information about interesting and groundbreaking projects, as well as fine articles you can buy to support the music project. Do you plan to attend the Liberation festival in Roermond? Make sure you drop by our stand! Interested in becoming a Music for Gaza volunteer? Let us know by email: musicforgaza(AT)gmail.com

The Music for Gaza Lottery
As announced in our first blog, every visitor will get a free lottery ticket. We're busy arranging a cool collection of prizes and next to a bundle of Rowwen Heze CD's with signatures of the bandmembers, we've also had some results in the world of literature. Publisher Podium in Amsterdam (thanks again!) sent us three books, in Dutch, for our lottery. A book by Eva Ludemann, a journalist who wrote about her experiences in the Gaza Strip and two books by writer/former Middle East correspondent and Dutch television show "Zomergasten" host Joris Luyendijk. For collectors, we have a very nice booklet and promo copy of Madeleine Peyroux's album "Half the Perfect World.



We need sponsors!
We're also still looking for sponsors to help pay for the concert hall. We can proudly announce the first two sponsors have already come forward, one of our partner organizations, Vredesburo Heerlen and Heerlen Mondiaal. But we do need more funds to help put together a vibrant evening of music in De Nieuwe Nor!

What can sponsors expect in return?
Organizations en companies will be featured with logo and name on flyers and posters. This will also be visible at our info-stand at the Liberation Festival. And you will contribute to a magnificant goal, to help rebuild the music school in Gaza and help develop music projects and music therapy programming for Palestinian children. So please help Merlijn Twaalfhoven to realize his project and become a sponsor for 85 euro!

Among the bands who have shown an interest, Roy van den Boorn from Soundmaze spontaneously offered his help in approaching potential sponsors. DJ Noisebag also chipped in, so a big thumbs up for their efforts! Mariam Er-Rabhi of the Future Vubes Dance school has also been inviting a lot of musicians and people to support this Music for Gaza project.

Do you want to help realize the Music for Gaza music project in Heerlen? Then send us an email: musicforgaza(AT)gmail.com

We'll continue our work behind the scenes and hope we'll have some good news again the next time we'll be blogging here. See you then!