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• A Call to Artists
• How Jubilee USA Works to Cancel Debt To Impoverished Countries
• Album Concept
• Financial Objectives of Break The Chains! Project
• Benefits to Contributing Artists
• Album Distribution Plan
• For More Information...

A Call to Artists

Break The Chains! is a compilation album, concert series, and publicity campaign using music to amplify the issue of debt cancellation. Jubilee is a worldwide movement working to cancel the exorbitant international debts paid by impoverished nations to international financial institutions such as the World Bank (WB) and the International Monetary Fund (IMF). The IMF/WB force poor countries to pay on illegitimate debts, while the majority of their populations go without basic services essential to a dignified life. Many of the world’s people live without clean water, basic health care, access to sufficient food and education for their children due to the economic crisis caused by this external debt.

Debt cancellation is perhaps the simplest and most effective measure to immediately create a more equitable, and thus peaceful, world. It will largely resolve the economic crisis faced by the Global South. But debt cancellation will not happen without a broad public outcry, especially from the American public. Given entertainment–driven mass media, the social–justice movement must utilize culturally–creative mediums and powerful voices to attract audiences.

Break The Chains! embraces roots music as a powerful tool for social change. Music engages listeners beyond flyers, articles, and speeches. Over 30 years–ago, in “Slave Driver,” Bob Marley first sang today they say we are free, only to be chained in poverty. Some 2000 years ago, the lyrics of the psalms expressed freedom from oppression. This legacy lives to be carried on by the roots musicans of today.

Break The Chains! aims toward "edu–action" – a multifaceted campaign to educate people into action.

• The album songs will speak directly to the call for debt cancellation, and to the broader issues of social and economic justice.

• The CD booklet will describe the historical background of international debt, detail reasons to cancel the debts, and include calls to action.

• The album will provide Jubilee USA with a powerful organizing tool for its national network of organizations and affiliate church congregations.

• With 70 organizations and 60 congregations in 20 states, Jubilee USA provides a wide distribution network to act as a foundation to build national awareness of the issue of debt cancellation.

• Break The Chains! concerts will draw diverse audiences and expose people to the sights and sounds of socially conscious artists–musicians, poets,and impassioned speakers.

• The impact of the concerts will heighten pre and post concert outreach, community education, and press and radio campaigns to mobilize community networks.

Each aspect of the campaign adds to the education of the audience and provides avenues for building a movement and mobilizing to counter the injustice of debt domination.

Co–produced by Jubilee USA and Iamedia, Break The Chains! is central to Jubilee USA’s overall strategy to raise support among a diversity of Americans for debt cancellation. Break The Chains! will build diversity within our ranks and connect people from faith–based social justice networks with the broader global justice movement to work together for international debt cancellation. Bringing together and mobilizing a broad base of groups and individuals from all sectors across the world, particularly in the US, is necessary to demand debt cancellation and end the economic slavery of debt. United we can pressure policy and opinion makers, especially the United States Congress and Treasury to use their leverage to call for 100% unconditional debt cancellation for the nations impoverished by debt in Africa, Asia, Latin America, and the Caribbean.

How Jubilee USA Works to Cancel Debt To Impoverished Countries:

Rich countries and international financial institutions such as the International Monetary Fund (IMF), and World Bank (WB), control the economic policies that create endless and escalating debt burdens for impoverished countries. Most of these loans are considered illegitimate and/or odious, made to corrupt leaders who stole the money or used the loans for weapons to suppress their own people. In both the IMF and WB, the US has the greatest control through number of votes and overall power to influence decision–making.

Jubilee USA partners with groups worldwide to work to eradicate this external debt. Break The Chains! is key to building the diverse, broad–based public outcry to influence Congress and the US Treasury, to use their authority to pressure the IMF/WB to cancel these debts. We have the power to pressure our government. Become part of the power.

Debt cancellation works. The international Jubilee campaign has leveraged billions in debt cancellation. Limited debt relief to Tanzania resulted in over 1.5 million children returning to school the next week. In Uganda it more than doubled school enrollment. Honduran children received three extra years of schooling allowing them to attend 6th to 9th grade. Mozambique vaccinated half a million children against deadly and preventable diseases. Relief provided resources for the fight against HIV/AIDS in countries like Mali, Senegal, Uganda, and Cameroon. With unconditional cancellation all children, all people, in poor countries, can have the opportunity, for clean and affordable water, health care and education.

Album Concept:

Promoting diversity is key to righting relationships. Our goal is to reach the broadest American audience possible. We have invited artists with musical styles ranging from reggae, folk, African, Americana, funk, hip hop, gospel, rock, and blues. Studio production will use samples of speeches, electronica and other sounds to fuse these disparate styles into a compiled whole. Break The Chains! is to be professionally produced with high quality sound reproduction, booklet design, and packaging. In addition to featuring top–level artists, a project goal is to feature up–and–coming musicians with the talent and grassroots spirit to rouse audiences to action.

From pressing play to the last notes, Break The Chains! will flow with knowledge, power, positivity and the highest musical vibrations. “Edu–Action” the power of the music combined with the knowledge imparted will inspire people to take actions to become part of the global movement for economic justice.

Financial Objectives of Break The Chains! Project:

A project objective is to become a self–sufficient project within the greater scope of the Jubilee USA Network. Income will be re–invested in the project for further album(s) printings, new albums, concerts, and pre and post concert mobilization to assure movement building. Jubilee USA Network, a non–profit organization, is obtaining 501(c)–3 status.

Benefits to Contributing Artists:

The artists selected for this project will see national distribution and promotion of their work. In addition, we will give free promotional units to each contributing artist. We will offer the albums to the artists at a very low buy–rate (~$4/unit). For every album they sell, the artists make $10+. This will allow artists to see funds immediately, rather than from royalties months later after the production costs have been recovered.

Many artists invited are already internationally known. Through Break The Chains! these artists will see exposure outside of conventional promotional and distribution avenues. Break The Chains! will promote and sell the album via the broad Jubilee, economic justice, and social justice based faith networks; groups that support artists working for social and economic justice. Perhaps more invaluably, these socially conscious artists draw strength and joy from fusing social activism with their music. Those that join the Break The Chains! project will be able to enjoy using their talents to support a critically important global cause.

Album Distribution Plan:

For More Information or to Submit a Song Please Contact:

© Jubilee USA and Iamedia logos and Break the Chains! title are copyrighted works.