Kenyan musicians Nameless and Sauti Sol have been included in a star studded video intended to provoke people around the world to help fight famine in the horn of Africa region.
The video, by the anti-poverty advocacy group ONE, also includes Habida, Daddy Owen, John Allan Namu, Idris Elba, George Clooney, Didier Drogba, Freshlyground, Bono and Naeto C, among several others.
The PSA titled “Famine is the Real Obscenity” was unveiled at the recent Channel O Awards in Johannesburg, South Africa.
“It is designed to spark a more urgent response to the tragic famine in Somalia that has already killed more than 30,000 children in just 3 months,” ONE says in a statement.
“…is an effort to turn the spotlight on the obscenity of tens of thousands of children dying of starvation in 2011.”
The video will be incorporated into a much broader campaign that will be launched soon by ONE, to build support for longer-term strategies that will help end the cycle of famine once and for all.
Says Nameless: “It is unacceptable that in this day and age, a mother listens to the hoarse cry of her hungry dying child and can do nothing to save him. Now multiply that by 30,000 and you know that famine is real obscenity.”
It is hoped that the video and campaign at large will compel world citizens to learn more about the crisis and help out by signing a petition asking world leaders to play their role in putting an end to famine.
Included in the petition for African leaders is:
· to fulfill the 2003 Maputo Declaration on Agriculture, which called for 10% budget allocated to Agriculture and Rural Development
· Target investments in small-holder farmers (especially women) and encourage sustainable private resources for agricultural development
· to be transparent and accountable on progress to achieve the Maputo Declaration
The Horn of Africa is facing its worst drought in half a century where more than 13 million people are at risk of starvation, a majority from Somalia.
ONE says that while the drought could not have been prevented, the famine is the result of a combination of man-made factors, including a historic lack of investment in long-term agricultural development, abnormally high food prices, and lack of governance and security in Somalia.