This Saturday, singer-songwriter Luke Dowler will return to Westlock to perform a show that hopes to raise awareness of the spectre of human trafficking.
Dowler, who likens his musical style to that of a modern Bruce Springsteen, first got interested in human trafficking in 2007 when he came across the International Justice Mission while surfing the Internet.
After digging deeper into the issue, he realized it was something that needs to be ended before more people’s lives are destroyed.
“I think there’s little things we can do as everyday people to do our part to make sure that this crime against humanity is stopped,” he said.
Human trafficking takes many different forms, he said, ranging from the sex trade to forced labour and sweatshops.
As a musician, Dowler said he’s always aware of the things around him.
“I think part of being an artist and musician … is having to observe and be sympathetic and respect human life no matter were the people are at,” he said.
Those observations speak to him and he uses his art to look for justice for those people who are not being treated fairly.
Dowler has performed several shows in Westlock over the last year and a half, said Chris Lantz, who was instrumental in bringing Dowler back.
Lantz added that in those previous shows, Dowler has impressed the kids in the audience to the point that they have wanted to see him perform again.
“The kids who have seen him are really excited to see him again,” he said. “He left a pretty big impact on them.”
Lantz explained it was Dowler’s “passion and his power and his ability to speak to the kids and communicate to them his beliefs” that played into the decision to bring Dowler back.
When it comes to the human trafficking issue, he said one of Dowler’s most meaningful songs is Silence is Shameful.
“When he performs it, he performs it with conviction and power, and I think the kids get a sense of the importance of it through Luke’s work,” Lantz said.
In his previous trips to Westlock, Dowler said it was only him and one or two backing musicians. This time he’s going to be backed by his entire band, which will be a new experience for his Westlock fans.
He also said in the years he’s been touring through Western Canada, he tries to play the smaller communities because it’s that kind of environment he grew up in and it’s where he gets a lot of his inspiration.
Dowler is performing this Saturday, Dec. 15 at the Westlock Alliance Church. The show starts at 7:30 p.m., and although there is no admission fee, Lantz is requesting donations of money to help offset the cost of the show, or food for the food bank.
