Live music event opens discussion about poverty and the wage gap
In an effort to raise awareness about wealth inequality around the world, Oxfam at Guelph hosted Oxjam, an evening of live music at Van Gogh’s Ear on Jan. 20.
Oxfam at Guelph is a local on-campus chapter of the international non-governmental organization originally founded in England as the Oxford Committee for Famine Relief in 1942.
As part of the worldwide Even It Up campaign, the Oxfam at Guelph executive committee decided to bring the local community together with performances by London’s Fun Fact and The Cardboard Crowns, a local staple on the music scene.
According to Simrun Chahal, Oxfam at Guelph’s Even It Up coordinator, the campaign is about “Improving awareness of inequality around the world regarding poverty as well as gender equality.”
In a recent Oxfam report, “An economy for the 99 per cent,” the divide between the extreme rich and extreme poor is emphasized with statistics like, “Eight men own the same wealth as the poorest half of the world.”
Prior to introducing the bands, the Oxfam at Guelph executive members shared this statistic with the audience, noting that the number has decreased from 62 to eight in the span of one year.
“This number is decreasing rapidly and it’s only going to decrease unless we do something about it,” said Eileen Kao, co-president of Oxfam at Guelph. “That is why we’re here. We want to raise awareness about this and we hope that, through awareness, we are able to create some policy changes that will reverse what is happening in the world.”
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With Oxfam at Guelph’s mission statement, “Alleviating poverty through women’s rights,” the event also drew attention to the wage gap between men and women.
“Inequality affects [individuals] both globally as well as here in Canada,” said Hailey Morton, Oxfam at Guelph’s co-president. “One statistic on Oxfam’s website is 59 per cent of minimum wage workers in Canada are women, so disproportionately, women are affected by poverty and I think that’s something that needs to be addressed.”
Although the event addressed the need to empower women in the workforce, there was an apparent underrepresentation of women in the evening’s entertainment. Neither of the bands booked for the show consisted of any female members.
Justin D’Croix, lead singer and guitarist for Fun Fact, said, “I think there’s a huge underrepresentation of women in music, especially in indie rock,” explaining that, at the band’s regular venue in London, there are very few women among the bands that play there.
While the event was not a fundraiser, optional donations were collected in a bucket by the door.The Oxfam at Guelph team explained that the main goal of the event was just getting the information out there.
“We often find that youth are not aware of this great wealth inequality that exists in our world today and by bringing Oxfam’s cause along with music, we’re able to express these ideas to those individuals,” said Kao.
The event raised a total of $37.50 which will be donated to Oxfam Canada and distributed where there is the greatest need internationally.
Photos by Dana Bellamy/The Ontarion.