Brooke Fraser

Last night, the topic in Human Behavior class was empowerment, so professor asked what empowered us. I told him my drive for educating ppl about genocide, however that is expressed in behavioral terms. The turning point for me was seeing the movie Hotel Rwanda. After class, Sharon told me about Brooke Fraser, a New Zealand songstress who visited (and continues to visit every year) Rwanda. She met a man there who urged her to meet an orphan named Albertine. Albertine touched Brooke deeply, and they asked her to tell the world about what she saw in their country. She made the promise, and released an album named Albertine, named after the sweet orphan. The title track shares the name, and the song is beautiful

ALBERTINE

I am sitting still
I think of Angelique
Her mother’s voice over me
And the bullets in the wall where it fell silent

And on a thousandth hill
I think of Albertine
There in her eyes what I don’t see
With my own

Rwanda

CHORUS
Now that I have seen
I am responsible
Faith without deeds is dead
Now that I have held you
In my own arms
I cannot let go ‘til you are

I am on a plane
Across a distant sea
But I carry you in me
And in the dust on, the dust on my feet

Rwanda

CHORUS

Bridge
And I’ll tell the world
I will tell them where I’ve been
I will keep my word
I will tell them, Albertine

CHORUS

I am on a stage
A thousand eyes on me
I will tell them, Albertine
I will tell them, Albertine

The video

The lyrics "now that I have seen, I am responsible" are so inherently true across all social issues. It is our job to educate other about injustices. We can't turn a blind eye. We have an obligation to humanity to try...

SO GET WITH IT! Help Darfur, the DRC, Burma, Iraq - and countless others!
STAND: A Student Anti-Genocide Coalition
Genocide Intervention Network