Grammy-winning singer/songwriter Alicia Keys is calling on the music industry to help those suffering from AIDS in Africa by supporting Keep a Child Alive, a group that has established treatment programs in Kenya, South Africa, Uganda and Rwanda. Stars already affiliated with the group include Nelly, Cher and Rod Stewart.
“Just for a moment imagine the media hysteria and global outrage if 25 million Americans, many of them children, died from a treatable disease because the medicine was too costly,” Keys wrote in a commentary that appeared in Billboard magazine. “…This is exactly what is happening throughout sub-Saharan Africa.”
Keys was also the headliner for the Pusher’s Ball yesterday (Dec. 1), which was World AIDS Day. The gala fundraiser featured Roy Ayers, Babyface, Common, Anthony Hamilton, Angelique Kidjo, Lenny Kravitz, Mos Def, Lou Reed and Angie Stone.
Keys, who recently traveled to Africa, noted that UNAIDS estimates 100 million people will be infected with the AIDS virus by the end of this decade.