Africa: 40 million set to watch GCAP Standing Tall Against Poverty concert across Africa

An unprecedented 15 hour-long concert with Africa's biggest musicians -organised by the Global Call to Action against Poverty (GCAP)- is set to be watched by over 40 million people in 11 African countries starting Saturday, 15 October. One week before 189 of the world's leaders met in New York for the UN World Summit (Millennium + 5), an unprecedented 15 hour-long concert with Africa's biggest musicians took place in Ghana on Saturday 3 September. The event, called "Standing Tall Against Poverty", was organised by the Global Call to Action against Poverty (GCAP).

The 52-minute concert captures the melodic and passionate voices of Mali's Salif Keita, South Africa's Mahotella Queens, Nigeria's Daddy Showkey, Seun Kuti, Ghana's Mac Tontoh, Kenya's Eric Wainaina and Obuor. Justice Egware of the GCAP Nigerian Coalition and Kumi Naidoo, Chairperson of GCAP, also spoke briefly at the event. "This concert provides a unique platform to project a unified African voice against poverty. The campaign to eradicate poverty from Africa has all my support", said Salif Keita, leading Malian and international musician.

The quality of the performances and cause it represents has convinced over thirty African private and public television stations to waive close to US$ 600,000 in advertising and programming costs. The concert will be shown throughout Africa from Saturday 15 October onwards. Over 40 million people are set to view the concert. During the showing of the concert, viewers across Africa will be called upon to send SMS text messages in favour of trade justice to +27-82-904-3425. They will then be posted to www.gcapsms.org.

Towards White Band Day III Over the last ten months, GCAP has grown to be the largest anti-poverty alliance working in over a 100 countries of the world. In Africa, this alliance works in 26 countries and is united their call for increased and better financing for development, debt cancellation, better governance and terms of trade for Africa. "Progress towards the achievement of the Millennium development goals has been awfully slow and inadequate", said Akwasi Adu Amankwa, Secretary General of Ghana TUC. "Africa's message is clear, decisive action is needed now to strike a meaningful blow against poverty. 2005 is the year all countries must abide by longstanding commitments to eradicate poverty and reform the rules of global trade that is destroying the livelihood of millions." The showing of the concert takes place as the year that was touted to be the great year of change draws to a close.

The last of the important global summits takes place two months from now in the upcoming World Trade Organisation ministerial meeting in Hong Kong. Changes in international trade could dramatically improve the lives of millions. The Global Call to Action Against Poverty is preparing to organise its third day of international mobilisation. This third White Band Day will happen on 10 December. African organisations are raising public awareness to make sure that the WTO protects countries' right to decide policies, protect public services, strengthens corporate accountability, ends dumping of rich countries products and rich country subsidies that keep people in poverty.