Animal Collective's Deacon To Make A Difference In Mali With Music

Joshua Dibb, better known as Deacon of the band Animal Collective, has been invited to perform at 2010's Festival in the Desert, which takes place in Essakane, Mali from January 7-9. He's headed to Mali for more than just music -- he will be supporting the anti-slavery campaign.

Dibb initially started a project on kickstarter.com to fund the trip and the making of a CD of field recordings and a book that brings awareness to Mali's slavery plight. Fans flooded the site and donated in droves.

Now the trip is being funded by Paw Tracks, a record label affiliated with Animal Collective's early work, so all the money raised through the kickstarter project will be going to aid Africa, making it a truly humanitarian effort.

For $50, supporters will receive a hand-packaged CD with music Dibb is creating with sounds collected from the trip. All donations will be benefiting TEMEDT, a Mali human rights organization working to abolish slavery of the Tuareg people, set up legal support services, create economic development, and provide education opportunities for them. TEMEDT has teamed up with Ashoka projects in order to achieve these goals.

TEMEDT, which stands for solidarity, says there are thousands of people are still living in slavery or slavery-like conditions in Mali, although the government formally ended slavery in the 1960s after independence.

The fundraising goal of $25,000 has to be met by December 31 in order for the project to be funded, so donate here.

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