Audio investigation for human rights with Fabio Cervi
From The Power of Music Thinking by Christof Zürn
December 8, 2025 · 1h 2m · Episode 67
About this episode
Fabio Cervi discusses the use of sound in human rights investigations and advocacy.
In many episodes, we talk about how sound and listening can make a difference for good. We’ve explored themes like sound healing, music psychology, and deep listening—all ways sound and music thinking can be a force for good. Today is somewhat different. We speak with Fabio Cervi, an audio investigator for Earshot, a non-profit audio investigation organisation that works on the front lines of human rights and environmental advocacy. Fabio’s work isn't just about listening; it's about finding evidence. He uses sound to tell the stories of communities affected by violence. In our conversation today, Fabio shares sound files from two astonishing cases. First, we’ll hear and deconstruct the evidence from an attack on a silent vigil in Serbia, involving a mysterious sound that people felt rather than heard, and a potential sonic weapon known as an LRAD. Then, we move to the occupied Syrian Golan Heights to explore Zifzafa, a protest video game that uses real-world field recordings to fight against an illegal massive wind turbine project. This is audio as ballistics, as evidence, and as advocacy. It’s a truly fascinating look at how sound can be used in the fight for justice. Show…
People in this episode
Host: Christof Zürn
Guest: Fabio Cervi
Topics covered
- audio investigation
- human rights
- environmental advocacy
- sound evidence
- community stories
Keywords
- audio investigation
- human rights
- sound evidence
- environmental advocacy
- Zifzafa
Mentioned in this episode
Organizations: Earshot
Books & works: Zifzafa
Places: Serbia, Syrian Golan Heights
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