Music News 1.9.17

Britain Ends Aid to Ethiopian Girl’s Group Aimed At Awareness and Empowerment

Since its creation on 2013, Britain’s Department for International Development has sent seven figures in support to Yegna, an Ethiopian girl’s group aimed at empowering the young women of Ethiopia and promoting awareness about teen pregnancy, violence, forced marriage, and dropping out of school. Affectionately called the Ethiopian Spice Girls, the group is a dual acting and pop group, using their radio show as well as live music and drama performances to create awareness and offer outreach, operating as branch of the organization the Girl Effect, a global organization aimed at educating and empowering women in African and Middle Eastern countries. Using British taxpayers money for the foreign aid effort had been unpopular for sometime, and the decision to end the funding comes after Britain’s approval of a final $6.3 million in aid to be given to the group, with the country’s official position being that while “empowering women and girls remains a priority, [they] judge there are more effective ways to invest UK aid.” (Billboard)

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Photo: Jamie Wiseman

 

Sufjan Stevens Soundtracks New Film Premiering at Sundance

Following in the steps of prolific artists like Simon & Garfunkel, Cat Stevens, and Mark Mothersbaugh, Sufjan Stevens will be debuting new music via the soundtrack to the upcoming film adaptation of Andre Aciman’s Gay Fiction romance novel Call Me By Your Name about the love affair between a 17-year-old American-Italian Jewish boy and a visiting 24-year-old American Jewish scholar in 1980s Italy. The film premieres at the Sundance Film Festival on January 22, and worldwide rights to the feature have already been purchased by Sony Pictures Classics. (SPIN)

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-Taylor Wallace

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