K’naan video calls for tighter controls on arms trade

Somalian-born hip-hop star K’naan has directed a short video calling for tighter regulation of the arms trade. Barry Markowitz (Crazy Heart, All The Pretty Horses) was the director of photography.

The inspiration for the campaign videos comes from the estimate that around 12bn bullets are produced globally each year – enough to kill nearly every man, woman and child on the planet – twice.

The video features 5-year-old twin girls Anais and Mirabelle Lee, from the United States. In the video, the care-free girls are playing with ammunition – an image designed to shock.

The video is released Thursday 5/07/2012 during the first week of the Arms Trade Treaty talks, now taking place at the United Nations, in New York. The negotiations are due to run until July 27.

The new Arms Trade Treaty will regulate the sale of weapons and ammunition and limit the devastating impact the illicit and irresponsible arms trade has on the lives of some of the poorest people in the world. The Control Arms coalition is calling for a strong treaty that will really save lives.

K'naan is inviting people to join him and show their support by adding their names to the Control Arms petition, calling on governments to sign up to a strong Arms Trade Treaty. The petition will be handed in at the United Nations later this month before the treaty is agreed on July 27. To sign-up to the petition visit: www.controlarms.org