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Moved by the plight of refugee kids around the world, a group of children have united to spread a message of peace by singing their hearts out at various music festivals.
Children4Peace was formed by twins Deena and Lilo Al Dahwi with the aim of becoming a voice for those that don’t have one through inspirational song and dance.
The 10-year-old St Christopher’s School sisters, who live with their parents in Reef Island, have always been passionate about music, singing in the school choir and playing piano. They have also volunteered in several school projects such as the school’s Kindness Club and have written winning poetry and stories to raise awareness about incidents around the world.
Deena, who admits that she often cries whenever she thinks of children around the world suffering, said: “I think it is unbelievable why some of these tragic situations even exist. Why are we all sleeping in comfy beds and other children, just like us, lose their homes just because adults cannot agree?”
The Iraqi-American girls recruited school chums British-Tunisian Bouchelkia siblings Ayah, nine, and Yusuf, seven, Canadian Karim Boushehri, 10, Egyptian Fatima Abbady, 11, and Bahraini Zainab Setri, 10, to join their mission to help heal the world, one song at a time.
The multicultural group practice at least three-times-a-week under the guidance of supportive parents. They performed a famous 20-year-old Lebanese classic called ‘Atouna El Toufouli’ which translates to ‘give us a childhood’ at the recent St Christopher’s Music Festival held in Saar.
The tiny entertainers, who sang the ballad in Arabic, French and English, competed against musicians and choirs from their own school in a festival qualifier in the hopes of reaching the regional final.
Lilo said: “The song has a powerful message. It is like a plea and a wake-up call for adults to understand that all children want is to simply live peacefully, to celebrate Eid, for example, and have a chance to play. Refugee children are just like us. But while I am playing in the garden, they are suffering.
“We sing and perform for all children facing unfortunate situations in all parts of the world. We dedicate our songs to refugee kids in Africa and Asia. We also mentioned Syria, Iraq and Afghanistan but really, we stand for children everywhere.”
The group’s composed choreography and perfect pitches brought audience members to tears and struck a chord with the judges, winning them a coveted spot in the competitive finale.
According to Andrew Holman, head of instrumental music at St Christopher’s School, while the recent event staged was competitive in nature, it was also an opportunity for young musicians from all schools in Bahrain to perform in a relaxed atmosphere sharing a love of music with others. This year’s event featured musicians from 18 schools.
The judges for the rounds were made up of music teachers, both instrumental and academic, with the help of local singer, Erika Nottingham Rawles.
The grand finale was judged by two musicians from outside St Christopher’s. This year it was Ron Malanga from The New Horizon School in Dubai and Jill Laping from Ibn Khuldoon International School.
Children4Peace’s wish to perform in front of hundreds came true and their melodic message echoed through the school’s auditorium loud and clear. When it ended, the group was greeted with thundering cheers, hugs and high-fives from family and friends, winning over the judges yet again and securing the victory in the primary choir category.
Mr Holman said: “These young performers brought something different and special to the festival; a self-formed group singing a song in three different languages and spreading a message. It was always going to appeal to the judges and audience alike.”
There were celebrations all around for the Al Dahwi family as Deena and Lilo also won in the primary duet & trio group and Deena’s pretty voice and song dedicated to her mum Heba Fareed secured her the title of Overall Level 1 winner. Each member received a medal, trophy and certificate for their achievements.
Mrs Fareed, a business consultant, said: “The victory felt great, totally unexpected and very rewarding to the children. They love their school choir, that’s where most of them have learned to sing for the past four years.
“But winning the recent festival has made the group more talked about and all the congratulations have helped spread their message of hope even more.”
The engaging ensemble have since been invited to perform at different occasions including an Alliance Francaise event, a St Christopher’s charity auction, a peace convention and Spring of Culture event.
New members are also joining the group to replace students moving up to senior school after the summer holiday.
For now, the Children4Peace are continuing to string together a number of songs and dances in different languages in preparation for future appearances.
