After the successful release of his first single, rising star, Faraz Ahmed wins big at the auspicious Music Against Child Labor Competition 2021. Famous jurors for the campaign include the likes of Grammy winners, A. R. Rehman, Laura Pausini and Ralph Johnson. Ahmed’s entry, #Faryaad was written, composed and performed by the artist himself. 

As part of the feat, Faraz Ahmed was awarded a cash prize; and the opportunity for ‘Faryaad’ to be part of the global World Day Against Child Labor event. When asked about the concept of the song, Faraz Ahmed explained, “The concept and the name were penned prior to me finding out about the competition. I was driving one day and came across a little child on the street, trying to find some shade under a tree. He wanted to enjoy his mid-day meal. Just that sight hit me so hard. He was completely stripped of childhood. It made me wonder, the kind of world we live in. We as a society have failed these little ones. We’ve taken away their right to play. Toys have been replaced by tools. It’s so inhumane. It took me time to develop the lyrics further but to date I haven’t been able to forget that image. Children are so innocent. It doesn’t matter who they are, we as people have the duty of protecting them and their rights. Imagine a world without innocence, childhood and play…already sounds like a mundane monochromatic nightmare to me.”

The Music Against Child Labor Initiative is a global campaign officially launched in 2013 by the International Labor Organization (ILO) together with some of the world’s greatest musicians and a number of important international music organizations. Every year the global music community is called to harness the power of music in helping combat child labor, which affects 152 million children worldwide. The competition is being run by the global youth music organization Jeunesses Musicales International in collaboration with the International Labor Organization, under the umbrella of the Music Initiative.

 In Pakistan, Music Against Child Labor is managed by The Little Art and run in collaboration with rearts and Alhamra. The Little Art signed an MoU with Jeunesses Musicales International, the global producer of the project to promote the cause of child labor through music in Pakistan. 

The Director of The Little Art said; “For over a decade, The Little Art has furthered the cause to talk about issues such as child labor and rights through arts. We are thrilled to be part of this global initiative by ILO, and effectively engage musicians from Pakistan to produce music for change. We will continue impacting children and raise the voice on child rights through the arts.”

The announcement of Faraz Ahmed’s win was officially made at the LIVE stream of the 109th International Labor Conference held on 10th June 2021. Currently Ahmed is working on more original compositions, details of which will be disclosed at a later date.

Cover image via: Faraz Ahmed

This post is a Press Release by Faraz Ahmed