“We sing poverty goodbye,” a young African girl in a school uniform says. Then, the choir sets in. Men and women dressed in white sing to tell the story of injustice and poverty – and the need to change—in the Poverty Requiem, a new musical piece for choir and percussion.

The Poverty Requiem is a musical manifestation asking for international attention to the Millennium Development Goals. Internationally the Poverty Requiem is performed in the context of the Global Call to Action against Poverty (GCAP).

The song is written by the Dutch composer Peter Maissan and lyrics are by Sylvia Borren, executive director Oxfam Novib Netherlands.  In a collaboration with the music department of Kunst Factor, International Foundation for Choir Music and Europa Cantat the Requiem is distributed among international choirs, umbrella organizations of choirs, and individual singers.

On July 22nd during the opening ceremony of The Education International World Congress in Berlin, there was an international rendition of the Poverty Requiem. The ceremony was attended by 1700 teachers and educational workers from countries worldwide.

On October 17th, the Poverty Requiem will resonate around the world through a series of international performances of the poverty requiem. All performances are part of the worldwide STAND UP and SPEAK OUT campaign. Last year, more than 23 million people took part and set a new Guinness World Record.