Raghav, Nelly, & Abhishek Bachchan Feature SolarAid In “Until The Sun Comes Up”

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solaraid-raghav-videoCanadian pop star Raghav, American rapper Nelly, and Bollywood superstar Abhishek Bachchan get behind the solar revolution in Africa by endorsing UK-based solar charity SolarAid in Raghav’s new music video “Until The Sun Comes Up.”

The solar revolution isn’t always about getting cleaner electricity. Sometimes it’s about getting electricity, period.

In many parts of the world, electricity and electric lighting are a luxury, not a staple, and an estimated 1.3 billion people still don’t have access to electricity, even for such basic tasks as lighting a home after dark. Instead of just flipping a switch, these people have to rely on burning kerosene or other dirty and expensive fuels for light, which severely limits their ability to work or study after the sun goes down, as well as affects their health through the risk of respiratory illnesses.

While this issue may be well-known to those who work or travel in regions without regular access to electricity, many other people are incredulous when they hear that energy poverty greatly affects the lives of so many, even in this day and age. The Canadian singer Raghav is one of those people, as he came across the issue when exploring possibilities for a music video for his latest single, titled “Until The Sun Comes Up.”

“I just can’t believe that in 2015 so many people still live without a reliable source of electricity. While the western world have been connected to the grid for nearly a hundred years, and walk around with powerful computers in their pockets, millions in Africa and around the world have to use a tin can and some kerosene to light their homes at night. This is a tragic injustice and one I wanted to bring attention to in my video.” – Raghav

To help raise awareness of the issue, and to highlight solar solutions that can help alleviate some of the effects of energy poverty, Raghav worked with SolarAid, which builds solar markets in rural Africa through its social enterprise SunnyMoney, to film his new video. He personally bought and delivered more than 300 solar lights to school children in the small rural township of Shungubweni, Tanzania. These solar lights will eventually help students at the Shungubweni Secondary School (where the video was shot) study an extra 375,000 hours, while also saving their families tens of thousands of dollars in kerosene and candle costs.

The video for the single Until The Sun Comes Up also features US rapper Nelly, as well as Bollywood star Abhishek Bachchan, both of whom mention the fact that more than 1 billion people globally live without electricity, and point to the work of SolarAid as being an effective solution for helping to alleviate energy poverty.

“Those little little lights are pretty cool and so much better than kerosene lamps. The light is much brighter, they don’t give off toxic smoke and they last all night. The kids had a great time shooting the video and i’m hoping they can now go on and get a good education thanks to the solar lights.” – Raghav

Find out more about the work of SolarAid and SunnyMoney at their respective websites.


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Derek Markham

Derek lives in southwestern New Mexico and digs bicycles, simple living, fungi, organic gardening, sustainable lifestyle design, bouldering, and permaculture. He loves fresh roasted chiles, peanut butter on everything, and buckets of coffee.

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