Welcome to Oxjam 2020! The events industry has crumbled, live performances are not an option, the production crew are out of work, not to mention almost every performer, plus the light at the end of the tunnel may very well be an oncoming train. But it’s now more important than ever that the show must go on!
Millions of vulnerable lives are at risk as Coronavirus spreads through places like Rohingya refugee camps, Yemen and Syria. People have already fled terrifying violence and now face this new deadly threat, whilst living in camps with limited essentials like clean water or soap. Millions are now facing famine as a result of the pandemic. Since making it’s Coronavirus response a global institutional priority on the 18th of March Oxfam are now working with 344 local civil society organisations across 62 countries to help stop the spread.
This year is going to be a little different if you haven’t guessed already. For a start there is absolutely no way of producing the usual Oxjam Sowerby Bridge Festival. However even though we’re a festival without a festival we’re not defeated. Live streaming and recorded videos are both great opportunities in their own ways and we’re keen to see what we can do with both.
We will be using live streaming as a way of fundraising for Oxfam. We’re also building a channel of videos featuring artist introductions, performances and interviews. We’d love to give as many of our artists something that can be used in the future to get more gigs away from Oxjam. So we’re creating promotional content for release on YouTube. Watch this space….
