UNESCO Hilltribe Pop Concerts Against HIV/AIDS, Human Trafficking and Drugs
November 2004 and again in November 2007
“Minority people are starved for information and entertainment in their own languages. This puts them at great risk.” -- Dr. Sheldon Shaeffer, Former Director of the UNESCO Regional Office in Bangkok.
On November 3rd, 2007, in honour of H.M. the King, 20 popular hilltribe musicians took the stage for “HIlltribes Rock Chiang Mai”, the second International Pop Concert to advocate for recognition of legal status and the prevention of HIV/AIDS, human trafficking, and drug abuse.
The musicians were from seven ethnic groups, and led the show with songs, entertainment and messages delivered in Karen, Hmong, Mien, Akha, Lisu, Tai Yai and Lahu languages.
Three years ago, Thailand’s first International Hilltribe Pop Concert, organized by UNESCO and Radio Thailand Chiang Mai, shook the mountains around Chiang Mai with a crowd of 4,000 stomping, dancing, jumping, singing fans. “The first concert was a major success – both as entertainment and in bringing attention to the issues facing hilltribe people ,” said Dr. David A. Feingold, head of the United Nations Educational Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) Trafficking and HIV/AIDS Project and one of the event’s co-organizers. “The second event was even bigger, and highlighted the importance of legal identity in preventing human trafficking.”
The concert was a perfect opportunity to raise awareness on issues of citizenship, HIV/AIDS, drug abuse and human trafficking among hilltribe populations in Thailand and the Greater Mekong Subregion. The aim of the concert was to “capture the attention of young people, who aren’t easy to reach. And…help educate lowland Thai people to think of the hilltribe people as citizens of the country and not simply a tourist attraction,” said Feingold.
The event is presented as part of the continuing cooperation between UNESCO and The Government Public Relations Office Region 3, Chiang Mai. Additional support comes from the Office of Contemporary Art and Culture, Thai Ministry of Culture, Plan International Thailand, Southeast Asia Regional Cooperation in Human Development (SEARCH), the International Labour Organization (ILO) Mekong Project to Combat Trafficking in Children and Women, Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS), British Embassy Bangkok, the UN Inter-Agency Project on Human Trafficking in the Greater Mekong Sub-region (UNIAP), and the Asian Development Bank (ADB).
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