Brittle bone disease means Phuong Anh is restricted to a wheelchair. “Moving is ordinary; I can do more,” says the 16-year-old singer. A finalist in Vietnam’s Got Talent, she is inspiring other handicapped youth.

Listen to the report by Marianne Brown in Hanoi:

Wheelchair-bound teen singer steals Vietnam’s heart

Kurds, an ethnic minority in Syria, suffered oppression under the “Arabization” policy of the Assad regime. But the Syrian revolution has brought along change. With a strong political and military presence in northeast Syria, Kurds are putting their past behind and working towards a better future. They have transformed from being underdogs to the ones in power. This newfound influence is not just political or military, but also cultural, and Kurdish culture is experiencing a sort of revival. Young Syrians, like Sameer Shaiyer, 28, are doing their bit to spread the word about Kurdish art forms. And what makes Samir’s job challenging is that he’s Arab.

Listen to the report by Gayatri Parameswaran and Felix Gaedtke report from Qamishlo, Syria:

Syrian Arab promotes Kurdish culture

Cameroon’s up-and-coming reggae star, Silver, is dedicated to fighting corruption in his country. The 29-year-old uses his music to publicly criticize corrupt politicians and raise awareness for the problem.

Silver started his musical career in 2001 and his debut album, entitled “Reggae Business,” became an instant hit because he addressed issues that affected people: not just corruption, but also HIV/AIDS, war, and Cameroon’s brain drain.

Listen to the report by Ngala Killian Chimtom in Yaoundé, Cameroon:

Reggae tunes against bribes

Islamist militants fighting in Somalia are trying hard to recruit young Somalis. But a young refugee, Shiine Ali, is determined to turn his peers away from Islamic extremism – with his hiphop music.

Listen to the report by Zoe Flood in Eastleigh, Kenya:

Somali refugee combats extremism with hiphop

Indian musician Delhi Sultanate travels to rural regions to record the music tied to struggles that rarely make the news. He integrates the untold stories and unheard sounds into his Jamaican dancehall sound for a new audience.

Listen to the report from Delhi by Henry Peck and Meara Sharma:

Delhi musician tells untold stories of suffering

Check out more from Delhi Sultanate on YouTube.

Here’s Delhi Sultanate’s website.

Darko and his indie rock band Side Effect are singing for change in Myanmar. Despite looser censorship laws, he doesn’t feel totally free. But the band’s first-ever tour abroad has given them courage to continue.

Listen to the report by Nadine Wojcik in Berlin:

Singer raises his voice in Myanmar

 

 

Read more about Side Effect in the DW article.

Six out of 10 Brazilians know a woman who’s experienced domestic violence, according to a recent survey. Hiphop artist André Luis Machados in Rio de Janeiro uses his music to get people to rethink violence against women.

Listen to the report by Naomi Conrad in Rio de Janeiro:

Brazilian hiphop artist promotes respect for women

 

With fighting increasing in recent months, more Kurds in Turkey are seeking refuge in temporary camps. But a 27-year-old Swedish-Kurd is making the people’s lives there a bit more bearable – with his rap music.

Listen to the report by Jodi Hilton in Diyarbakir, Turkey:

Rapper brings hope to Kurdish refugees

 

Music education can help at-risk kids stay in school and out of drugs and violence, research indicates. And keeping kids off the streets is exactly what the Caacupé Music School, a free, after-school program in Buenos Aires’ 21-24 Shantytown, aims to do. For the past six years, four paid teachers and four volunteers have given lessons in singing, guitar, piano, violin, and a host of other instruments. They hope to instill a love of music in their students and keep them in school.

Listen to the report by Eilis O’Neill in Buenos Aires:

Argentina music school

Twin brothers Clifford and Rene Bouma stand out in their community in northern Cameroon. Not only are they accomplished rappers, they’re also albinos – a rare condition affecting people from all ethnic backgrounds where the skin lacks pigmentation. In Cameroon, albinos still face a great deal of discrimination, based on fear and misinformation. Clifford and Rene, both 25, use their music to restore their own self-confidence, encourage tolerance, and give hope to other albinos around the world. Today, they are both university students: Clifford studies anthropology and Rene political science.

Listen to the report from Ngala Killian Chimtom in Yaounde, Cameroon:

Rapper twins shrug off stigma of albinism