Singer songwriter Missy Higgins has released her latest single today as a dedication to the victims of the Syrian Refugee crisis.
She penned the emotional song ‘Oh Canada’ after hearing of the tragic story of three-year-old Aylan Kurdi, who drowned last year along with his mother and brother while on their way to Greece seeking asylum.
The boy washed up on a Turkish beach.
The family had originally been trying to seek asylum in Canada, and their treacherous journey to Greece began after they were denied entry.
Higgins tells this mournful tale mostly from the perspective of the father – the only survivor – through beautiful animation.
Thinking of the image of Aylan on the shore, Higgins was overwhelmed at the thought that the same thing could happen to her now 13-month-old son. “The tiny child in that wrenching image could have been my own little boy,” she said.
The video starts off with the image of a soldier lifting the Aylan’s lifeless body from the sand.
She said of the song: “Canada represents anywhere in the world that might be the preferred sanctuary for people like the Kurdi’s,” she said.
“Amongst other countries, it represents Australia which has such an abhorrent record in dealing with people seeking asylum who try to travel to our shores by boat.”
“If the song inspires anyone to do something on behalf of refugees – to speak up for their rights and to push back against those who seek to inflame our fears and prejudices – then I think that would be best of all,” Higgins wrote on Facebook.
Higgins is donating 100% of net profits from ‘Oh Canada’ to Asylum Seekers Resource Centre.
Hear a snippet of ‘Oh Canada’ below
For the full video, go to Higgins’ YouTube page
