Feature: African musicians vow to lead fight against elephant poaching

A carnival mood engulfed the recreation grounds at the United Nations Offices in Nairobi on Saturday when a quartet comprising famous songbirds in the region occupied the podium to belt out a theme song to save elephants.

The theme song "Tusimame," or "We stand," resonated with revelers who swayed rhythmically to the beats as neon lights flickered in the background.

Singing for elephants has not been a popular past time for African celebrities caught in a rat race to fulfill a warped societal expectation.

Nevertheless, the slaughter of the big mammal because of its ivory has triggered an interest from unlikely quarters to save it from extinction.

The elephant concert in Nairobi brought together musicians from different African countries and cultural backgrounds who vowed to use their star power to boost the fight against poaching.

During an interview with Xinhua, the celebrities regretted that loss of the African elephant due to poaching had dealt a fatal to the economy and ecosystem health.

"We decided to use the power of music to highlight the plight of our elephants. Celebrities in the region have realized that entertainment can serve noble goals like wildlife protection," said Julius Otieno, a Kenyan musician who was in the quartet.

The talented songbird has bagged local and international awards for composing songs that promote social and environmental causes.

Otieno took it in a stride when conservationists approached him to be part of a quartet that composed and sang the elephant anthem.

"I was ecstatic when an opportunity to headline a major concert on elephants conservation came knocking. A working relationship with conservationists made it easier to compose the elephant anthem," Otieno told Xinhua

He vowed to stage local and international performances to sensitize communities on the dire plight of African elephants.

"The death of a single elephant from poaching or natural causes affects everyone. Our tourism and natural heritage is at stake unless we stop the slaughter of these animals," said Otieno.

His counterparts from Tanzania, South Sudan and Congo Brazzaville were equally concerned by loss of iconic mammals due to poaching.

Emmanuel Jal, a famous rapper from South Sudan underscored the power of performing arts to address societal ills including poverty, hunger and crimes.

Jal has seen the rough side of life having been a child soldier when his native South Sudan was engulfed in a brutal civil war.

During an interview with Xinhua, Jal compared wildlife crimes to poverty, civil war and diseases that have blighted the African continent for decades.

"We are the generation that holds the promise of this continent and therefore we cannot afford to sit on our laurels when a precious heritage like wildlife is disappearing due to human greed, " said Jal.

He revealed that civil strife in his native South Sudan has fuelled poaching of elephants and rhinos.

The mercurial artist has partnered with several grassroots movements in the region to promote wildlife conservation.

Tanzanian songbird Vanessa Mdee said poaching of African mammals was a blot to the continent's image.

"My home country is a poaching hotspot as we lose hundreds of elephants to criminals' hell bent on profiting illegally from a resource that was bequeathed to us by our ancestors," Mdee remarked

She vowed to utilize her prowess on state to galvanize a global attention to the threats facing elephants and rhinos.

"The loss of elephants due to poaching demands action from leaders in government, industry and entertainment world. Poaching has spin off effects across the wider socioeconomic spectrum," Mdee told Xinhua

Kenyan conservation lobby, Wildlife Direct, and Kenya Wildlife Service organized the elephant concert ahead of the World Wildlife Day to be marked on Tuesday.

Paula Kahumbu, CEO of Wildlife Direct said conservationists have partnered with different stakeholders to increase awareness on wildlife crimes.

"The first ever elephant concert was a game changer as we explore innovative ways to spread wildlife conservation message to a wider audience. Musicians are powerful change agents and will help re-energize the campaign against elephants poaching in the continent," Kahumbu told Xinhua.

She revealed elephant concerts were slated in world's major cities to spotlight grave threats facing the iconic mammal in the African jungles. Endi