By Sanjay Suri
LONDON, Sep 1 2005 (IPS)

An all-Africa concert on making poverty history will seek to speak – or sing – the language of aid concerts, but with an African voice.

The concert to be held Saturday at Independence Square in Accra, the Ghanaian capital, aims to take the African voice to world leaders ahead of the United Nations Millennium Summit Sep. 14-16. And it seeks to deliver that voice unprocessed by Western supporters.

“This kind of message is very important,” concert director Kwesi Owusu told IPS by telephone from Accra. “It is the first bringing together of people from Africa. Africa is reclaiming its position and its voice for itself.”

So far the aid concerts for Africa have been held mostly in Europe and the United States, Owusu said. “Now African nations are coming together to project their common positions.”

The concert is being backed by many organisations working in the development field, Owusu said. “It will be a dynamic platform that will project the African perspective. It will testify that Africans can project their own situation, and we want the world to hear.”

But that might just be what is not happening. The concert has evoked little interest since a promotional announcement was made last month. The near silence in the media compared to the publicity around July’s Live 8 concerts would suggest that the West has little interest in an African voice speaking for itself.

However, the concert is getting the “correct” kind of support. There will be messages read out on behalf of UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan, former South African president Nelson Mandela, and other media and celebrities from African nations.

The musicians’ line-up includes many African stars like Salif Keita from Mali; the legendary Mahotella Queens from South Africa; Seun Anikulapo Kuti, the new king of Afro Beat and Daddy Showkey from Nigeria; Obuor, Reggie Rockstone, Amandzeba, CK Mann, and Mac Tontoh of the band Osibisa, all from Ghana.

Anti-poverty campaigners are holding the concert in partnership with the Ghana Trade Union Congress (TUC).

“Progress towards the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals has been awfully slow and inadequate,” Akwasi Adu Amankwa, secretary-general of the Ghana TUC said in a statement. “Africa’s message to the summit is clear: decisive action is needed now to strike a meaningful blow against poverty.”

Prof. El Busaidy, chair of the Supreme Council of Kenya Muslims said: “Leaders of the world nations must avoid the false promises, the delays and hollow sound bites, and give real hope to millions of Africans living in abject poverty and squalor.”

Salif Keita, one of Africa’s most accomplished musicians, said in a statement: “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.”

Other musicians lent their voices of support. “I support GCAP (Global Call to Action Against Poverty) 100 percent and I am looking forward to spreading the message on the third of September,” said Mac Tontoh, leading Ghanaian musician.

“The scourge of poverty is wasting lives and blighting the future of Africa,” said Seun Anikulapo Kuti, musician from Nigeria. “The time for action is now.”

The Africa Standing Tall Against Poverty concert is calling for the eradication of poverty as a part of the Make Poverty History campaign. The concert is being supported by the GCAP, which will also mobilise support for the “Say No 2 Poverty” SMS mobile campaign in Africa.

But by Thursday afternoon, only 1,232 messages were recorded on the GCAP website promoting the concert.

Excerpt: