Project ReEvolution:
Project ReEvolution is a humanitarian project which encompasses a range of initiatives, whose language of global togetherness is music. Our mission is to raise funds to finance a series of activities and socially proactive events. The project is headed by singer/songwriter and producer Francesco Sondelli, and by Capone, leader of the group BungtBangt, commonly known as the “eco band” because they use instruments created exclusively out of recycled materials.

The very name Project ReEvolution makes its message clear: no revolution can be called such, without first being based on an Evolution in a positive direction for all humanity. The artists use the term ReEvolution, in order to emphasize that this is not just a “simple” revolution. For them, the true revolution will begin when we are free to choose our own destiny and be aware that each one of us is the main player in a process of change that will bring us to an existence without colors, flags or violence. The message urges us to pursue positive change, based on solidarity and unity, where we all have the possibility to contribute to the search for new solutions and alternatives that will enable us to overcome the difficulties our society faces today.

The motives which spurred these Neapolitan artists to embark on this project were their desire to bring hope and new futures to many at-risk children who live in dangerous areas, exposed to multiple forms of violence and exploitation, in Latin America and Napoli. Their objective is to build a bridge between these two words, seemingly so far away, yet so similar at the same time -- places where the majority of the population live with violence and the threat of gangs and organized crime, which in many cases represent the only means of survival. These two populations are joined by a shared linguistic, cultural and historic heritage, and by their way of living and feeling life.

The symbol that identifies Project ReEvolution is the butterfly, because like butterflies, all of us as  human beings have the capacity to transform ourselves, to grow, to better ourselves, and to bring out all the beauty we have inside – if we have the right conditions to make this possible. The butterfly of this project is a “rebel butterfly,” which seeks to break through the barriers of limitation, especially for those who are born in disadvantaged areas, seemingly without possibilities and prospects for a better future.

The starting point for this series of initiatives was the creation of a song, which carries the same name as the project, “Project ReEvolution. Francesco and Capone composed this song together without ever having met in person. For almost two consecutive months of arduous online sessions, they wrote “Project ReEvolucion,” defying the distances that separated them – Francesco from Los Angeles and Capone from Napoli. The two artists finally came together in person in July 2009 – in Napoli –  to record the final version of the song, and shoot the video. In this way, they created a song performed simultaneously in three languages (Neapolitan, Spanish and English), with the objective of building a bridge between the two cultures of Napoli and Latin America, through the universal language of music. “Project ReEvolution” is a musical crossover filled with significance, mixing the rhythmic inspiration of “black-napoletana,” characteristic of Capone, and the international rock style of Francesco Sondelli.

The video
The video was recorded in Napoli at L’Arenile di Bagnoli, a site chosen for its juxtaposition of natural scenic beauty and the environmental waste produced by the now-defunct steel processing plant Italsider. It is a place in which one can plainly see the imbalances caused by man, but at the same time, one can also witness the process of Project ReEvolution taking root. The environmental recovery of this area is returning the beach to its original beauty, all thanks to citizen effort.

All the funds raised by Project ReEvolution will be donated to Mani Tese, a nonprofit organization which supports sustainable development projects in different parts of the world. Specifically, the profits from the sales of the song will finance two projects sponsored by Mani Tese: Project 2194 in Guatemala (http://www.manitese.it/progetti/?p=390), whose objective is to promote the education of street children, and project Sani Stella in Napoli (www.manitese.it/napoli), which provides academic support to and sponsors creative workshops for children in the high risk neighborhoods of La Sanità and Stella. In the future, we hope to expand these initiatives to other areas.

The song can be purchased through direct download from http://www.projectreevolution.com or through all authorized online music sites (iTunes worldwide, Amazon MP3, e-Music, Rhapsody, Napster, Spotify, Liquid Digita, Verizon V-Cast, Lala, Shockhound, Nokia, Amie Street, Last.fm, Zune, Didiom, Tradebit). Additional donations to support Mani Tese’s projects can also be made online via the Project ReEvolution website.

We are fortunate, we have been able to study, travel discover and most of all choose. We thank the universe for having given us the gift of music, which makes our lives so vibrant and intense, and we want to use this gift to support the most vulnerable children and help them discover that life is full of possibilities, not just limitations, despite the difficulties and the terrible violence to which they are exposed. (Sondelli and Capone)