Fair trade music

Appreciating and supporting music from other cultures is a winner for global relations. Cynics mights say that the lion’s share of financial support will always end up in the pockets of middlemen and record companies based in the developed world. Well, here is a way to avoid that. World music emporium Calabash has launched a Tune Your World campaign encouraging customers to buy songs from African artists. It promises: “At least 50 per cent (in some cases 100 per cent) of your purchase will go to the artist or to an African relief NGO… with this money, musicians will be able to buy new instruments, recording or performing equipment, complete their education, or put a new roof on their house." Choose from music by Sierra Leone's Refugee All Stars and Afrobeat Sudan Aid Project. Fantastic music, and you know that the money will stay in Africa - thanks to Wayne and Wax and Gervase for this post. Off eco-subject, but on the same global music threat, I enjoyed this about how to appreciate music in another language.

Comments

[Suzy Glaskie]

This is a singularly yukky query, I'm afraid. Having gone through what must have been - quite literally - thousands of disposable nappies for my two eldest children (boys - both of whom were spectacularly late in being potty trained), I'm now firmly converted to real nappies for my baby daughter. My query is what is best to do with the paper nappy liners once they've 'been used'. I've been flushing them down the loo but have read on the back of one make of liners that they can be composted. Is this adviseable or desirable from a gardening perspective? My family is already objecting to eating dinner next to a stinky compost bin in the kitchen and I think baby poo in it might just be the tipping point. But I'll be prepared to put them straight in the big composter in the garden if poo or wee is actually beneficial to the end compost. This is my first time composting so I'm a bit of a novice all round. Any advice would be much appreciated. If not in the composter, should I just put them in a bin instead of flushing? I'm keen to avoid those horrid, plastic scented bags as far as possible.

By the way, Anna, the last time I corresponded with you was about a story about office desks being dirtier than toilet seats, a few years ago when you featured it in Times 2. Back then, if I'd have read the email I've just written above, I would have thought its writer was in serious need of help! Well done for your brilliant columns: I've gone from reading them with a sort of detached curiosity, to (I'm embarrassed to say) filing them!!

Best regards,

Suzy

[w&w]

Thanks for the link, Anna, and for shining some more light on the Calabash project. Just thought you and your readers would like know that there has been a rather interesting, and I think productive, discussion of Calabash's "fair trade" approach over at DJ /rupture's blog:
http://www.negrophonic.com/2007/matsuli-gem-delivery-service/

Well worth reading.

Best,
w

[Ian Murdey]

Suzy

What make of liners are compostable and where do you get them? If your kids are anything like mine then only 1 in 4 will contain poo and so at least 3/4 could be fairly safely stuck into the (outside!) composter without too much offence.

[student accommodation]

Yes, agree somewhat.

[Lucy]

An association in France, Fairplaylist, is organising a fair trade music festival to cooincide with the French fair trade fortnight. For further details, see http://makemusicmatter.free.fr or http://fairplaylist.org
Cheers, Lucy