Bono, Christian Music Executives, Join Together to Promote HIV/AIDS Awareness Through Christian Music Events
Five Christian music executives have teamed up with Irish rock star Bono to promote HIV/AIDS awareness through Christian music venues, the New Orleans Times-Picayune reports. Jay Swartzendruber, publicity manager for Gotee Records and one of the executives involved in the effort, said, "We as a label just feel very strongly that the evangelical church and the charismatic church and the Western church in general ... really needs to wake up to the Bible's really clear principles for Christian service." As part of the effort, Bono, Swartzendruber and the other music officials produced a three-minute public service announcement video urging action on HIV/AIDS. In the video, which was played at nine festivals and various concerts this summer, Bono states, "Today, this very day, 5,500 Africans will die of AIDS. ... God is not looking for alms. God is looking for action." He adds, "History will judge us on how we deal with this crisis. God will judge us harder on how we deal with this crisis." Bono urged viewers to contact political leaders and his organization - Debt, AIDS, Trade for Africa (DATA) - to help make anti-AIDS and anti-poverty efforts a "priority" (New Orleans Times-Picayune, 9/7).
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