Regular readers of Mamamia would be familiar with Julie Cowdroy and the brilliant political input she made to Mamamia here, here, here and here. Where is Julie now you ask? Funny I was just about to tell you. Julie is making music. Literally. She writes:
Julie’s new album
I’ve been writing songs as long as I can remember. When I was four, I remember following my dad around the house carrying a blackboard and showing him the “song” I “wrote.”
How do you even write a song?
The songwriting process is an interesting phenomenon. I often feel a huge sense of relief once it’s done. Some say it’s like child birth, some say it’s more like throwing up. The process brings up all this stuff that you have to release. Sometimes you produce a baby, other times vomit. Some songs take a long time to write. Many are never finished (thankfully). And then sometimes you listen back and think, where did that come from?
Papergirl was like that. I sat down at the piano, started playing in the key of G major (odd for me, I’m normally a moody F minor girl) and then it just came out. All in one big heave. Thirty minutes and it was done. Lyrics, music. Complete.
So what is Papergirl about?
Well, about three years ago I was sitting in a women’s conference called Colour Your World. The conference has a very strong social justice focus. A Canadian woman named Marilyn Skinner was speaking. Marilyn lives in Uganda and runs Watoto Childcare Ministries. It’s an organisation that started in 1991 in response to the plight of thousands of children left without someone to care for them due to HIV/AIDS, war and poverty. The children are rescued, resettled and raised in a family setting as opposed to an institution. Marilyn speaks like no one I have ever heard before. She is one of the most compassionate and determined women I have ever encountered. As she spoke, I was so moved. I looked around the auditorium and thousands of women looked compelled, but as quiet as everyone was, all of us seemed to be screaming out, “but what can we do?”
I then looked around and saw dozens of doll shaped paper cut outs stuck along the bottom of the stage. Pink and blue ones. They represented the number of children that delegates at the conference had chosen to sponsor. Papergirls. Paperboys. The children Marilyn spoke about, like all of the disenfranchised people around the world, come from complex political, economic and social contexts. And here they were reduced to a cute cut out. Quite a juxtaposition. I’ll never forget the imagery of middle class women in glossy lipstick tearing up as Marilyn spoke promising to do something for the papergirls and boys. And I was one of them. Still am.
A voice for the voiceless
We are indeed moved when confronted with the plight of those who suffer terrible injustices. And now that I am working in development education at the Global Poverty Project I see many different advocates working hard to resolve the issues of extreme poverty and inequality. Not easy. There is tension, and debates on the different approaches to achieving social justice are always happening. Sometimes you want to give up and throw your hands in the air. I recently went to India with Opportunity International and came back more overwhelmed than ever. Yet I also came back more determined than ever. Determined to learn more.
And Papergirl is about that. Seeing and reading about problems in the paper. Hearing stories. Being moved. Feeling helpless. But open to being more… considerate. I still don’t have the answers. I’m still on a journey. And I think that’s ok. I think when I’m meant to act, I’ll act. And I do. Yet my goal is to always act thoughtfully. Steadily. Not my way, but rather always, always for the benefit of the voiceless.
Oh, and the man who created my film clip is Tim Skinner, son of Marilyn, who spoke at the conference all those years ago. He doesn’t know the full story of how Papergirl had a lot to do with his mum, but I love that he captured it beautifully. Thanks Tim.
About the Author: Julie is an Australian singer/songwriter whose music powerfully combines thought-provoking lyrics with captivating melodies. Her songs simultaneously inspire and challenge her listeners.
The ideas Julie captures in her songs extend beyond music. An advocate for the voiceless, Julie looks for opportunities to illuminate the plight of those who are disenfranchised. Her musings on policy, poverty and power have been published on prominent Australian websites in the hope to bring more people into the conversations that shape our world.
Julie is an ambassador for the Global Poverty Project and Opportunity International Australia.
Top Comments
Thankyou Julie, for creating this fine piece of music.
And credit to you to have the courage to sing about something with substance. I've just come back from a few months in India and Nepal and you capture absolutely perfectly how it feels to look into those sad, hungry little faces and pass them by...and come back to a country where most people have more than they need.
I was feeling too a bit helpless and overwhelmed...now also I feel quite inspired.
Next time I go..I will definitely be even more active.
Best of luck with your album. I will certainly be telling people about it!!
Absolutely amazing! Far better than all the trashy songs on the radio these days. Nice too here a song of hope and compassion rather than raunch. Keep writing you have a beautiful voice!