NEW YORK (MTV) - MTV:
Music Television today announced the premiere of ROCKED: SUM 41 IN CONGO, a new 30-minute MTV News & Docs special on the turmoil in Congo, as seen through the eyes of the acclaimed rock band Sum 41. The special will air on
September 21 at 7 p.m., in recognition of the International Day of Peace, established by the U.N. "to devote a specific time to commemorating and strengthening the ideals of peace both within and among all nations and peoples."
The documentary is part of think MTV, the network's pro-social initiative which aims to inform and empower its audience on the issues that matter to them most, including education, sexual health, discrimination, and the environment. think MTV: Global will examine international poverty, AIDS, the effects of war, and other issues of global concern to young people.
"Sum 41's harrowing journey to the Congo is an incredibly powerful way to bring this crisis home to our audience," commented Dave Sirulnick, EVP of MTV News & Production. "We are grateful to the band for sharing their first-hand account of the perils of war, and we know it will be an enlightening experience for our viewers."
ROCKED was conceived and filmed by War Child Canada as part of that organization's efforts to draw international attention to the plight of children affected by war worldwide.
The special will encourage viewers to visit https://think.mtv.com to lend support to the region, including helping with the reconstruction of 25 schools by War Child Canada that were severely damaged or destroyed in some of the most war-affected areas of the country. Sum 41 continue their support, having collected and donated enough money to rebuild the Kaseke school in the Fizi-Baraka region. It officially opens September 12th.
ROCKED: SUM 41 IN CONGO documents the band's ten-day trip to the eastern region of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), with War Child Canada, a registered Canadian charity that provides humanitarian assistance to children affected by war. In order to expose the devastating impact of the longstanding civil war on Congolese children, the band meets with former child soldiers, victims of rape, UN and aid officials and many other war-affected Congolese. The special also tracks the band's much-publicized evacuation from Congo, assisted by Canadian peacekeeper Chuck Pelletier, after a sudden and unexpected outbreak of violence between government soldiers and troops loyal
to a renegade commander. (The band subsequently named their most recent album Chuck in his honor.) More than 3 million people have been killed in the Congo during the past 6 years.
"We went to Congo to show people what war is like, how harmful it is to civilians, and we ended up becoming war-affected ourselves," said Steve Jocz, the band's drummer. Deryck Whibley, Sum 41's lead singer, added, "Our being there, hearing the bullets around us, the mortar fire, the injured being brought in for medical treatment, it reinforced our belief that more must be done to prevent war and protect innocent civilians."
"The war in the Congo is one of the world's worst humanitarian disasters," said Dr. Eric Hoskins, President of War Child Canada and Executive Producer of ROCKED. "This special tells the story of how we are all involved in the Congo's brutal war. It is also the story of what we need to do as global citizens in order to help bring an end to this senseless tragedy."
ROCKED: SUM 41 IN CONGO will be supported by extensive online resources at https://think.mtv.com, including information on how young people can support the peace efforts underway in the Congo, photos and video from the band's trip, and a link to War Child Canada. In addition, through think MTV's relationship with Cable in the Classroom, ROCKED will air commercial-free in MTV's designated CIC weekly timeslot and an associated lesson plan will be offered for free download for use by tens of thousands of teachers, K-12 educators, and librarians in 80,000 schools in the United States, and will be promoted through CIC's monthly magazine - ACCESS LEARNING - which reaches approximately 300,000 readers.
Dave Sirulnick and Nina Diaz are Executive Producers for MTV News & Docs. Dr. Eric Hoskins and Dr. Samantha Nutt are Executive Producers of ROCKED for War Child Canada. Erika Clarke is Senior Producer for MTV News & Docs. Barbara Harmer is Senior Producer for War Child Canada. ROCKED was directed by Adrian Callender and George Vale.
The think MTV initiative includes longform specials; MTV News reports, PSAs, and other special programming dedicated to the issues that young people care about most. A think MTV icon will appear onscreen during programming that has an online counterpart; at https://think.MTV.com, to offer a range of opportunities for young people to learn about and engage on critical issues at the local or national level. On every page within the site, young people can search for local volunteer opportunities, contact their political
representatives, and register to vote. Additional online partners include a range of non-profit organizations that aim to inform and motivate young people to get involved in issues of concern.
War Child Canada is a registered charity that provides humanitarian assistance to children affected by war. Working closely with the music
industry and with youth throughout North America, War Child Canada also generates awareness, support and action for children's rights everywhere. The War Child Canada full length documentary ROCKED: Sum 41 in Congo will be released worldwide on DVD later this fall.
