Rap meets folk as musicians stand against child marriage

Music often finds its way into conversations that words alone struggle to begin. This time, three musicians from different genres have joined forces to raise their voices against one of Bangladesh’s longstanding social challenges — child marriage.

National Award-winning musician and composer Emon Chowdhury, rapper Aly Hasan, Maruf and folk singer Aleya Begum have come together for an experimental folk-fusion track titled “Koinya”, accompanied by a music video. The project aims to raise awareness about the devastating consequences of child marriage and encourage families to protect the dreams and futures of young girls.

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Child marriage remains a major social concern in Bangladesh. According to the Bangladesh Multiple Indicator Cluster Survey (MICS), conducted by the Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics (BBS) and UNICEF, nearly one in two women in Bangladesh were married before the age of 18.

For many girls, early marriage can mean an abrupt end to their education and childhood, while increasing their vulnerability to early pregnancy, violence, poverty and lifelong inequality. Against this backdrop, the musicians behind “Koinya” believe creative forms of storytelling can play an important role in taking the conversation to wider audiences.

Emon Chowdhury said he was drawn to the collaboration because of his belief in music’s ability to spread messages widely and connect with people emotionally. He also sees it as part of a musician’s responsibility towards society.

“I feel music, when it comes with video, is an important medium to raise awareness as it can touch people emotionally through both melodies and visuals, so the information and messages given stay in their minds for long. As musicians we are liable to mankind for its wellbeing,” Emon said.

Emphasising the adverse impact of early and child marriage, Emon stressed that families should prioritise the dreams and aspirations of girls rather than allowing early marriage to derail their futures.

For “Koinya”, Emon has brought together soulful Bengali folk melodies and the energetic pulse of hip-hop, creating a soundscape intended to appeal to audiences across generations and musical preferences.

According to Emon, one of the challenges was creating a track that could carry a serious social message while retaining an engaging rhythm and melody, particularly while bringing together Bengali folk and fast-paced rap.

Despite the challenge, he said the musicians enjoyed working together for a cause they collectively believe in.

Although Emon has previously collaborated with Aleya Begum on several projects, “Koinya” marks his first collaboration with rapper Aly Hasan. He was particularly impressed by Aly’s ability to transform everyday local expressions into engaging rhymes.

“Aly has a natural instinct of putting a rhyme to raw local words, turning those into engaging rhymes instantly, which is really interesting,” he said.

Built around simple and memorable lyrics, “Koinya” delivers a direct message against child marriage. The accompanying music video further strengthens that message through striking visuals and a localised storyline, making the campaign more relatable to rural audiences, particularly younger generations.

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“Koinya” has been produced by BBC Media Action as part of its Child, Not Bride campaign. The music video has been released on social media platforms, including Facebook and YouTube.