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5th
September 2005
EMI
Releases 'Voices for Darfur' DVD with the UN refugee agency for
the people of Darfur
LONDON/GENEVA,
September 5 (UNHCR) - International artists are fronting a release
today by EMI of a new DVD, "Voices for Darfur" in support
of the United Nations refugee agency's work to bring assistance
and protection to the victims of the ongoing tragedy in Sudan's
western region. The DVD is released in the UK on Monday 5 September,
followed by other European countries, Australia, Japan and the USA.
Among
the artists featuring on the DVD are Sade, David Gray and Franz
Ferdinand who contributed special tracks for the recording. The
stars of the concert were Yusuf Islam, Chrissie Hynde, Mick Hucknall
and Antony Costa from Blue, as well as a host of other artists who
performed live at the Royal Albert Hall in London last December
to help the Darfur refugees.
Nine
months later, the release of the DVD of the concert by the UN refugee
agency and EMI is still sadly relevant, with the tragedy continuing
to take its tolls on the lives of millions. "I so hope this
will once more show that music has the power to make a difference
and save lives," said Antony Costa, "that this will be
a gift with a very special meaning". All proceeds from the
DVD will go to help the displaced and refugees in Sudan and Chad.
The
line up on the night included, Nicole Russo from the Brand New Heavies,
Moloko singer Roisin Murphy, Alison Moyet, UNHCR's longest serving
Goodwill Ambassador soprano Barbara Hendricks, Ruthie Henshall,
Sir Willard White, Mario Frangoulis and Deborah Myers, Jocelyn Brown
and Robbie Craig, Andrew Coleman, Daniel Pearce and The London Community
Gospel Choir.
Smooth
FM's Kevin Greening hosted the evening, which was filmed for TV
and the DVD by Initial, an Endemol company. Music producer and patron
of the event, Robin Millar from Whitfield Street Studios, collaborated
closely with UNHCR in creating an exceptional night.
Most
of the artists performed the music of Cole Porter in their own varied
styles and were accompanied by the Royal Philharmonic Concert Orchestra.
British band Franz Ferdinand provided a song for the night and donated
half their Mercury Music prize money, while Coldplay also donated
a substantial sum of money.
Since
the concert Sade has recorded her first new track in four years,
'Mum', written especially for the DVD. The video of the track includes
footage from Darfur. David Gray, who had to cancel his performance
due to voice problems, recorded 'Ain't No Love' for the DVD a few
weeks after the event.
All the artists gave generously of their time, talent, and often
money to raise awareness of the situation in the strife-torn region
of Darfur, which remains extremely volatile. Over 200,000 Sudanese
refugees are currently in exile in neighbouring Chad and almost
two million internally displaced people are living in dire conditions
inside Darfur. They desperately need more help, protection and above
all peace and security. As talks restart in Abuja, Nigeria, between
the Sudanese government and the two Darfur rebel movements, increased
support by the international community for the Darfur negotiations
could open new doors for a peace deal and eventually a return home
for the refugees.
The DVD 'Voices for Darfur' (EMI Catalogue Marketing - catalogue
number 544 7399) will be in the stores in the UK on the 5th of September
2005, followed by releases throughout Europe, Australia, the USA
and Japan.
EMI
is the world's largest independent music company, operating directly
in 50 countries. Its EMI Music division represents more than 1,000
artists spanning all musical tastes and genres. Its record labels
include Angel, Blue Note, Capitol, EMI Records, EMI Classics, Mute,
Virgin and Parlophone.
Proceeds from the DVD will be used to provide international protection
and life-saving assistance. For more information on the Darfur crisis
and the UN Refugee Agency go to: www.unhcr.org/darfur.
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