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YOUNG ARTISTS FOR HAITI

25 years later, in 2010, 57 young Canadian artists recorded a version of “Wavin’ Flag” (originally used as a theme for FIFA World Cup Soccer) to help support relief efforts in Haiti, a country that was devastated by a massive earthquake.  Have you heard of Justin Bieber? Drake? Nelly Furtado? Avril Lavigne?  Michael Buble? The Canadian Tenors? These are only a few of the artists involved.  

This group of young artists gathered around the same time as the 2010 Olympics in Vancouver and the song was recorded in Vancouver. The song was released on March 12, 2010, and by the end of April, it had already raised over one million dollars, with almost 200 000 copies sold on iTunes.

Here are some of the lyrics. Read them out loud to get the gist of the lyrics. While you are reading it, imagine you are in the aftermath of a massive earthquake in a very poor country. Here are a few vocabulary words that will help you to understand the lyrics:

• carnage - death
• wretched - very sad or unfortunate state

LYRICS: When I get older I will be stronger They'll call me freedom Just like a wavin flag Out of the darkness in came the carnage  threatening my very survival Fractured my streets and broke all my dreams now feels like defeat to wretched retreat

So we strugglin' Fighting to eat And we wonderin' If we'll be free We cannot wait for some faithful day it's too far away so right now I'll say When I get older I will be stronger They'll call me freedom Just like a waving flag

Where is Haiti? Haiti is part of an island that is between North and South America. It is south of Florida in the United States and it is east of Mexico.