Following the success of ‘Don’t Say It’, Wyvern Lingo present their second new song of 2020. The sober, unflinching ballad ‘Brutal Lottery’.
“I saw the headline: ‘10,000 refugee children are missing’ in 2016, and couldn’t stop thinking about it. With some friends, I embarked on a lot of research and ended up being part of a campaign (10,000 Missing Children) aimed at changing policy on the European Union’s treatment of unaccompanied refugee minors. During this time, Caoimhe, Saoirse and I wrote this song about the topic, and about the harrowing stories and statistics we came across. With guidance from organisations such as Missing Children Europe, the Irish Refugee Council, the Children’s Rights Alliance and the Immigrant Council of Ireland along with the help of many Irish MEPs, we were able to gather over 30,000 signatures and submit the petition along with demands to the Justice and Home Affairs council of Europe. Four years on, however, it seems that there has not been much of an improvement in Europe’s reception policy that is failing these children. We recorded this last winter in Berlin, all singing live together in one take. Given the recent shift in the global conversation about racism and the many dangers that people of colour are subjected to in our society, this felt like the right time to release this song, which is unfortunately as relevant as it was four years ago.” – Karen Cowley, Wyvern Lingo.
Sales revenue from Bandcamp downloads of ‘Brutal Lottery’ will be donated to Wyvern Lingo’s chosen charity partner – Missing Children Europe.
To donate now, without downloading, go to https://missingchildreneurope.eu/bank
More on the subject of ‘Brutal Lottery’ here:
In 2016, Europol reported that 10,000 refugee and migrant children were missing upon arrival in Europe. The most recent report from the European Migration Network in 2018 states that the number had risen to at least 30,000. Two years on, fears are that the number is now much, much higher, but without the political will to report and solve these cases, it is impossible to know exactly how many are missing, and what has happened to them.
This failing of the European immigration system reflects the anti-immigrant and racist sentiments that are on the rise in Europe. The idea that a child might be considered more or less important to a community based on their origin is a jarring thought, but unfortunately it appears to have been the case over the last number of years.
No parent would send their child on such a dangerous journey unless they really believed there was no better alternative. It is in our nature to care for those most vulnerable, and that should be the case regardless of race, religion or nationality.
Wyvern Lingo – Brutal Lottery – is released by Rubyworks on Friday 21st August.
