Tundu Joor: singing for rights in Senegal

Young people in Senegal have produced an album of songs about child rights

Children from some of the poorest parts of Senegal in West Africa have been taking to the stage to promote child rights, thanks to an innovative music project by Plan in collaboration with Nokia.

The Tundu Joor project started in 2005 as a Plan pilot project designed to promote children’s rights through music.

The project brings together children and professional musicians to create music that raises awareness about the problems children face, and the result is an album of powerful songs that call for action and change.

About 27 Senegalese artists helped run a series of workshops with children from across the country. The children and musicians then took their musical message public, with concerts, radio and televison broadcasts delivering their messages to hundreds of thousands of people across West Africa.

Find out more, watch another video and listen to the Tundu Joor album, and explore more innovative youth media offerings on Plan's Youth, Media and Development website.

See what Nokia says about the Tundu Joor project, and read about Plan's partnership with Nokia.

Plan has other music-related projects. Find out more about Ne'e Hau Nia Moris - Songs from Lautem District, Timor Leste, which features the music of East Timorese young people performing as seven bands. As well as traditional songs, they also recorded their own compositions. You can purchase this CD through Plan in Australia.