Important note: Information in this article was accurate in 2002. The state of the art may have changed since the publication date.
Associated Press - Thursday, December 19, 2002
Ravi Nessman, Associated Press Writer
Dave Stewart of The Eurythmics, Joe Strummer of The Clash, and Bono named their song "48864" after the number Mandela wore as a prisoner of the apartheid regime. They plan to play the new song at a Feb. 2 AIDS benefit concert Mandela is sponsoring at his former prison on Robben Island, Stewart said Thursday.
The song, which focusses on Mandela's courage in speaking out against apartheid, ends with the musicians defiantly chanting 48864, said Stewart, the musical director of the concert.
Stewart said he hopes to work out a deal with international telephone companies that will allow people to dial that number to donate money to AIDS charities.
The daylong concert will take place in a grassy field enclosed by barbed wire outside the prison walls on the island off the coast at Cape Town. The musicians scheduled to perform include Queen, Bono, Macy Gray, Nelly Furtado, Shaggy, Jimmy Cliff, Johnny Clegg and Youssou N'dour.
Yusuf Islam, the pop singer who was known as Cat Stevens until he converted to Islam in the late 1970s, will make his first public appearance in three decades at the concert, though it is unclear whether he will perform, organizers said in a telephone conference with journalists.
Many artists "have responded to Mr. Mandela's call to arms on the issue of HIV/AIDS," Stewart said.
A maximum of 2,500 tickets will be distributed for the event. They will be given free to invited guests and those who win radio promotions, organizers said.
A simultaneous concert will be held in a Cape Town stadium that can hold 30,000 people, said Ned O'Hanlon, the concert's executive producer. A large screen there will show the Robben Island concert, and several of the musicians will play both venues, he said.
The concert will be carried live on the Internet, and television rights to a two-hour concert special are being negotiated, he said. Money from those sales and sponsorships will benefit AIDS charities.
Michael Jackson, Sting, Bruce Springsteen, Bob Dylan, Elton John and Janet Jackson also have been approached to play at the event ù titled "Mandela SOS."
An estimated 4.7 million South Africans ù one in nine ù are infected with HIV, more than in any other country in the world.
Mandela, 84, one of the world's most revered figures, emerged from prison to become South Africa's first democratically elected president in 1994.
He stepped down in 1999 and has since become a vocal activist in the fight against AIDS.
021219
AP021228
Copyright © 2002 - Associated Press. Reproduction of this article (other than one copy for personal reference) must be cleared through the AP Permissions Desk.
AEGiS is a 501(c)3, not-for-profit, tax-exempt, educational corporation. AEGiS is made possible through unrestricted funding from Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS, Elton John AIDS Foundation, National Library of Medicine, Pacific Life Foundation, and donations from users like you.
Always watch for outdated information. This article first appeared in 2002. This material is designed to support, not replace, the relationship that exists between you and your doctor.
AEGiS presents published material, reprinted with permission and neither endorses nor opposes any material. All information contained on this website, including information relating to health conditions, products, and treatments, is for informational purposes only. It is often presented in summary or aggregate form. It is not meant to be a substitute for the advice provided by your own physician or other medical professionals. Always discuss treatment options with a doctor who specializes in treating HIV.
Copyright ©1980, 2002. AEGiS. All materials appearing on AEGiS are protected by copyright as a collective work or compilation under U.S. copyright and other laws and are the property of AEGiS, or the party credited as the provider of the content. .