I got a mysterious email one day a few months ago about this crazy idea of music created through worldwide collaboration of street musicians. I went to the web site and fell in love instantly with the sound and the message of hope and peace that came from there performances. Log into their web site and you can watch performances of some classic tunes and wonder at the way technology and travel made it possible for people and groups literally from all over the world to join together to make truly unique music that is full of symbolism and joy.
This one came to our attention through Samite Mulondo, an African performer we stumbled across in my endless quest for interesting new music. He set up this charity to try and help this most desperate part of the world through the simple means of music. Perhaps naive and perhaps secondary to the basics of food, but music brings a meaning and purpose and pleasure to life that can make it worth living when all else is so terribly bleak. We often feel overwhelmed with the tragedy that is sub-Saharan Africa and this project offers a way to contribute modestly and perhaps help in small, important ways.
You may know how important being in the mountains is for Annette and me and our travels these days are usually connected to an opportunity to spend time in mountains somewhere in the world. The purpose of this charity is to help kids from the inner cities experience the special magic of the outdoors and especially the mountains, sometimes mountains that are just a short trip from their homes. Even living in Utah, with mountains all around us, there is something energizing that happens when we get out of the city and up into the hills--seeing them from the valley is nice but just not the same as being part of them for a little while. We try to organize trips to the mountains among our friends and students and this group is doing the same in an organized way in a number of big cities. I also like causes that are close to home as there are people in need right under our noses.
I don't shy away from the fact that I use animals in my research and I don't support groups like this to cover my guilt but because they are also willing to grapple with the complexities of animal use that is for the good of both humans and other animals. And this is where MC, the Wonder Cat came from.