A Constant Longing: Storytelling and Music for Social Justice

Patrick Burgess is an Australian human rights activist and singer-songwriter who co-founded Asia Justice and Rights (AJAR). He has worked for over 20 years in post-conflict settings, including Rwanda after the 1994 genocide, Congo, Ethiopia, Uganda, Yemen, Afghanistan, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Cambodia, Bangladesh, Burma, Thailand, and Indonesia. In his early life in Australia, Patrick was a full-time professional musician for several years. Throughout all his travels, he has always carried a guitar, played in local bars, and written more than a hundred songs. He has performed in Europe, the United States, Africa, the Middle East, and Asia. Recently, Patrick returned to Australia, where he plays in Sydney clubs and has recorded his original tunes with some of Australia’s best-known musicians. Patrick’s most recent international release is the single and YouTube video titled Stolen Children of Timor.

Patrick Burgess adalah seorang pegiat hak asasi manusia dari Australia, sekaligus penyanyi dan penulis lagu yang menjadi salah satu penggagas Asia Justice and Rights (AJAR). Ia telah bekerja selama 20 tahun di wilayah-wilayah pascakonflik, termasuk Rwanda setelah genosida 1994, Kongo, Ethiopia, Uganda, Yemen, Afghanistan, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Kamboja, Bangladesh, Burma, Thailand, dan Indonesia. Pada masa mudanya di Australia, Patrick bekerja sebagai seorang musisi profesional penuh waktu. Kemanapun ia pergi, ia selalu membawa gitar, bermain di bar-bar lokal, dan menulis lebih dari ratusan lagu. Ia telah tampil di Eropa, Amerika Serikat, Timur Tengah, dan Asia. Baru-baru ini, Patrick kembali ke Australia, tempatnya bermain di berbagai klub di Sydney dan telah merekam lagu-lagu tulisannya sendiri dengan beberapa musisi terbaik Australia. Rilis internasional terbaru Patrick adalah sebuah single dan video YouTube berjudul Children of Timor – anak-anak Timor.

Joviana Guterres is a singer and songwriter from Timor Leste. She began her career in 2016 as a member of the acappella group The Mutants, which disbanded in mid-2017 as many members left for studies. Since then, Joviana has started writing her music. Alongside singing and songwriting, she plays the guitar and ukulele. Her songs often reflect her work with women survivors of violence and reuniting stolen children, like her song Feto Eroi (Women Heroes) and a Timorese version of Patrick Burgess' song Stolen Children in Tetun, called Labarik Lakon. Joviana has collaborated with national and international musicians, including Etson Caminha, Klamar, DAC, and Joss Stone, and has performed at major music events in Timor-Leste.

Joviana Guterres adalah seorang penyanyi dan penulis lagu dari Timor Leste. Ia memulai karirnya pada 2016 sebagai anggota dari kelompok acappella The Mutants, yang bubar medio 2017 karena banyak anggotanya yang harus undur diri karena perkuliahan mereka. Sejak itu, Joviana telah mulai menulis musiknya sendiri. Selain bernyanyi dan menulis lagu, ia juga bermain gitar dan ukulele. Lagu-lagunya seringkali mencerminkan karya-karyanya dengan perempuan penyintas kekerasan dan upaya mempertemukan kembali anak-anak yang telah diculik, seperti lagunya Feto Eroi (Women Heroes) dan sebuah versi Timor untuk lagu Patrick Burgess Stolen Children dalam bahasa Tetun, dengan judul Labarik Lakon. Joviana telah berkolaborasi dengan musisi nasional dan internasional, seperti Etson Caminha, Klamar, DAC, dan Joss Stone, dan ia telah tampil di beberapa acara musik besar di Timor-Leste.