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Mandela hosts 46664 Arctic
9 June 2005
South Africa's Bongo Maffin and Johnny Clegg will line up alongside a host of international stars for the 46664 Arctic concert in the Norwegian town of Tromsø on Saturday.
46664, which takes its name from Nelson Mandela's Robben Island prison number, is the former South African president's campaign to raise global awareness of HIV/Aids through unique live events and music-related initiatives.
46664 Arctic, made possible by an NK12-million (R11.5-million) grant from Norway's Storting (Parliament), will take place in a stunning setting, with the sea on one side and the majestic Tromsdalstinden mountain on the other.
The stage will face Tromsø's well-known landmark, the distinctive Arctic Cathedral, and the Tromsø Bridge. The crowd will face partly towards the north to allow them to experience the Midnight Sun shining in their faces.
The timing of the Arctic event, three weeks ahead of the G8 summit taking place in Scotland in
July, will allow Mandela to address the audience with a message aimed at the G8 leaders. He will focus on the challenges Africa faces, telling them that far more needs to be done to fight HIV/Aids and the poverty which lies at the heart of it.
46664 Arctic is the fourth event to be held under the campaign's banner since it was launched in October 2003. The initiative was born out of the determination of some of the world's biggest artists - initially Bono, Dave Stewart, Annie Lennox and Queen's Brian May and Roger Taylor - to mobilise the music industry and leading world figures into helping Mandela's campaign.
Lennox and May have confirmed their participation at 46664 Arctic, as have a number of international and Scandanavian stars.
"The situation with HIV/Aids in Africa has become a genocide of unprecedented proportions," Lennox said in a statement. "Things are not improving ... in fact, they are getting worse, and very little is being done to effectively turn the
tide of this preventable disaster.
"An estimated 50 000 people a day become infected with the Aids virus in Africa, and six out of every 10 of those are women," Lennox said.
"As a woman, a mother, and an ambassador of Nelson Mandela's 46664 campaign, I feel compelled to do my best to help raise awareness on this totally unacceptable scenario."
"46664 Arctic recognises that the fight to stop Aids is global," Mandela said in a statement. "The support of the Parliament and people of Norway is leading the way in helping to try secure a future for everyone, everywhere, free from HIV/Aids".
SouthAfrica.info reporter
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