African Musicians Announce Collaborative Effort To Support U.N. Millennium Development Goals

Several African musicians on Wednesday announced a collaborative effort to support the United Nations Development Programme's Millennium Development Goals, including eradicating poverty and fighting AIDS, the AP/News24.com reports. Musical artists Meiway of Cote d'Ivoire, Koffi Olomide of Congo, Salif Keita of Mali and others gathered in Dakar, Senegal, to announce that an as-yet-unnamed song will be released on Oct. 17 to support the initiative. The UNDP initiative is mobilizing African artists, sports stars, filmmakers and writers to help achieve the Millennium Development Goals of fighting HIV/AIDS and halving the number of Africans living on less than $1 a day. Most of the artists signed a document pledging to spread the initiative's message through songs and concerts. Keita, who said his moral commitment was stronger than "any piece of paper," was the only artist not to sign the document, according to the AP/News24.com. "We will bring change to Africa if we make the transformation of our continent our responsibility," Kenyan Afro-Jazz singer Achieng Abura said (AP/News24.com, 5/20).