Alicia Keys: No Fame in her Game

R & B singer Alicia Keys has been involved with the AIDS crisis in Africa long before Madonna wanted to adopt from Malawi and before Oprah built a school in South Africa.
Keys is a Keep A Child Alive (KCA) Ambassador. Through the organization, she traveled to Wentworth, South Africa, to help build a clinic for HIV testing and treatment, counseling for alcoholism and drug dependencies, nutrition courses and women’s empowerment.
Keys is no doubt a determined humanitarian, but it seems to me that the people who surround her use her famous name for their own personal agendas.
Keys’ longtime friend Erika Rose said it’s so much shame in Africa because of AIDS, but Keys can inspire Africans to take advantage of the clinic. She said in an article about Keys’ trip to South Africa, “…just because Alicia Keys put her name on this building, now it's cool to go get tested. Now it's cool to go get treatment.” I catch Rose’s drift, but it could have been worded better.
I understand what KCA means when it says it hopes the attention Keys gets will bring real results where progress has been sluggish, but doesn’t this make you think the organization is only trying to pick the biggest names in Hollywood to give Africans a bigger incentive to help themselves?
Don’t get me wrong- KCA is doing great things for the people of Africa.
I just feel that if Keys isn’t using her own name for fame, the company she keeps shouldn’t either.

SOS to Whoopi: her motherland cries out

Whoopi Goldberg, along with other celebrities such as Chris Tucker and Oprah Winfrey, has taken a DNA test that shows how much of her genetic makeup links back to Africa.
The test shows that she is 90 percent Papel, which is a tribe native to Guinea-Bissau.
Now, one might assume that since Goldberg has taken the initiative to find her roots, she will unquestionably pay a visit to her homeland, right?
But, she has not, and according to an email to The Associated Press from her publicist Brad Cafarelli, Goldberg will not be traveling to West Africa “in the foreseeable future."
Guinea-Bissau, being one of the world’s poorest nations, needs Goldberg’s help and many others help, too.
They are practically begging her to simply come to the nation and learn about her people.
Goldberg is obviously not a celebrity known for pulling publicity stunts, but what shall we call her?
She has done a few humanitarian acts throughout her acting career, but I can’t recall any being done to assist Africa.
This is quite a different case; she isn’t posing for publicity, but she isn’t engaging in humanitarianism in the situation either.
I just find it interesting that she would see the cry of help from her ancestors and yet not seem to hear it or be moved by it at all.

Farrow: 4 REAL!

Mia Farrow, internationally recognized actress and UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador, was recently awarded a presidential Medal of Honour by the Central African Republic (CAR) President François Bozizé for her services to the conflict-stricken nation.
The CAR and Chad have been at war with rebels to retake the town of Birao and the situation seemed to have been extremely chaotic, from troops armed in defense to women of the town being raped.
Even through all of this volatility, Farrow was there, administering vaccination to the children to protect them from diseases that can be deadly like measles, malaria and polio.
It takes passion and determination to do what Farrow is doing to help Africa. She isn’t just sending big money over there or lending a hand to promote herself or her next movie.
Her humanitarianism is so real. Look at the way she looks at these children who are so entangled in confusion and conflict.
Look at the way she looks at them and they way they gaze back at her.
Look at the way she grips their little hands. It is as if you could see the passion straining from her fingertips.
Look at the way Farrow’s pinky finger slightly touches the infant’s cheek. Look at the expression on the infant’s face.
It looks as if the baby somehow felt the genuineness of Farrow’s actions.
All of this, to me, signifies trueness. When the world can see what you feel inside just by the look in your eyes or your touch, then the world knows it's real.

Motorola Red SLVR TV commercial/Join (Red)

I was originally searching for another Motorola (RED) commercial when I stumbled across this one. Is the concept for such a commercial not desperate and infuriating?
I know I am supposed to be blogging about celebrity contributions to Africa, and technically I am because (RED) was created by Bobby Shiver and Bono, but a feeling so deep came over me as I watched this commercial.
At first the feeling was confusion. I could not figure out what it is they are trying to portray or say with the African spinning around and changing his body shape, etc.
Then, the feeling was ANGER. The commercial, which begins with one African man, now becomes an African man and woman together, spinning, fondling, and kissing each other.
Then, a red screen pops, and in black capped letters it says:
THERE’S A PHONE DESIGNED TO HELP ELIMINATE AIDS IN AFRICA.
Then, the sleek red phone pops up in another screen and it says: PLEASE BUY IT.
This commercial is dated 2006, and no wonder it hasn’t been shown on television!
It would certainly strike attention from African Americans and especially from me.
The way I perceive this commercial is like this: they are saying that that the men and women of Africa are contracting AIDS by sexual intercourse, making it seem like this is the only activity they participate in.
They are saying that Africans will not stop engaging in sex, therefore, AIDS will continue to destroy Africa, so……PLEASE BUY THIS PHONE AND HELP THOSE WHO DON’T KNOW HOW TO HELP THEMSELVES…
I’m sure many people who have seen or will see this video will understand my perception of it or will form such a one similar to mine.
This commercial could have been handled in a different way to tap into people’s pockets; I have seen some (RED) commercials that have certainly touched my heart, and they weren't at all degrading to Africans.

