In recent months there have been some very cool videos on YouTube like this one and this one, where musicians around the world are filmed playing the same song, shining a spotlight on a certain social cause.

Being a drummer, my interest was especially piqued yesterday when I saw a video produced by Sudan 365, an organization urging world leaders to get more involved in Sudan to prevent an escalation of violence that could lead to massive human rights violations.

Whether or not your interested in the situation in Sudan (which you should be – as the video points out, the country’s civil war was the longest running in Africa, with over 2 million people dead, but peace is still very unstable), take a minute out of your day to watch this video. It starts with a single drum beat, a beat that is built upon by musicians all over the world, including famous drummers like Stewart Copeland, Philip Selway of Radiohead, and Nick Mason of Pink Floyd.

If you’re interested in learning more about the situation in Sudan, or if you want to get involved, check out the Sudan 365 website. As a shameless (yet worthy) plug, a friend of mine in Denver is part of an organization called The Leadership Institute of New Sudan, whose mission is to develop and train leaders so that the people of New Sudan can experience the virtues of prosperity, civil rights, and social equality. Check out their website or Causes page on Facebook.