A diverse line-up of artists from Africa performed at the 2007 Liberty Medal ceremony and gala on Thursday, September 27, 2007, honoring Bono, U2 lead singer and activist, and DATA (Debt, AIDS, Trade, Africa), the advocacy organization he co-founded to combat poverty and disease in Africa. Each performer has a unique background related to the theme of the event, Voices for Liberty.

Photo courtesy U2.com

Opening the ceremony, Mogauwane Mahloele of South Africa performed a traditional African song on the kora, a 21-string harp-lute used extensively in Africa. Mahloele is an activist for social justice issues, and was in exile from his homeland for three decades before eventually being allowed to return a few years ago. In honour of Bono’s heritage, Morris Goldberg of Cape Town, South Africa performed on the Irish penny whistle during the ceremony. Joshua Stewart, a tenor from New Orleans who is studying at the Curtis Institute of Music, also performed Make them Hear You from Ragtime.

In addition, Zakes Mda read a special poem written for the occasion, Let Them Come with Rain. Mda is an acclaimed South African writer of plays, novels,and poems, who has won every major South African literary prize. He divides his time between South Africa and the United States, working as a professor of creative writing at Ohio University, a beekeeper in the Eastern Cape, a dramaturge at the Market Theatre in Johannesburg, and a director of the Southern African Multimedia AIDS Trust in Sophiatown, Johannesburg.

Regional performers Joe Canuso, Justin Jain, Komal Kapoor, and Chanta Layton also presented an original dramatic presentation, “Voices for Liberty,” which illustrated the power and imperative of raising our voices for liberty, as expressed through the ages in prose, poetry, and song.

The African Children’s Choir closed the ceremony with a joyful African melody, Ndya Himbisa, and a familiar American song to encourage audience participation. The world renowned Choir has been working with the most vulnerable children in Africa for 23 years, raising awareness of the plight of the orphaned and abandoned, but also showing the beauty, dignity, and potential of the African child. The African Children’s Choir, with a focus on education, is currently caring for several thousand underprivileged children throughout Africa. These are children who could have lost all hope, but have overcome their circumstances and now are making a positive impact on society by being a voice for millions of children suffering in Africa.

Following the ceremony, prominent African singers Thomas Mapfumo and Sara Tavares performed during the Liberty Medal gala.

Thomas Mapfumo was born in Marondera, Zimbabwe. A brilliant songwriter and leader of The Blacks Unlimited, Mapfumo’s music and lyrics reflect the concerns of his people, the Shona. In 1979, Mapfumo’s politically charged songs were banned from the state-controlled radio and he was sent to a prison camp without charges. A true voice for liberty, he still sings and speaks out about the problems of Zimbabwe.

Singer-songwriter Sara Tavares was born in Cape Verde, a republic located off the western coast of Africa. Her second album, Mi Ma B, reached gold in Portugal and was a mix of African rhythms and melodic pop songs. Her new album, Balance, was released in February 2006, and features a unique blend of contemporary music with African roots.

The 2007 Liberty Medal was awarded jointly to Bono, U2 lead singer and activist, and DATA (Debt, AIDS, Trade, Africa), the advocacy organization he co-founded to combat poverty and disease in Africa at the National Constitution Center in Historic Philadelphia.

The prestigious Liberty Medal, and its accompanying $100,000 prize, recognized Bono and DATA’s groundbreaking work in raising awareness about and spurring a global response to the crisis of AIDS and extreme poverty in Africa.

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