‘We are one’: musical performance ‘King Clavé’ reveals that we are ‘interconnected’   

“Rhythm is astatine the halfway of humanity. One who knows bushed knows the world”, said American percussionist Mickey Hart, champion known arsenic 1 of the 2 drummers of the Grateful Dead. 

He is astatine the center of the special show and video feature, on with legendary percussionists Sikiru Adepoju, Zakir Hussain, Giovanni Hidalgo, and a posthumous appearance by the West African drummer Babatunde Olatunji.  

Born from a collaboration between Playing For Change and Planet Drum, "King Clavé" is supported by the UN’s intersexual and reproductive wellness agency, UNFPA, to people the Durban Declaration commemorations, the 1996 papers inked successful South Africa, that is considered a milestone in the planetary combat against racism.  

The musical accumulation was part of the special opening to the UN General Assembly high-level meeting, which excessively spot connected 22 September to commemorate the 20th anniversary, on the theme, Reparations, radical justness and equality for radical of African descent.  

Set to 1 of the astir referenced and universally utilized rhythms known as the ‘clavé’, "King Clavé", invokes a skeletal rhythmic figure, astir which various drums and percussion are played successful astir African, Caribbean, South American and New Orleans music, from the confederate US.  

According to its creators, done the rhythm, “hearts are connected, and differences disappear, illuminating however profoundly humanity is interconnected and revealing that we are one”.  

Arts for societal justice  

The new piece follows connected from the unprecedented occurrence of Peace Through Music: A Global Event for Social Justice in 2020, a collaboration between Playing For Change and UNFPA, who decided to continue on their journey, to unite the satellite done the powerfulness of music.  

In the mediate of the COVID-19 pandemic, Peace Through Music was acceptable arsenic a virtual lawsuit and performance to animate radical to enactment for bid and justice, everyplace for everyone. The planetary lawsuit called for equality, quality rights, and an extremity to discrimination, and reached 4 cardinal views wrong 48 hours of its exclusive Facebook premiere, connecting and inspiring millions of radical successful 193 countries. 

The past down the creators 

Mickey Hart was 1 of the much than 200 musicians that made Peace Through Music 2020 possible, who created Planet Drum with tabla virtuoso, Zakir Hussain.  

Planet Drum members person a agelong past with the UN and activism—the precocious Babatunde Olatunji's drums were displayed during the “Breaking the Silence, Beating the Drum” grounds successful 2009, as portion of the commemoration for the International Day of Remembrance of the Victims of Slavery and the Transatlantic Slave Trade, and helium had antecedently performed astatine the UN General Assembly, and Zakir Hussain performed astatine the UN for the archetypal International Jazz Day successful 2012. 

UNFPA

Nigerian percussionist Sikiru Adepoju performing "King Clavé", a collaboration betwixt Playing For Change and Planet Drum.

Planet Drum was founded successful 1990 with the intention of illustrating however the powerfulness of bushed tin link radical from each antithetic cultures and geographical backgrounds. 

Musicians then joined Mickey Hart successful his workplace for a one-week league of improvised rhythmic composition, and took turns creating circumstantial grooves, then passing the rhythm around, with each way representing a different strand of traditional music - finally blending it together.  

Playing for Change has been signaling and filming musicians and uniting them done “Songs Around the World” for the past 20 years. 

The Foundation established 15 euphony schools celebrating creation and civilization successful under-served communities astir the world.  

According to Mark Johnson, Playing For Change Co-Founder, “King Clavé is simply a solemnisation of bushed astir the world, and with music, we reconnect bosom beats done shared humanity.”  

Later this year, a agelong mentation of the task volition beryllium shared. Stay tuned.