FOR THE KIDS? FOR THE MONEY? WHICH ONE?

Yesterday morning I saw a commercial for PUR water filters, and I discovered that along with all the A-list celebrities, the company is also in the fight to save Africa. PUR wants to save lives in Kenya by providing them with 50 million liters of clean water through the Children’s Safe Drinking Water program (CSDW).
In its own right, PUR is like a batch of celebrities because I’m sure just about every one of the rich and famous class has purified water systems in their mansions.
The commercial is intriguing in a way that you feel obligated to sympathize with the Kenyan children, and at the same time, compelled to buy a purifier for yourself.
I am surprised, though, to see that the children on the commercial are smiling, displaying their gratitude for the clean water. Normally, they would be shown in a terrible light—standing or sitting, looking pitiful, with flies all in their faces and on their bodies. I think the fact that PUR avoided this look attracts more buyers.
PUR is promoting a great cause, but it is clear that the company wants more publicity, more sales.
On the program’s Web site, it tells how a donation will be made to provide Kenya with clean drinking water every time someone buys any PUR product.
This is all fine and dandy, but it does not say HOW MUCH will be donated!
This is a big clue to show everyone that they are only trying to boost buyers to buy their products.
Some people are easily persuaded by emotion alone, so telling them that they will be helping a country where hundreds of thousands of children die each year from diseases because of no clean water to drink will definitely win them over.

">http://www.csdw.org/about.shtml

The BIG One

Several U.K. celebrities teamed up this morning at the London Eye to launch the 2007 Big Nose Day to be held on March 16.
Big Nose Day is one of the major ways Comic Relief—a British charity organization—raises money to help solve the poverty problem in Africa.
The launch was for recognition of the arrival of 8 million bright-red clown noses in stores and shops. On the actual Big Nose Day, the businesses will present customers with the noses to wear when they give a donation to Comic Relief.
The day’s events are packed with U.K. celebrities, songs are written by artists just for the cause, and everything from buildings to cars has a big, red nose! It sounds like a very fun day for everyone, but who’s really thinking about Africa when they’re prancing around with their flamboyant noses?
I was shocked to learn that 60 percent of the money raised goes to Africa and the remaining 40 goes to less-fortunate people of the U.K.
It is a great number for Africa, but why would the U.K. give a larger portion of money to fight poverty somewhere else, knowing about the poverty situation they are facing themselves?
That is what I call genuineness! They kind of put the world’s problems in the back of their minds for one day of total fun and excitement in the spring of every other year: Red Nose Day.
Celebrities come out and interact with everyone to give back and to celebrate for a worthy cause. They all can feel good about running around and playing different games with flashy clown noses on because they know at the end of the day they are bringing Africa one more step out of poverty.

">http://entertainment.uk.msn.com/celebrity/PhotoGalleries/gallery.aspx?cp-documentid=2734889

The limited edition Icon Collection launch party: shoe sales only?

Somalia-born model Iman Abdulmajid, in response to the AIDS pandemic in Africa, is the global ambassador for Keep a Child Alive (KCA). Big names in Hollywood have been throwing A-list parties to benefit the growing organization. The latest bash: shoe designers Elizabeth Rickard and Binith Shah along with actress Jessica Alba on Jan 24 at Iconology, an up-scale boutique in Los Angeles, C.A.
Alba hosted the cocktail party, where the Rickard Shah limited edition Icon Collection was launched. Twenty percent of the proceeds from the shoe sales will go towards the benefit of KCA.
Abdulmajid, being from Africa, has ties to her homeland and giving back should be her top priority; I see her humanitarianism as truly genuine.
Contrarily, Rickard and Binith are only concerned with selling their new line of shoes. Only 20 percent goes to KCA? Come on, why not 50? Why not 35 percent at the least?
It is clear that their hidden agenda is not so disguised, but it seems to me that Alba—out of the three—is more real with hers, even though I don’t think she would have agreed to host this party if Payless shoe stores were involved instead of Rickard Shah.
Alba comes off as a bit more real to me because the write-up about the party on the Rickard Shah Web site says that she personally chose to partner up with KCA for the event.
She is just another well-known name added to the sign-up sheet to save Africa.
I am not knocking her for her efforts, but what else has she done besides hosting the party to give back to the “hot spot” Africa?
How often does Rickard Shah throw celebrity parties to benefit KCA? How about for other organizations?
These are questions Hollywood-turned-humanitarians do not answer when they announce that they have recently done something to help what used to be known as “the forbidden continent.”
Why not give and keep giving, extend a hand and leave it in?
Then, the world would be able to see some authenticity in their contributions.

">Link