Children enjoy trash-music play.
UNICEF UK/2006/Josh Estey

Children performing a traditional Acehnese dance.
UNICEF UK/2006/Josh Estey

Björk assists the children with some drawing.
UNICEF UK/2006/Josh Estey

Day one

Björk joins the children in some trash-music play and drawing

Björk was also treated to a fantastic musical show put on by the children. The girls sang traditional Acehnese songs and the boys played traditional Acehnese drumming music. The music is powerful and emotive and gets louder and more frantic as the music tells the story of the journey a boy’s life takes as he grows into a man.

Afterwards the children invited Björk to take part in their ‘trash-music play’ session where wonderful rhythmic sounds were generated by a range of instruments made from objects including old bottles, tin cans and dustbin lids.

As part of their psycho-social support, the children are encouraged to draw and express their feelings creatively. At the centre the children showed their drawings to Björk.

In the immediate aftermath of the tsunami, and for the following months, children were drawing pictures of waves, bodies and destruction. Björk saw that this has changed dramatically and that now the children are drawing more peaceful pictures of flowers and trees as they are slowly coming to terms with their experiences and beginning to feel more hopeful about their futures.