D’banj, Femi Kuti and Yaya Toure will lead some of Africa’s biggest stars to Washington D.C. 4-7 August with The ONE Campaign to play an active role in shaping the conversation about the US-Africa relationship at the historic US-Africa Leaders Summit.
The list of the artists making the trip to the States are; A.Y. (Tanzania), Buffalo Souljah (Zimbabwe), D’Banj (Nigeria), Fally Ipupa (DRC), Femi Kuti (Nigeria), Judith Sephuma (South Africa), Omawumi (Nigeria), Victoria Kimani (Kenya) and Wax Dey (Cameroon).
During the US trip, the artists are expected to 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 the on the 4th of August, during an event at the Newseum, including the song ‘Cocoa Na Chocolate’.
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.
President Barack Obama will welcome leaders from across the African continent to the nation’s capital for a three-day summit beginning on 4, August, 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
