Press Releases
November 10, 2007. Lusaka
U.S. Sponsors Major HIV/AIDS Benefit Concert in Livingstone
LIVINGSTONE – The Vice President of Zambia Hon. Rupiah Banda and the U.S. Deputy Chief of Mission Michael Koplovsky today kicked off an HIV/AIDS benefit concert at Maramba Stadium, featuring a line up of dynamic artists and music fused with HIV/AIDS messages. Concert-goers were encouraged to know their HIV status and to take advantage of voluntary counseling and testing services.
The concert, sponsored by the U.S. President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR), marks a novel initiative in the fight against HIV/AIDS in Livingstone, a world famous tourist attraction with one of the highest prevalence rates in Zambia. The concert was the second in a series of high-profile events organized through the Tourism HIV/AIDS Public-Private Partnership. A concert at the Sun Hotels International in June 2007 drew over 3,000 people. Concert-goers at both events had access to mobile counseling and testing services, HIV information booths, and educational materials.
In the weeks leading up to the Maramba concert, Music Crossroads Zambia joined forces with SHARe, a project partner for the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), to identify and promote local musicians. Talent show winners from throughout Zambia competed for slots in an international competition on the morning of the concert, which featured well-known artists Amayenge, Rare Roses, Winston, Haamoba, and Matthew Ngosa.
Working in collaboration with the National AIDS Council, the Southern Province Provincial AIDS Task Force (PATF), the Livingstone and Kazungula District AIDS Task Forces (DATFs), and other partners and sponsors, concert organizers conducted a series of events to raise community awareness about HIV/AIDS through radio, drama, and mobile video shows. Other contributors to the concert included Plan International, Barclays Bank, Southern Water, and Zambia National Broadcasting Corporation (ZNBC).
The President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) is the largest global health initiative directed at a single disease that any nation has ever undertaken. Since 2004, the U.S. Government has provided Zambia with more than $340 million to fight HIV/AIDS, and, in 2007, has offered an additional $216 million to tackle the disease. For more information about PEPFAR, please visit http://www.pepfar.gov.
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