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P. Diddy lends voice to AIDS crisis
From Charlayne Hunter-Gault
CAPE TOWN, South Africa (CNN) -- Even in South Africa, Sean "Puff Daddy" Combs has his fans. "Puff Daddy, Oowee!! Puff Daddy, Oowee!!" the fans screamed for the American hip-hop mogul. P. Diddy hopes to turn that adoration into education while he's in Cape Town for MTV's "Staying Alive Concert" to be broadcast globally on World AIDS Day, December 1. "We're here to raise awareness through the world about the still growing epidemic here, but also most importantly to raise awareness to how strong and beautiful you all are," Combs told the crowd. Combs is weighing in at the epicenter of the HIV/AIDS pandemic. It's estimated that one child dies every minute from AIDS complications and one in five people are HIV-positive. It is estimated that more than 28 million people in Africa have HIV/AIDS and of the 3 million people claimed by AIDS last year, 2.3 million died in Africa. Combs said he's determined to counter negative perceptions of Africa that allow the world to ignore its people. "This is a human race war," he said. "And we shouldn't be able to go to sleep at night ... with the knowledge that there are millions and millions of people dying in Africa." Combs will join Alicia Keys at a concert taping at Green Point Stadium in Cape Town on November 23, according to MTV.com. Bill Roedy, president of MTV Networks International says it's a perfect fit for the music channel, whose audience roughly mirrors those in the 15- to 24-year-old category who account for 50 percent of new HIV infections. "The stars are role models and young people will listen to them," Roedy said. In February, U2 frontman Bono joined Microsoft founder Bill Gates at the World Economic Forum to bring attention to several issues confronting Africans, including AIDS. Bono said, "What's going on is actually a crisis of the order never experienced before. I think HIV-AIDS has set back development to the point where we're living with statistics that we should not be living with. It's an everyday Holocaust." As its name implies, World AIDS Day will draw attention from nations around the globe. Events of all sorts are planned -- from bake sales in London to parties in Singapore. The MTV concert has the potential to reach an international audience of 2 billion people.
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