DAVE STEWART, ARETHA FRANKLIN, Others to Appear at NYC Mandela Day Concert

     MUSIC NEWS - NYC will host the inaugural Mandela Day event on July 18, 2009 with a concert at Madison Square Garden to celebrate Nelson Mandela’s 91st birthday.  Mandela Day is a call for people around the world to honor Nelson Mandela’s inspiration and values. The hope is that people will observe the day annually not as a holiday, but as a day to join in and realize their full potential to make a difference to the world.

 

The concert will include a diverse lineup with artist such as; Dave Stewart, Aretha Franklin, Wyclef Jean, Queen Latifah, Carla Bruni-Sarkozy (first lady of France), Josh Groban, Cyndi Lauper, Angelique Kidjo, Baaba Maal, Jesse McCartney, TLC, The Soweto Gospel Choir, Yvonne Chaka Chaka, Chris Chameleon, Freshlyground, Emmanuel Jal, Loyiso, Sipho Mabuse, Vusi Mahlasela, Thandiswa Mazwai and Suzanna Owiyo  (other performers are expected to be announced).  The concert is the culmination of a week-long series of events in New York City in celebration of the first-ever Mandela Day. 

 

Other celebrities will be giving their support;  Forest Whitaker, Sharon Stone and Susan Sarandon have already agreed to appear.  Tim Massey, International Director of 46664, said, “Mandela Day is about

 

creating a movement for positive change and establishing one day to reflect upon, celebrate and make manifest the values that guide Nelson Mandela.”   Adding his voice of support, Queen’s Brian May, a 46664 founding ambassador, said, “It is Nelson Mandela’s ability to forgive that is an inspiration to us all. If Mandela Day can help the world to reconcile its differences then it will have succeeded in its purpose.”  Raising support from friends in the musical community, including Queen’s Brian May and Roger Taylor and Bono, Dave Stewart helped launch the 46664 global campaign which has since been carried across three continents. A series of historical concerts have taken place in South Africa, Spain, Norway, and most recently in the UK, with last year’s massive outdoor concert in Hyde Park which celebrated Mr. Mandela’s 90th birthday, playing to televised audiences that can be counted in the billions.

 

The Mandela Day concert aims to mark a day in each year when we collectively reflect on Mr Mandela’s inspiration and guidance and individually strive to make our own contribution. A gala fundraising dinner, at Grand Central Terminal’s Vanderbilt Hall, is also planned and will be hosted by former US President Bill Clinton and Mr Mandela’s wife Graça Machel.