Return to Transcripts main page
CNN Live Saturday
A Report From World AIDS Day Host City Cape Town
Aired November 29, 2003 - 14:32 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
KELLY WALLACE, CNN ANCHOR: We have been telling you throughout the day about World AIDS Day, which is just a day and a half away. More than 30 million people in Africa are infected with HIV, and 6,500 die from the virus each day. AIDS threaten the continent with economic and social collapse, if the infection rate continues.
CNN International is devoting special coverage to the events in Cape Town today. And inside Africa host, Tumi Makgabo, joins us from our headquarters in Atlanta. Tumi great to see you thanks for joining us.
RUMI MAKGABO, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Kelly, and thanks it is good to be here.
WALLACE: Tumi, first off, there is the concert going on as we speak in Cape Town, South Africa today. Why this concert now? Why this attention coming at this time?
MAKGABO: It's all quite straightforward, actually, Kelly, the whole exercise is actually being spearheaded by the former president of South Africa, Nelson Mandela. What he decided to do, some time ago, was to donate the number he was given while he was a prison inmate for some 18 years on Robin Island, that number is 46664, that has been subsequently become the name given to this concert which is, in fact, almost launching an initiative led by Mr. Mandela to help increased awareness, particularly among young people, across the African continent, in particular, in Sub-Saharan Africa. And also to raise money to help in the fight against HIV AIDS, not just when it comes to providing anti-retroviral drugs which help people live longer with the virus, but also in trying to initiate and increase the number of awareness programs and prevention campaigns currently on the go across the continent.
WALLACE: Tumi, how crucial is it when you bring in popular stars like Bono and Beyonce to try and increase awareness and increase funding to fight the AIDS epidemic?
MAKGABO: It seems like the most logical thing to do. We hear stories right across continent even when it comes to musicians who aren't internationally known. That artists who is singing about AIDS, who are singing about how to use condoms and how to behave as people grow into sexual beings is the best way to get the message across.
So that is great when looking at the continent. But it's not just a continental issue, it's a global, worldwide issue and what better way than to use musicians whose CD's and music everybody loves to get that message across. And hopefully the people will hear not just the songs and music and look at Beyonce and get excited by the songs and performances, but hopefully they will hear the message, which certainly throughout the day on Saturday has been there by all of them performing, trying to reinforce that anti-AIDS message for anyone who's watching around the globe. Some 2 billion people, in fact, expected to be watching, Kelly.
WALLACE: And Tumi, from your reporting, what it's your sense that the international community, very much focused on the situation in Iraq. What impact does that have on the situation in Africa, especially when it comes to something like combating AIDS?
MAKGABO: Certainly what you hear time and time again, whenever countries around the world are being asked for money, Kelly, is you hear about donor fatigue. In other words, people being asked time and time again to donate money, billions, millions, whatever the case may be, for various causes and initiatives across the world.
What's really exciting about what is happening right now, participating across the continent, is that there is an understanding that the initiative, the energy and the ability to do something about HIV/AIDS has to come from Africans themselves. Subsequently, you see in this concert.
But perhaps this is the most visible of issues. You hearing stories coming from Botswana, which also has a very high infection rate, about how people there are understanding, finally, that they need to be responsible for what's happening.
So even though the Iraq issue has been very important and very high on many African's agendas, perhaps this is more immediate for them, when you look at something like 6,500 people dying of AIDS related illness everyday on the continent. Once again, primarily in Subsaharan, Africa.
WALLACE: Tumi, thank you so much for talking to us today about this very important subject.
MAKGABO: Good to be here with you Kelly, thanks.
WALLACE: And that is Tumi Makgabo, host of "Inside Africa" seen on CNN International around the world.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
Aired November 29, 2003 - 14:32 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
KELLY WALLACE, CNN ANCHOR: We have been telling you throughout the day about World AIDS Day, which is just a day and a half away. More than 30 million people in Africa are infected with HIV, and 6,500 die from the virus each day. AIDS threaten the continent with economic and social collapse, if the infection rate continues.
CNN International is devoting special coverage to the events in Cape Town today. And inside Africa host, Tumi Makgabo, joins us from our headquarters in Atlanta. Tumi great to see you thanks for joining us.
RUMI MAKGABO, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Kelly, and thanks it is good to be here.
WALLACE: Tumi, first off, there is the concert going on as we speak in Cape Town, South Africa today. Why this concert now? Why this attention coming at this time?
MAKGABO: It's all quite straightforward, actually, Kelly, the whole exercise is actually being spearheaded by the former president of South Africa, Nelson Mandela. What he decided to do, some time ago, was to donate the number he was given while he was a prison inmate for some 18 years on Robin Island, that number is 46664, that has been subsequently become the name given to this concert which is, in fact, almost launching an initiative led by Mr. Mandela to help increased awareness, particularly among young people, across the African continent, in particular, in Sub-Saharan Africa. And also to raise money to help in the fight against HIV AIDS, not just when it comes to providing anti-retroviral drugs which help people live longer with the virus, but also in trying to initiate and increase the number of awareness programs and prevention campaigns currently on the go across the continent.
WALLACE: Tumi, how crucial is it when you bring in popular stars like Bono and Beyonce to try and increase awareness and increase funding to fight the AIDS epidemic?
MAKGABO: It seems like the most logical thing to do. We hear stories right across continent even when it comes to musicians who aren't internationally known. That artists who is singing about AIDS, who are singing about how to use condoms and how to behave as people grow into sexual beings is the best way to get the message across.
So that is great when looking at the continent. But it's not just a continental issue, it's a global, worldwide issue and what better way than to use musicians whose CD's and music everybody loves to get that message across. And hopefully the people will hear not just the songs and music and look at Beyonce and get excited by the songs and performances, but hopefully they will hear the message, which certainly throughout the day on Saturday has been there by all of them performing, trying to reinforce that anti-AIDS message for anyone who's watching around the globe. Some 2 billion people, in fact, expected to be watching, Kelly.
WALLACE: And Tumi, from your reporting, what it's your sense that the international community, very much focused on the situation in Iraq. What impact does that have on the situation in Africa, especially when it comes to something like combating AIDS?
MAKGABO: Certainly what you hear time and time again, whenever countries around the world are being asked for money, Kelly, is you hear about donor fatigue. In other words, people being asked time and time again to donate money, billions, millions, whatever the case may be, for various causes and initiatives across the world.
What's really exciting about what is happening right now, participating across the continent, is that there is an understanding that the initiative, the energy and the ability to do something about HIV/AIDS has to come from Africans themselves. Subsequently, you see in this concert.
But perhaps this is the most visible of issues. You hearing stories coming from Botswana, which also has a very high infection rate, about how people there are understanding, finally, that they need to be responsible for what's happening.
So even though the Iraq issue has been very important and very high on many African's agendas, perhaps this is more immediate for them, when you look at something like 6,500 people dying of AIDS related illness everyday on the continent. Once again, primarily in Subsaharan, Africa.
WALLACE: Tumi, thank you so much for talking to us today about this very important subject.
MAKGABO: Good to be here with you Kelly, thanks.
WALLACE: And that is Tumi Makgabo, host of "Inside Africa" seen on CNN International around the world.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
