TIPTOPSTARS

EDITOR’S NOTE

That artists are a strong force to reckon with is no longer news. Those who thought using them to market ideas and campaigns did not make a mistake. Rather, they scored a great victory by doing so. TIPTOPSTARS has always stood on the side of the productivity of artists. By productivity here, we mean how music and the people who sing it can be transformed into great assets to society. The strength of musical lyrics can never be quantified – it is way too strong to imagine. That’s just how it is and blessed are artist who are awake of this, for, they’d make bigger strides by grabbing the God-given opportunity to use music to better society. With Wax Dey, Fally Ipupa, D’Banj joining their voices at the US-Africa summit, something great is definitely coming Africa’s way. If you love their music and them, love what they are bent on doing for Africa, development-speaking!

Ernest Kanjo (TIP TOP STARS)

PRESS RELEASE : WAX DEY, D’BANJ, FALLY IPUPA AND MORE ATTEND US-AFRICA

SUMMIT IN WASHINGTON

Washington, USA (03 August 2014) - Cameroon's Wax Dey alongside other artists including

Nigeria’s Femi Kuti and D’Banj, South Africa’s Judith Sephuma and DR Congo’s Fally Ipupa as well

as international soccer star Yaya Toure, are set to attend the historic US-Africa Leaders Summit to be

held in Washington D.C. from 4-7 August. They will be joining the ONE Campaign and will play an

active role in shaping the conversation about the US-Africa relationship.

The artists will hold advocacy meetings with high-level US officials, Washington Fellows from the

Obama administration’s Young African Leaders Initiative (YALI), and Members of Congress. They will

also perform during a ONE-hosted celebration to be held on 04 August at the Newseum.

President Barack Obama will welcome leaders from across the African continent to the nation’s

capital for the three-day summit, marking the largest gathering any U.S. president has ever held with

African heads of state and government. The summit aims to strengthen ties between the United

States and Africa, one of the world’s most dynamic and fastest growing regions.

These artists represent a portion of a larger group, led by D’banj, who came together earlier this year

during the official African Union Year of Agriculture to record the number one hit song, ‘Cocoa ‘na

Chocolate’ in support of ONE’s pro-agriculture campaign in Africa, ‘Do Agric, It pays.’

Their collaboration and advocacy work tapped into the dynamic African youth culture, prompting more

than 2 million African citizens to take action and sign ONE’s ‘Do Agric’ petition. The US summit takes

place only weeks after June’s African Union Heads of State and Government Summit in Malabo,

Equatorial Guinea where leaders heeded the call of the petition signers in the Malabo Declaration,

pledging to increase investments in agriculture, double agriculture production, and create millions of

agribusiness opportunities for its large youth population.

Speaking about the artists’ involvement in the historic summit, Dr. Sipho S. Moyo, Africa Director for

ONE, said: “These amazing artists and soccer star Yaya Toure represent a new era of hope, where

Africans take responsibility for their own destiny. They will also be meeting with American policy

makers to strengthen our ties and ensure that African citizens are taking an active role in writing the

continent’s next chapter. For a summit whose theme is ‘Investing in the Next Generation,’ these ONE

ambassadors truly are the next generation of African leaders.”

ONE launched the ‘Do Agric’ campaign in January in support of the official 2014 African Union Year of

Agriculture. Growth in agriculture in Sub-Saharan Africa today is estimated to be 11 times more

powerful at reducing poverty than growth in other sectors such as mining and utilities.

The continent-wide campaign urged African leaders in the months ahead of the AU meeting in Malabo

that the time had come to adopt better agricultural policies that will help tackle youth unemployment,

boost the productivity of African small holder farmers, and help lift millions of Africans out of extreme

poverty.

LINKS:

ONE: http://www.one.org/

Video ‘Cocoa na chocolate’: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jrEX4jpVtzQ

Contact: Estelle Ahanda

Publicist

Email: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

Twitter: @elleahanda