Mary Boyoi
Mary Boyoi | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | May 12, 1974 |
| Occupation | Singer |
| Years active | c. 2007 - present |
| Known for | Music & Politics in South Sudan |
| Notable work | Referendum |
| Political party | SPLM |
Mary Boyoi (born May 12, 1974) is a South Sudanese singer-songwriter and political activist.
Early Life
[edit]Mary Boyoi was born on May 12, 1974, in Malakal, Democratic Republic of Sudan (now part of South Sudan). Boyoi's father, a Murle tribal chief and military commander within the Sudan People's Liberation Movement was killed in 1989. After her father's death, she and her family spent a number of years in displaced camps in Sudan and refugee camps in Ethiopia to avoid conflicts of the war.[1]
She started singing in Sunday school.[2] She continued her higher education in Kenya and completed a series of diploma courses.[citation needed]
Boyoi is currently the executive director and founder of Voice of the Peace (VOP), a national NGO that provides psycho-social support and referral pathways for medical care to survivors of Gender-Based Violence (GBV).[2]
Music career
[edit]Zooz, a song from Boyoi's yet-to-be-released second album, was featured on Sudan Votes Music Hopes in March 2010. Sudan Votes Music Hopes is a collaboration of artists from across Sudan that wrote election songs "to encourage the people of Sudan to make a mark on their future". The SVMH album was compiled by German singer-songwriter Max Herre and is being distributed across Sudan on audio cassettes, radio and digitally via sudanvotes.com. The production was realized by Media in Cooperation and Transition (MICT) and was financed by the German Foreign Office.[3] In August 2012, the Süd Electronic label released a vinyl with house remixes by Tama Sumo and Portable.
In 2011, she performed at an independence celebration in South Sudan.[4]
In 2013, Boyoi released a single Ana Indi Zool, featuring Isaac Mamur.[5] In 2016, she re-released a single, Welet De Tai.[6] A single under the same name was released, featuring Colo.[7]
In 2021, she was nominated at the South Sudan Music Awards in a category of Best Collaboration (Internationally) of the Year, due to her work with Harmonize.[8]
Political activism
[edit]In 2002, she began working for humanitarian relief agencies throughout South Sudan.[9][10]
In 2005, she founded ABONA International, a nonprofit organization aimed at supporting peace throughout South Sudan and providing assistance to girls and young women in violent and destructive situations. In 2007, she began work on her first music project, “Referendum”.[11]
In January 2010, Boyoi was nominated by members of the Murle community to run for a parliamentary seat in the Southern Sudan Legislative Assembly in Juba. She campaigned for the elections that took place in April 2010.[12][13]
In 2022, she endorsed[14] President Salva Kiir Mayardit for upcoming elections (who was ruling the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement Party at that time).
References
[edit]- ^ "Sudan singer campaigns for split". BBC News. Retrieved 2022-07-08.
- ^ a b "In war-torn South Sudan, a voice of peace". UNICEF Connect. 2018-03-06. Archived from the original on 2018-03-08. Retrieved 2019-12-30.
- ^ "Sudan Votes Music Hopes". Sudan Votes. 2010. Archived from the original on 2010-03-28.
- ^ Foltyn, Simona (9 Jul 2014). "South Sudan's unhappy third birthday".
- ^ "Ana Indi Zool - . Mary Boyoi Ft Isaac Mamur". 24 Dec 2013.
- ^ "Mary Boyoi - Welet De Tai". 1 September 2016.
- ^ "Welet De Tai - Mary Boyoi Ft Colo".
- ^ Ilado, Lucy (17 Nov 2021). "South Sudan Music Awards 2021: All the nominees".
- ^ "Humanitarian Coordinator in South Sudan, Alain Noudéhou, Remarks on World Humanitarian Day, Juba, 19 August 2019". 19 Aug 2019.
- ^ Muchuri, John (2007-06-30). "Sudan Diva Sings for Her Country And People". Sudan Catholic Radio. Retrieved 2007-06-30.
- ^ "Sudanese Mary Boyoi's Debut "Referendum" Album Launched in Nairobi". Sudan Radio Service. 2007-07-03. Retrieved 2007-07-03. [dead link]
- ^ "South Sudan Singer Joins Politics". Sudan Catholic Radio. 2010-01-07. Retrieved 2010-01-07.
- ^ Muller, Peter (2010-04-09). "Sudan candidate sings another tune". Al Jazeera. Retrieved 2010-04-09.
- ^ "'Right man in the right place': Mary Boyoi endorses Kiir for president in 2023 elections". April 7, 2022.
External links
[edit]- Mary Boyoi's Myspace page
- Mary Boyoi Fanpage on Facebook
- Music of Boyoi
- Boyoi on Youtube
- Mary Boyoi's song Zooz on Sudan Votes Music Hopes
- Boomkat review for Mary Boyoi - Zooz (Tama Sumo / Portable Mixes)
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