AME Info
United Arab Emirates:
PRESS RELEASE
One year since the historic musical charity collaboration ‘Tomorrow-Bokra’ made its hugely successful debut from the UAE, the producers have announced how funds raised by the musical production will support arts programmes in schools, orphanages and for special needs children across the Arab World.
Recorded in Rabat, Morocco and Doha, Qatar by 24 of the most popular singers from countries across the Arab World and launched in the UAE on 11.11.11 at 11:11 pm to signify the oneness of the project, the charity single and video ‘Tomorrow-Bokra’ instantly hit the top of the music charts for both International and Arabic music across the Middle East, staying at number 1 for 5 consecutive weeks, reaching a television audience of tens of millions and becoming the fastest viewed Arabic music video on YouTube with more than 7 million hits.
Funds raised through the project are now being distributed to global organizations to launch a ground-breaking platform for education in the arts across the Arab world.
The announcement was made at a press conference at The Capital Club, DIFC, attended by legendary music producer Quincy Jones and Emirati social entrepreneur Badr Jafar – both Executive producers on the “Tomorrow-Bokra” charity single and video – in addition to representatives from the beneficiary organizations: Save The Children, UN World Food Programme and the Abu Dhabi Music & Arts Foundation.
The ‘Tomorrow-Bokra’ initiative donations will start by supporting Bokra Arts programmes to serve more than 5,000 children in three countries in the Arab World. The initiative will enable Save the Children to launch its innovative Healing and Education Through the Arts (HEART) programme, in schools in Palestine and at WFP associated schools in Jordan.
Heart brings the proven power of artistic expression – drawing, painting, music, drama, dance and more – to some of the world’s most vulnerable children, allowing them to process and express complex feelings and emotions related to traumatic events in their lives. The programme trains teachers, caregivers and parents to use the arts to help children cope with feelings of stress, anxiety, anger and sadness, while improving the quality of early learning and basic education activities in structured learning environments and child-friendly spaces. Together, this combined approach to healing and learning leads to dramatic improvements in their overall well-being and education.
Supported by Bokra, Save The Children will partner with two local institutions in the West Bank to launch a two-year strategy for building the HEART programme into early childhood development programmes, through building the capacity of teachers at preschools and kindergartens to incorporate learning arts and expressive arts into their classrooms. The two-year goal for this project is to train more than 408 teachers and parents and bring arts into 36 preschools and kindergartens, for the benefit of approximately 1440 Palestinian children. Save the Children is the world’s leading independent organization for children.
As the United Nations’ frontline agency in the global fight against hunger, WFP is mandated to provide emergency and development assistance to eradicate hunger and poverty amongst the poorest and most food-insecure countries and populations. The ‘Tomorrow/Bokra’ initiative donation will allow Save the Children to introduce and manage the HEART programme, which provides educational and fun access to music, dance, performance, craft, and visual arts, in three different schools in Jordan where WFP assists the government to implement school meals programmes for children in need. The goal for this project is to benefit approximately 1500 Jordanian children with the intent for future phases in Yemen and Egypt.
Abu Dhabi Music & Arts Foundation (ADMAF), has played an essential role in nurturing the arts in the UAE through its far-reaching and respected educational and community programmes. The “Tomorrow/Bokra” initiative donation will allow the vulnerable and underprivileged youth of the UAE to have the opportunity to engage in an advanced programme of arts educational initiatives that will contribute to their personal development, academic performance and to the ongoing, sustainable development of the UAE as a centre for creativity and best practice with children and the arts. The goal for this project is to provide over 300 orphans and hundreds more special needs children access to the arts across the UAE.
Speaking after the event HE Hoda Al Khamis Kanoo, Founder, Abu Dhabi Music & Arts Foundation highlighted the importance of the Bokra / Tomorrow initiative. “We are extremely proud to have been associated with this incredible project and we’re deeply grateful to Badr Jafar and Quincy Jones for their energy and vision. ADMAF is fully committed to propagating the arts as a vital aspect of a child’s development and will continue creating opportunities that are available to all sections of society. Our programme of support for orphans and special needs children in the UAE will be a prime beneficiary of TOMORROW / BOKRA. Creativity leads to knowledge and knowledge leads to the betterment of society.”
Speaking to attendees at the press conference, legendary music producer and joint Executive Producer of the charity single and video, Quincy Jones said, “It is a fantastic feeling to be back in the UAE one year on from the launch of this song with my brother Badr, having witnessed the tremendous response to the ‘Tomorrow-Bokra’ initiative across the entire Middle East. The real success however starts now, with the rolling out of the first phase of the Bokra Arts Programmes in 2013, which is set to have a lasting impact on many young lives across the Middle East. The arts have the power to heal and transform and the programmes build on the song’s message by offering channels for a better tomorrow.”
Badr Jafar, Emirati social entrepreneur and joint Executive Producer of the charity single and video, added, “The ‘Tomorrow-Bokra’ project has provided the ability to cross borders and cultures and that’s what the arts can do. It is a privilege to be able to offer thousands of children across the Arab world education in music and the arts, providing them with the tools they need to learn and deliver a message that could make a real difference in their future. The arts programmes set to be launched by our beneficiaries, will help nurture the talent of children across the Middle East and North Africa, and open the door to many more opportunities in their lives.”
Continuing the success of the ‘Tomorrow-Bokra’ collaboration, Jones and Jafar also announced the planned release in 2013 of the film ‘Bokra’. The documentary feature film, will reveal the success story of this historic project, going behind the scenes to show how the vision began, the making of the song, music video and collaboration of all the Arab superstars. In line with the initiative’s regional ambition, ‘Bokra’ the film will follow 3 young aspiring Arab artists from across the region, showing how the achievement of ‘Tomorrow | Bokra’ will change their lives.
Bokra group.
