Kamloops artists sound off on Syrian conflict through music, spoken word

KAMLOOPS – Local artists are sharing their gifts to provide both commentary and support following ongoing conflict in Syria and the upcoming arrival of refugees to the area.

Singers and songwriters Deandra Dey and Timothy Brookbanks recently produced a track, Wait and See, and are hoping to donate funds received from their song toward refugee support.

“As things have gotten progressively worse in the Middle East, we wanted to contribute to the cause but we were not sure how.” Brookbanks says. “With the release of our new song, we realized it would be a great opportunity to bring the two things together."

With a fundraising goal of $1,500, the pair hopes to make their donation by Dec. 25. Each dollar will go towards the Red Cross Emergency Refugee Crisis Appeal which can be donated to here. The Canadian Government will match each dollar.

So far, Brookbanks and Dey have raised $800 through their song, which was released last Friday, Nov. 27.

A second artist from Kamloops, Timo Sargent, released his spoken word piece The Opposite of a Mass Killing in response to recent terror attacks.

“I was inspired by the feeling of helplessness that set in as details about the Paris and Beirut attacks unspooled on social media and news platforms,” he says. “I was trying to imagine how regular people can possibly counter these acts of violence that reverberate around the world."

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To contact a reporter for this story, email Glynn Brothen at gbrothen@infonews.ca, or call 250-319-7494. To contact the editor, email mjones@infonews.ca or call 250-718-2724.