Mumford & Sons and David Archuleta were among the artists who performed for Break the Silence’s Campaign ‘25’ which featured 25 musical acts playing in 18 cities on April 25th for a common purpose. The concerts, which were put together by the Invisible Children Organization, are geared toward rebuilding infrastructure for thousands of displaced and abducted children affected by the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) insurgency in northern Uganda.
Fans attended Mumford & Son’s sold-out show in Austin, TX and were in for a night of great music and awareness. David Archuleta lent his voice to Invisible Children in Nashville, TN to adoring fans. With the focus of the shows on the organization, attendees and performers alike were elated to join in for the cause (the proceeds from the shows went to the foundation).
Afterward, David Archuleta blogged that the cause has always been very close to his heart, even long before his American Idol days, stating, “I wasn’t singing but I went to Gulu Walk and would share the [Invisible Children’s] DVD’s with people I knew so it’s cool to now be able to come and perform for events.” Archuleta added, “It’s great to see how motivated and creative they are to get people motivated to act.” Other music acts involved with the Campaign ‘25’ included Taking Back Sunday, Zach Rogue, Plain White T’s, and Circa Survive. Participants of the shows were to raise at least $25 in order to RSVP; over $1.5 million was raised overall.
Invisible Children has long been supported by various artists, such as singer/songwriter Brett Dennen. The “Ain’t No Reason” singer will donate 100% of proceeds from the Loverboy CDs and Vinyls sold at his shows, or online merchandise store, to Invisible Children. Another philanthropic artist is the actress Kristen Bell, who visited the very heart of the rebel war, Uganda, to lend a hand and has subsequently designed a lovely necklace for the cause.
All proceeds go towards the rebuilding of schools, creating jobs, and the rescue of Joseph Kony’s (head of LRA) abducted child soldiers in Africa, which make up the bulk of an estimated 1,500 soldiers. There are a projected 300,000 misplaced individuals as of April of this year, and over two million since the onset of the insurgency in 1987. Invisible Children is making it their business to reduce and eventually abolish this statistic by putting an end to this 25 year-long African Civil War. With music, film, and social action as the catapult for much of Invisible Children’s awareness efforts, their continued success fosters hope for ending Africa’s longest war and finally bringing peace to the affected African communities.
To make a contribution, please visit the Invisible Children store.