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African Services Committee and BAM Join Hands for World AIDS Day Tribute Concert
Red
Hot + RIOT LIVE! Dec 1 & 2 Celebrates the Music of Fela Kuti,
Benefits African Services' Work in HIV/AIDS in NYC and Ethiopia
NEW
YORK, 30 NOVEMBER 2006 - In the twenty-fifth year of the AIDS epidemic,
African Services Committee, a New York City non-profit providing
HIV/AIDS services, is collaborating with BAM, one of the country's
oldest performing arts institutions, for a benefit concert expected to
be New York City's largest World AIDS Day event.
The
all-star tribute taking place at BAM (30 Lafayatte Avenue in Brooklyn)
on December 1 and 2 celebrates the music of Fela Kuti, the celebrated
Nigerian artist and activist whose life was cut short by AIDS. The
musical line-up includes Tony Allen, Amadou & Mariam, Andres Levin,
Cheikh L, dead prez, Keziah Jones, Les Nubians, Stuart Matthewman, John
Medeski, Meshell Ndegeocello, and Yerba Buena. Tickets are $25, 40, 55,
65 and can be purchased via www.BAM.org or 718-636-4100.
A portion of the proceeds benefits African Services� HIV/AIDS
testing, care and support programs in New York City and Ethiopia.
"Unique partnerships like this are a critical part of the response
to AIDS," said Kim Nichols, Co-Executive Director of African Services.
"And BAM has shown great leadership in bringing New Yorkers together on
World AIDS Day to focus on what we can do – as individuals, artists,
activists, and communities to end AIDS."
Despite renewed interest in AIDS and Africa, the funding to
adequately fight the epidemic falls dramatically short of the need.
"While the political commitment to end AIDS has flagged, the burden has
fallen disproportionately on the poor and vulnerable, in New York City
and around the world," Nichols added. "Partnerships like this
demonstrate how communities are rising to the challenge of providing
HIV prevention and care and keeping the promise to stop AIDS."
New evidence released this week by UNAIDS and civil society leaders
shows the epidemic is worsening while the momentum for global AIDS
treatment scale up has stalled over the last year. "With 4.3 million
new infections last year, we are moving ever further away from the
target of achieving universal access by 2010," Nichols added.
About African Services Committee
African Services Committee is a 25-year-old non-profit organization in
New York City dedicated to improving the health and self-sufficiency of
the African community. Founded in 1981 by Ethiopian refugees, today it
assists over 10,000 immigrants from across the African Diaspora each
year and is a leader in HIV prevention, care and support for immigrant
communities. African Services also works on the frontlines of the
global AIDS epidemic operating four HIV testing and care clinics in
Ethiopia. www.africanservices.org
