Live 8 - Africa Calling 2005

The Eden Project is to stage a major Live8 concert on July 2nd under the banner of "Africa Calling". The event will be programmed and presented in association with WOMAD and its co-founder Peter Gabriel, together with Senegalese superstar Youssou N'Dour.

The evening itself will be hosted by Peter Gabriel, who has championed World Music for the past 25 years. Youssou N'Dour and Peter Gabriel have invited many of their favourite African artists to perform at the event.

These include the gutsy and charismatic West African vocalist/songwriter Angelique Kidjo, Somalia's powerful and dynamic female vocalist Maryam Mursal, and Salif Keita, who has earned himself the title of the Golden Voice of Africa.

Also appearing will be Zimbabwe-born musical and political hero Thomas Mapfumo with his group the Blacks Unlimited; Tinariwen, a Touareg group from the southern Sahara; award-winning Senegalese hip hop group Daara J; Arab-Andalusian singer and musician Akim El Sikameya; engaging and dynamic South African singers and dancers Shikisha; Kenyan lyre player and singer Ayub Ogada; and Modou Diouf & O Fogum, bringing intoxicating Sabar drum rhythms and unbelievable dance.

The concert will be held on the stage in the Eden arena with the world's biggest greenhouses providing a spectacular backdrop in the crater. This outstanding line-up will bring the Eden site alive with unbeatable African party spirit. Transmissions will be made from the event by the BBC as part of the Live8 celebration.

Midge Ure was keen to get WOMAD's involvement from the start of the campaign, and met with WOMAD several weeks ago to discuss featuring prominent African artists as part of the Live 8 events including the concert at Murrayfield on 6 July.

WOMAD was founded in 1982 by Peter Gabriel and WOMAD's artistic director Thomas Brooman with the aim of bringing artists together from all over the world to reach new audiences. Since 1982 WOMAD has presented more than 150 festivals and events in 26 countries and islands.

Eden's chief executive Tim Smit was glad to become involved in providing an extended platform for African artists as part of the series of events, and said today: "We are huge fans of Live8 and the agenda that is so brilliantly driven by Bob Geldof and Midge Ure. The idea to host the concert came out of a conversation with Oxfam representatives when we hosted one of the Make Poverty History events at Eden in May."

Eden is involved in several projects with African partners and in its giant conservatories exhibits almost all the crops that form the basis to so many of the trade issues central to the Make Poverty History agenda.

Eden's involvement with music has seen four sell-out seasons of the acclaimed Eden Sessions - featuring artists from WOMAD, Brian Wilson, Pulp, Moby, and coming in August, fellow Live8-ers Keane and Basement Jaxx.

For further information on the event at Eden and ticket allocation details, go to www.live8.edenbookings.com.

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