MAZINGIRA YETU SONG BY LARRY WINS THE EUROFISHION 2020 SONG CONTEST
World Fish Migratory Day is one day global celebration to create awareness of open Rivers and migratory fish. This international day of events is coordinated by the World Fish Migration Foundation. On world Fish Migration Day organizations from around the world coordinate their own event around the common theme of: CONNECTING FISH, RIVERS AND PEOPLE.
Eurofishion song contest on October 24th, 2020 is part of global event about raising awareness for migratory fish and free flowing rivers. This contest is inspired by the famous Eurovision song contest, which was originally held on the same day. Their theme ‘’open up’’ inspired the World Fish migration foundation to use this momentum for river restoration and fish migration, because fish need open rivers.
The 2020 Eurofishion contest was the first time it was being held and it attracted 40 entries from across the world that attracted participants from every age. The 40 submissions were whittled down to 10 incredible finalist from New Zealand, Kenya, South Africa, Spain, Netherlands, Czech republic, England and the U.S.A.
A global audience was able to watch the 10 amazing videos together with the judges in a two hour zoom session Eurofishion-The Fishy Finale hosted by the World Fish migration secretariat and had a chance to place their comments and ask questions to each of the artist. The third place winner was the (save the fish by North west Children’s choir -nwcc-south Africa . The song was written and composed by an 11 year old Nico Smit that aims at promoting healthy free flowing rivers and the conservation of the fishes living in them.
The second place was swim on up by time-crawls from USA. The song was adapted from suber up and written by Ajr. The song is about the need of the salmons to enjoy free flowing rivers in order to enable them migrate from the ocean to the rivers and this can be achieved if obstacles like dams are removed from the rivers.
The overall winner was Mazingira yetu by Lawrence ochieng (Larry) and Shamir from Kenya. The song was written by Lawrence Ochieng and Shamir, audio recorded by Hit box studios , the video was done by sound34media and supported by Mazingira Yetu Organisation . Mazingira yetu (Our environment) was inspired by the ongoing restoration of River Ngong in Kibra sub county. Pollution of the Rivers in Nairobi through poor solid waste disposal, raw sewer and blocking of rivers is affecting the movement of fish or even killing them all together. Mazingira yetu song highlights the need of each and everyone to play a role in the quest of ensuring our rivers are free from pollution in order to make them habitable to aquatic life forms like fish.