Former South African
President Nelson Mandela has announced that he will host the annual “46664”
concert, to help battle the AIDS pandemic on the continent.
The second 46664
concert will take place at the Fancourt Hotel and Country Club Estate on March
19, 2005.
The concert is
being funded by philanthropist Professor Dr. Hasso Plattner, co-founder and
chairman of SAP.
The focus of this
year’s event is inline with the theme of World AIDS Day this year, which
will be Women, Girls, HIV and AIDS.
"46664 South
Africa will build on the success of our truly memorable concert in Cape Town
last year,” Mandela said in a statement issued yesterday (Dec. 22). “It
will serve to support the efforts of the Nelson Mandela Foundation and to show
the world that South Africa is really addressing this most vital issue…
and help in particular the growing numbers of women infected and affected by
HIV/AIDS.”
Mandela said the
concert will feature prominent international female stars. The line up will
be revealed in early 2005.
Last year’s
concert took place at Green Point Stadium in Cape Town.
The event drew
an audience of 40,000 people and was broadcast to hundreds of millions of people
internationally.
A CD featuring
50 Cent, Beyonce, Shakira, David Bowie, Britney Spears and others was issued
as well to support Mandela’s push to raise awareness of the disease and
call other governments on the continent into action.
Rapper/producer
Missy Elliot and R&B divas Alicia Keys and Beyonce also supported Mandela’s
effort earlier this year, by donating fifty cents from each ticket sold on their
“Ladies First Tour” to the 46664 campaign.
46664 was the prison
number of Nelson Mandela on Robben Island, Cape Town. He served a total of 27
years, while fighting apartheid in South Africa. He was released in 1990.
According to the
Nelson Mandela Foundation, over 25% of the South African population is affected
by the HIV/AIDS virus.
Plattner is also
a member of South Africa’s President Thabo Mbeki’s International
Task Force on Information, Society and Development.
