We were very pleased to be invited to involve musicians Bashir Al Gamar and Raghad Haddad in this fundraising community event for photographer Giles Duley's charity Legacy Of War.
The event included an exhibition of Giles's photography, a meal and of course live music. Held in Hastings at St Mary in The Castle on the 4th and 5th of July, both evenings were well attended and included a number of guests from recently arrived Syrian families. As well as raising awareness of the charity, the evenings
were also intended to be a sociable space to make new friends, which worked very well.
There was also an art exhibition by local Syrian children, which was nice to see. Overall the message behind the evening was one of support and sharing.
The event was jointly organised by Giles, his friends, Dan Matthews and Hastings Supports Refugees. Everyone worked on a volunteer basis. Both evenings had a great atmosphere and it was a real pleasure to be involved.
Bashir donates funds from his concerts to the village in Sudan he grew up in. The village has been severely affected by war and poverty. Previously his support has paid for equipment for the village school, clothing and more. He aims to be able to build a clean water supply, as currently there is none and the area is affected by cholera.
You can support Bashir by buying his music in the link below. He also appears on our new 'Summer 2018' music compilation on the front page of our site.
Raghad plays regularly with the London Syrian Ensemble and various other music projects.
