Emma Thompson Releases Anti-Slavery Concept Album

Emma Thompson, who is quickly becoming the hardest working woman in show biz and the and the anti-trafficking movement, has released a concept album seeking to humanize the issue of human trafficking. You can help make work like Thompson's possible by supporting the arts as a tool to end human trafficking.

The album Just Enough for the Real World was created in partnership with UK charity The Helen Bamber Foundation, of which Emma Thompson is the current chair. With musician/producer Phil Knight, Thompson brought together twelve artists to create original tracks that would emotionally connect listeners to the experiences of victims of modern-day slavery. That may sound depressing, but the album itself is the exact opposite of depressing -- it's upbeat, danceable, and even peppy. Tracks range from deep, bluesy rock to almost bubble-gum pop . It's music which in many ways evokes feelings of freedom and joy, not slavery and pain. But according to Thompson in an interview, creating a life-affirming music experience was part of the goal.

Just Enough for the Real World comes on the heels of the re-staging of Thompson's Journey project, a combination art and public awareness instillation that takes participants through the experience of a trafficked woman in a series of container cars. Journey was initially launched in London and New York last year to rave reviews, and will be making additional rounds this year.

Between the art and the music, Emma Thompson is becoming the poster girl for using the arts to raise awareness about human trafficking. The arts have long been a powerful tool to communicate important issues to the public, and Just Enough for the Real World and Journey are bringing that powerful advocacy to the anti-trafficking movement. If you'd like to help make more projects like the ones Thompson has embraced possible, tell your representatives funding arts programs is key to preventing human trafficking.

Photo credit: garyknight