Nic Mackay, Managing Director of The Human Race, recently oversaw a hugely successful tour of Australia by the incredible South African Zulu Choir. The tour was part of “Collaboration 4 Change” – a global movement that is creating positive social change through music (www.collaboration4change.com).
The Choir performed 14 concerts over 3 weeks in VIC, NSW, ACT & WA, receiving massive media coverage. They also spent time connecting with Australian high schools students through cultural exchange “festivals” and recorded a collaborative song with top Australian band Evermore.
Nic wrote the feature article that appeared in the concert program for the tour. The text of the article is below.
“We Are All Connected” - by Nic Mackay
I’ll be honest with you: I’ve never actually written a feature article before. I’m pretty sure that I should use this opportunity to share incredible wisdom or deliver remarkable insight. Unfortunately for you, I’m not sure I’ve got any to offer! What I can offer is the major life lesson that I’ve learned over the past 5 years, which may not be incredibly wise or remarkably insightful, but will at least make you feel as though you’re back at school!
The lesson is this: we are all connected. Whether we like it or not, we are all citizens of the world. Moreover, what happens on the other side of the globe can have a massive impact on us living in Australia. Swine flu is a perfect example. The Global Financial Crisis is another. And this impact goes both ways. In other words, what we do (or don’t do) in Australia can have a huge effect on people living in places that we’ve never even heard of.
In my opinion, this interconnectedness creates a need to respond for two reasons. First, out of a moral obligation. If there are people suffering in other parts of the world and our actions have the ability to alleviate that suffering then we need to do something. And not out of a sense of charity, but rather justice. Because charity doesn’t come close to expressing the moral imperative that exists to act. It’s not a “shame” that millions of children don’t have access to primary education. It’s not a “pity” that women in developing countries don’t enjoy basic human rights. It’s an absolute disgrace. There is no justification and there never will be for one person receiving more privilege than another purely by virtue of birth.
Second, if we’re not convinced by the moral obligation, we should nonetheless respond out of enlightened self-interest. Put simply, if one of us prospers then we all prosper. Conversely, if one of us fails then we all fail. This effect may not be immediate but over time we will see the consequences of enshrined inequality. Again, the GFC is a perfect example. The world’s financial system has for too long been built on a foundation that sought to make the rich richer and the poor poorer, and in recent times it has all come crashing down. Ironically, the biggest losers are not those who had benefited most from the previous system but rather those in developing countries who were already struggling to make their way up the ladder of development. However, as with all crises, the GFC also offers a remarkable opportunity. In particular, it provides an opportunity to rewrite the rules of international trade to allow developing countries to compete on an equal playing field. Such an approach may not rebuild our financial system in the fastest way but it will rebuild it in the strongest way. As developing countries prosper they bring more wealth to the table of international trade – wealth that is eventually shared with all nations and peoples throughout the world.
This lesson of interconnectedness provides much of the motivation for the “Collaboration 4 Change” project. I appreciate that when times are tough it becomes easy to look within, to ourselves and to our immediate families. This is essential because families should be there for us when we need them most. But we also need to recognise that we are part of a bigger family: a global family. As such, our focus also needs to be on the people around us, both down the street and across the ocean.
We need to ask ourselves what we can do to improve the lives of those in need, not out of charity but out of a desire for justice. This does not involve handouts and it may not involve money. Rather it requires a desire to partner with our brothers and sisters in other parts of the world.
Perhaps this is done through choosing to sponsor a child or buying fair trade coffee. Perhaps it’s through lobbying your local MP regarding Australia’s obligations under the Millennium Development Goals, which arguably constitute the clearest road map to ending extreme poverty that the world has ever known. Or perhaps it’s purely by coming to one of these concerts and being inspired by the incredible story of South Africa and people’s ability to triumph over adversity.
One thing is certain. When we recognise and embrace our interconnectedness and come together in collaboration, the change we can create is nothing short of extraordinary.
