| 25 organizations set three days of African events |
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Two African countries, Burundi and the Democratic Republic of the Congo, will be rockin' to the One World Beat the weekend of March 19-21! Twenty-plus events are planned, all coordinated by the HIV/AIDS network known as COPROMOR (Centre Oecumenique Pour la Promotion du Mode Rural), based in Bujumbura, Burundi, and with a branch in Uvira, Eastern Congo. |
| The principal coordinator of COPROMOR, Kilosho M. Barthelemy, is the director of FULDEP, a nonprofit in Burundi which addresses HIV/AIDS and sustainable development. Florent Bopey, an OWB events coordinator from the DRC, has also helped to put together this spectacular not-to-be-missed mini-festival, which will feature church choirs, small musical ensembles and full orchestras, a theater troupe, and nonprofits working for the rights of women and youth, on health and development projects, and to counter HIV/AIDS. |  |
| HFULDEP itself, along with the theater group RAINBOW
UMUCO and a number of the other acts and organizations on this roster,
are members of the international arts coalition, ActALIVE, whose members
all use the arts to address HIV/AIDS and related health and development
issues. ActALIVE, or "Arts for Creative Transformation: Activism,
Lifeline, Inspiration, Vision, Education", has 250 members in 25
countries, with Burundi and the DRC being among the most active and well-developed
chapters. For more information about ActALIVE, a One World Beat partner,
please see ActAlive.org.
This amazing program is made even more so by the fact that both countries have known violent conflict in recent years, which has created immense hardships and great suffering for millions of displaced and traumatized people. HIV/AIDS has taken root and spread in part due to these conflicts, so most of the groups who address health matters in this region also work on issues related to peace and a fostering of tolerance and understanding. Arts and music have a special role to play in this regard, which is clearly demonstrated by the number of groups and individuals taking part in OWB events, and we pay tribute to them both for their creativity and for their courage and resourcefulness. More about these groups here. 1. Association RAINBOW UMUCO By Janet Feldman, OWB News Director |
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