PREMIERE: Refugees & AFL Stars Together In Asylum Seeker Tribute

24 July 2013 | 4:17 pm | Staff Writer

The clip for Les Thomas' Song For Selva has dropped today.

If you haven't been involved in some form of discussion about asylum seekers over the past week then we're astounded (and respectfully suggest you do some Googling).

Today we premiere the clip for a song that has been a powerful part of the campaign against the extended detention of genuine asylum seekers, Les Thomas' Song For Selva, in which he gets a little help from some very special guests.

It was sports journalist Trevor Grant who requested Thomas write the song, based on a letter he received from a Tamil asylum seeker who had spent 37 months in Broadmeadows Detention Centre. Recorded with Jeff Lang in April of this year, the song drew plenty of attention from community radio upon its release and, with this clip, its audience will no doubt extend further.

Collingwood footballer Harry O'Brien has jumped on board (his old man fled war and persecution in The Congo) and a group of refugees from diverse backgrounds (Tamils, West Papuans and Hazaras) are also featured in the video, directed by Daniel Knight.

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