A tribute to Eleanor Roosevelt was arranged by Bill Shipsey, a human rights activist, lifelong member of Amnesty International and founder of Art for Amnesty to celebrate the 70th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. The show was held yesterday in Paris at the Olympia Music Hall with the enchanting performance of the Irish singer Damien Rice.

Shipsey has created a project entitled “Eleanor’s Dream” to promote a world in which the rights of all human beings are fully respected. Mrs Roosevelt has played a crucial role in the adoption of the Declaration on 10th December 1948. Shipsey for this project also invites artists from every artistic discipline the world over to dedicate at least one of their creative adventures to it. In 2018 it may be a concert, a show, an exhibition or any other artistic performance produced during the year.

The shows started straight to the heart with a melancholic song of the songs of a fallen dream called “My Favourite Faded Fantasy”, which also gave the name to Rice’s last album, followed by “Amie”; “Elephant”; “Delicate”; “Famous Blue Raincoat”, an intense tribute to Leonard Cohen. One more track from the last album: “The Greatest Bastard” followed by an unexpected and unreleased new song, performed in front of a piece of paper: “(Tell Me) Who Is Behind Those Eyes” then “9 Crimes” and “Cold Water”. That was the time for the beautiful “Colour Me In”, soon after he performed “The Blower’s Daughter” and “Volcano”.

Cantus Domus, a young choir from Berlin, joined Damien at the hall in the final to sing with him “Trusty and True” and “It Takes a Lot to Know a Man” as an encore. While waiting for a new and exciting album, we simply take a bow to this man whom voice can softly reach to the heart of people at each performance in every place and at any time.

Luana Salvatore
editor@riocarnivalmagazine.it