Use your voice and shout to fight crime. That’s the message R&B singer Danny K and more than 40 other South African musicians and celebrities are trying to get across in a song they hope will deal a blow to crime.
Kurt Darren, Arno Carstens, The Parlotones, Karen Zoid, Loyiso Bala, the Soweto Gospel Choir, Lira, Steve Hofmeyr, Yvonne Chaka Chaka, Elana Afrika, Jeremy Mansfield, Shaleen Surtie-Richards . . . you name them and they’re sure to appear in a new music video for the old hit Shout which aims to raise money for the fight against crime.
Danny’s parents have been victims of an armed robbery. The death of reggae legend Lucky Dube prompted him and kwaito star Kabelo Mabalane to stop sitting around complaining and do something about the situation.
They came up with the idea to get together with other musicians and record a song to spread the message against crime. Kabelo reckoned the lyrics of the ’80s Tears for Fears hit Shout would work brilliantly - and that’s how the Shout campaign was born.
Funds raised by the song and the sale of other Shout merchandise will be put into a trust fund to be used in the fight against crime.
“It took about a year to get all the artists together in the studio but no one hesitated to make a contribution,” Danny says. “Our partners are Business Against Crime (BAC), Primedia’s Crime Line and acclaimed law firm Werksmans, which will ensure everything runs smoothly,” he says.
Organisations dedicated to crime prevention, offering support to victims and the rehabilitation of criminals will be in the running to receive money from the trust.
The campaign also encourages South Africans to make use of the Primedia Crime Line to SMS anonymous tip-offs to 32211.
“Be a law-abiding citizen. You can’t criticise or complain about crime, then bribe the police or metro officers. The vast majority of the people in this country are good people,” Danny says.
- You can get the song for R20 by SMSing the word SHOUT to 33335 or downloading it from the website www.shoutsa.com.