Addis Ababa, Ethiopia — Some of Africa's top musicians including Hugh Masakela and Femi Kuti, will perform in a Musical extravaganza in connection with a major International conference on AIDS and Development in Africa, to he held from 3 to 7 December in Addis Ababa. The concert, tagged 'Artistes Against AIDS', will take place at the Addis Ababa Sheraton hotel 6 December. It will feature several popular African musicians, according to the UN Economic Commission for Africa, which is sponsoring the show.

The musical performance is part of the second African Development Forum (ADF 2000) which aims at launching "a higher level" organisation and commitment, during its 5 days of deliberations, on viable and sustained actions to check the spread of HIV/AIDS in Africa.

"The aim of the musical performance is to take the African Development Forum's central message--The Needs for Leadership at all Levels Against HIV/AIDS--beyond the conference rooms, and to a wider Group of Africa," ECA officials said.

The artistes who will perform in Addis Ababa Wednesday are Sponsored by ECA, the Sheraton hotel and two international music and Video channels. Among the personalities to be featured will be Femi Kuti, Nigeria's renowned singer whose father, Fela, was known to have died of AIDS. The organisers of the concert said Kuti "is an activist and ardent campaigner in Africa against the HIV/AIDS pandemic".

The concert will be broadcast live to many countries in Africa by Channel O, the 24-hour music outlet of the electronic media Network (M-net).