The Lani Singers hail from the remote central highland region of West Papua in the south-west Pacific. Deeply emotive and compelling, their songs are rooted in the sacred rituals of the Lani tribe – a tribe whose way of living has remained largely unchanged since the Stone Age.
But their music has also come to embody a powerful modern day message - the struggle that their fellow people endure under a brutal and illegal Indonesian occupation. Since Indonesia invaded West Papua in 1963, over 400,000 native West Papuans have been murdered by Indonesian military and countless others have ‘disappeared’ in one of the world’s worst ongoing yet largely unreported cases of ethnic cleansing.
The Lani Singers are husband and wife, Benny and Maria Wenda.
Leader of the Koteka Tribal Assembly, Benny Wenda was imprisoned by the Indonesian authorities on a 25 year term for raising the banned 'Morning Star' flag of West Papua, and for being an independence figurehead within West Papua. In 2003 he miraculously managed to escape from prison and was smuggled by freedom fighters through the jungle to neighbouring Papua New Guinea, where his wife Maria and their young child were by now living in a refugee camp by the border. Once reunited, they were brought to the UK by an NGO group, where they are now re-settled and run the Free West Papua Campaign, spreading awareness about the plight of their people, and campaigning for West Papua’s independence.
A mixture of traditional songs passed down through the generations by elders, as well some of their own compositions reflective of their plight, these songs are ones of hope, love, joy and pain.
The Lani Singers debut album Ninalik Ndawi was released in November 2008 (click here to purchase a copy), and they also feature on a recent compilation CD release called Merdeka (freedom), raising vital funds for the Free West Papua Campaign. To listen to samples and purchase a copy of the album click here
To find out more information about the ongoing situation in West Papua and to get involved in campaigning, please check these websites www.freewestpapua.org and www.infopapua.org
Hey Guys, thanks for the add! Please check out our music and stay tuned for news about the upcoming release of our debut album "High Roller"! Rock on!! Four Wheel Drive
Devenez " producteur" du 1er Album de SELEN sur le site Spidart !! Il ne s’agit pas de mecenat ni d’un don , mais d’un investissement : en effet les producteurs touchent 35% des ventes apres la sortie de l’album !!
Rejoignez Selen sur Facebook :http://www.facebook.com/pages/SELEN/54529866002
Rejoignez les 246 producteurs qui ont déja investi 19 000 euros!!!!
L'investissement minimum n'est que de 10 euros !! www.spidart.com
SAMEDI 06 JUIN 2009 de 20h30 à l'aube CONCERT - SHOW CASE - SOUND SYSTEM REGGAE MIX UP VIBES
Bateau DAME de CANTON quai François MAURIAC 75013 PARIS m° Quai de la gare Entrée 10 E
Programme :
ZION STATION : Selecta DJEKO PHILMAN & BIG JO : Acoustique RUBBEN PAT & MC JANIK : Live UNIFY BAKARY STYLE : Show case SYDG & T-DJA faya : Show case RAS MAJOR et KING KAY : live platines KLANDO SOUND : Selecta KING KAY ZIONAH KREASION : Stand artisanal CD DVD
<
SOIREE A NE PAS LOUPER !!! MERCI D'AVANCE POUR LA PROMO AUTOUR DE VOUS Gardez la force et la foi, Dieu vous garde, One love
Hello! First of all thx for adding me and the second thank you very much for your music - it shakes my heart and soul but sets them free as well. Keep the fight for West Papua and don't let the people get you down! Lots of love! ( (( (((o))) )) )
Online Now!
