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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Femi Kuti's New York Concert to Usher in UN Special Session on HIV/AIDSIrving Plaza Show To Support Anti-AIDS Work of Africa Alive!NEW YORK—World-renowned Nigerian musician Femi Kuti will continue his efforts to combat the devastating African AIDS epidemic when he performs June 22 in New York just prior to the opening of the United Nations Special Session of HIV/AIDS. The concert, to be held at Irving Plaza, will support the efforts of Africa Alive!, an African-based network of youth organizations that promotes the prevention of HIV/AIDS and safe sexual behavior through entertainment. The UN Special Session on HIV/AIDS, to be held June 25 through June 27 at UN headquarters in New York, will be the first ever to address a public health issue. The UN hopes to accelerate international action to fight the disease that is taking its toll around the world, and particularly in Africa. "This crisis is ravaging our continent," said Kuti, who is a vocal advocate for AIDS education and awareness. "The world's eyes are on New York and what action our leaders will take to stop the devastation." According to the UN, more than 25 million of the 36 million people currently infected with the HIV virus live in Africa. More than 21 million people have died of AIDS since the 1980s, over 75 percent of them in sub-Saharan Africa. MCA Records recording artist Femi Kuti is the son of Afrobeat pioneer and Nigerian political revolutionary Fela Anikulapo-Kuti, whose untimely death from AIDS related causes in 1997 left his country in mourning. Femi Kuti's album Shoki Shoki was released to tremendous critical acclaim last year, and received honors from the Kora All-Africa Awards and the World Music Awards. UNICEF's State of Nations Report 2000 included an AIDS in Africa essay written by Femi, and he was selected to perform at last December's Nobel Peace Prize Award concert in Oslo, Norway. Femi Kuti resides in Lagos, Nigeria, and has toured extensively in Europe and the United States with his band the Positive Force. Between concert dates, Femi is preparing his next studio project, to be released this fall by MCA Records. For current tour dates and more information, visit www.femikutimusic.com Africa Alive! raises funds, provides technical assistance and partners with African NGOs working to combat HIV/AIDS. Africa Alive! operates with support from The Johns Hopkins Center for Communication Programs www.jhuccp.org in Baltimore, Maryland, the United States Agency for International Development www.usaid.gov, and the Department for International Development (United Kingdom) www.dfid.gov.uk To donate or find out more about Africa Alive! visit www.africaalive.org For more information on Africa Alive! contact: Jennifer Delaney or Kim Martin at Johns Hopkins Center for Communication Programs, 111 Market Place, Suite 310, Baltimore, Maryland 21202, USA. Tel: 410 659-6300; Fax: 410 659-6266 e-mail: press@jhuccp.org. |
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