Party for a Good Cause with Us, Logan Sama, P Money and More

Every so often, an image crosses your eye line and changes you. It's part of the reason why publications like National Geographic and LIFE have earned their reputations for holding up a particular mirror to western society. Seeing the unexpected, or previously unknown, has the ability to move us in ways that can sometimes be hard to articulate beyond smashing the heart on Instagram and typing out an all-caps comment. But when you look out beyond the confines of your daily life, there are chances you'll encounter realities that leave you rejoicing, reeling, despondent or enraged.

For Ra'ed Khan, who helped found charity Road to Freedom in aid of the refugees fleeing conflict in Syria and Iraq, that moment hit in 2015. Like so many people in the UK at the time, his eyes scanned over the photograph of a drowned Kurdish toddler on a beach in September, who hadn't survived his family's treacherous journey from Turkey to Greece, en route to join their family in Canada.

"From the first moment I saw that image of Alan Kurdi," Ra'ed says now, "I knew I had to do something. And from this emotion, Road To Freedom was born." When he couldn't shake the affect that photo was having on him, Ra'ed and his family travelled to the Calais "Jungle" refugee camp to give out food parcels and hygiene kits to those who needed them. That journey then turned inspired monthly trips to various points along the route from Syria to Europe most often travelled by people escaping the violence that's made their homes inhabitable. Later, Ra'ed registered Road to Freedom as a real deal charity. And it's been putting on an annual benefit gig since 2015, raising thousands of pounds while acts like Jammer, Kojey Radical, Logan Sama, Abra Cadabra and Chip played.

At a time when empathy seems to be losing out to an 'I'll look after me and mine' outlook, the charity's work feels more important than ever. So this year, we're partnering with Road to Freedom. We'll be raising cash to help out not only those making the unwanted journey away from their homes, but the families impacted by the ongoing famine in Somalia. Logan Sama's playing again, as are P Money, Donae'O, Big Tobz and Bonkaz while Poet hosts, on Thursday 15 June at east London's Kamio.

"Not only do we provide immediate aid to refugees fleeing war-torn countries," says Ra'ed, "we activate long term sustainable solutions for refugees to be able to support themselves for the journey ahead of them. I am blessed to be able to work in such a great industry where the response has been overwhelming, everyone coming together to give up their time, resources and funds to help the plight of the refugees."

Look, there's no point pretending the refugee crisis will just disappear if we stop paying it attention. And compassion fatigue is a very real phenomenon, making it difficult for many of us to repeatedly hit the overstimulated part of our brains that reminds of life's brutality when we read the news. So this isn't about guilt, or whataboutery on immigration or virtue signalling for invisible brownie points. It's about a night of great music that extends its positivity beyond the good vibes on the day. It's about marrying a celebration with that moment that can transform the rest of your life. To come party with us, grab £10 tickets in aid of the charity here and here.

You can find Noisey on Twitter.

(All photos by Courtney Francis from Grime Aid 2016)