DUBAI – Internationally acclaimed artist Sami Yusuf appealed today to the media and donors not to forget the people of the Horn of Africa crisis facing hunger and, in some areas, the continuing impact of the worst drought in 60 years.

“Most victims are Somali families, who continue to run away from conflicts and drought affecting their country and, when lucky, find themselves in refugee camps in Kenya and Ethiopia,” said Sami Yusuf, a Celebrity Partner for the UN World Food Programme (WFP), during a press conference in Dubai. “They never asked to be there; our conscience and humanity cannot allow us to let those people down.”

The British singer and composer dedicated his latest song “Forgotten Promises” to the fight against hunger in the Horn of Africa. The song is at the heart of a unique fundraising campaign entitled LiveFeed. All proceeds will be donated to WFP to help sustain and scale-up its relief efforts in the region, where millions of lives and livelihoods are still being threatened.

Yusuf’s initiative, through his partnership with WFP, aims at reviving donors’ interest to help WFP address the severe food crisis. The multi-talented artist, who has millions of dedicated followers, said he will continue to address the wider cause of fighting hunger through his music.

“I chose this fight because I find it unbearable that one in seven people in the world still goes hungry to bed every night, and that five million children die of hunger-related causes every year,” he said. “Hunger is a solvable problem. From the moment we know that, we have to do something about it.”

LiveFeed offers people the opportunity to fight hunger in the Horn of Africa by downloading the song, or making a direct donation online through www.livefeedafrica.org. With each song downloaded at US$0.99, WFP is able to feed two people in the Horn of Africa for a day.

The CD version of “Forgotten Promises” will hit music stands across the Middle East in the coming days, enabling Yusuf’s fans and ‘LiveFeed’ supporters to help feed five people in the drought-stricken region with each CD purchased.

During the press event hosted by the Kempinski Hotel Mall of the Emirates, the music video of “Forgotten Promises” was revealed for the first time to the media. Directed by music video director Siros Kerdouni and filmed in 16 cities across the globe, the video includes scenes featuring Sami Yusuf playing the piano in the middle of the desert and in the empty streets of Sharjah in the United Arab Emirates, which were cleared especially for the video shoot.

Also present at the event were senior representatives from the UAE Red Crescent Authority, WFP’s local charity partner for this campaign; Al Aroud Group and RUS Aviation, the campaign’s main sponsors; and JWT, the communications agency behind the LiveFeed creative concept.

WFP is providing food assistance to nearly 8 million people in the Horn of Africa. The situation however remains dire, particularly in central and southern Somalia.

“Significant progress on the ground has been made over the past few months with WFP’s food assistance but we still need to reach out to millions of people and most importantly to help support these communities in their efforts to rebuild their shattered lives,” said Ashraf Hamouda, WFP Head of Partnership and Business Development for the Middle East, North Africa and the Gulf region.

www.wfp.org

Shot in 16 different cities and 8 different countries, the Forgotten Promises music video, is out now! As part of the LiveFeed Campaign launched by the World Food Programme and UN Celebrity Partner Sami Yusuf, Forgotten Promises music video brings together faces from all over the globe in raising awareness and supporting WFP’s relief efforts in the drought-stricken populations in the Horn of Africa. The starvation continues. Lend your support to this initiative by purchasing the “Forgotten Promises” song today. Help end hunger.

Wednesday 1 February at 10:00am at the 

SAMI YUSUF TO MEET THE PRESS IN DUBAI

TO PROMOTE HIS ‘LIVEFEED’ CHARITABLE CAMPAIGN

Dear all,

I don’t wish to make this long. 2011 has been an extremely exciting year. Historic events that many could never have dreamed of have unfolded and changed the world forever. With change, of course, come new challenges.

Amongst all the turmoil and problems surrounding us, let us not forget to love and to have mercy on each other. Let’s pray for patience, lasting stability and freedom for all people.

Happy New Year! Look out for 2012! We have GREAT things planned

Peace and love to you all,

sami

Sami Yusuf on tolerance and creative freedom in Britain

In a short film launched today, Tehran-born singer-songwriter Sami Yusuf discusses tolerance and freedom of expression in the UK.
Watch the video here .

Sami Yusuf on The Stream (AlJazeerah)

Sami Yusuf joined The Stream on Aljazeerah to discuss his latest projects. Sami urged all viewers to join the LiveFeed campaign by purchasing his latest charity single “Forgotten Promises”. Watch the interview here and here .

Sami Yusuf joined The Stream on Aljazeerah today to discuss his latest projects. Sami urged all viewers to join the LiveFeed campaign by purchasing his latest charity single “Forgotten Promises” that will cover the cost of feeding two people a day in the Horn of Africa. The LiveFeed campaign is a Sami Yusuf – WFP initiative.

Watch the interview here and also watch Single video talking about LiveFeed here.

Read the full The Stream press release here. Donate here.
 

SINGER SAMI YUSUF AND WFP JOIN IN SUPPORT FOR DROUGHT-STRICKEN HORN OF AFRICA

DUBAI – Renowned recording artist Sami Yusuf is to donate the proceeds of a new single to the UN World Food Programme (WFP) in support of humanitarian operations in the drought-hit Horn of Africa.

Yusuf has just finalized the recording of his song, ‘Forgotten Promises’, for release in the coming few days as part of a campaign to raise awareness among the public about hunger in Somalia and the surrounding region. The campaign, ‘LiveFeed’, also aims to raise funds to sustain and scale-up relief efforts in the area, struck by the worst drought in 60 years.

The UK-based singer, song-writer, composer and UN Celebrity Partner for WFP will visit Dubai for the first time in the beginning of next year to perform his new song and some of his hits for the cause. The exact date and venue of the concert will be soon revealed to the public. ETM International, Yusuf’s production company, is excited about the impact of the campaign.

“Sami Yusuf put all his talent and heart in this song; this is undoubtedly one of his best pieces of work,” said Faryal Shafi from ETM. “Forgotten Promises is a universal call for solidarity and our hope is to engage the widest possible audience in this drive. The song will speak for itself and we can’t wait to reveal it to the public.”

Held in association with the UAE Red Crescent Authority, the initiative will be rolled out later this month through the ‘LiveFeed’ campaign developed by international advertising firm JWT and sponsored by UAE-based conglomerate Al Aroud Group. ‘LiveFeed’ will be backed by a dedicated website – www.LiveFeedAfrica.org – aimed at engaging UAE residents and the Middle East online community in the fight against hunger.

“We have always been a great supporter of WFP and have contributed to their efficient and well-organized programme, dedicated to helping the needy all around the world,” said CEO of Al Aroud Group and Rus-Aviation Saleh Al-Aroud. “I encourage everyone to give a helping hand for such a good cause.”

The song, which combines English, Arabic and Swahili lyrics, will be sold both online and in music stores across the Middle East. Buyers will be able to contribute to the cause by simply downloading the song, purchasing the album or making a donation online through LiveFeedAfrica.org. As little as 50 cents can enable WFP to feed a person in the Horn of Africa for one day.

“Although the tragedy hitting Somalia and its neighbouring countries has been highlighted by the media over the last three months, the humanitarian needs remain colossal. We just can’t let them down,” said Ashraf Hamouda, WFP’s Head of Partnership & Business Development for the Middle East, North Africa and the Gulf. “Sami Yusuf’s enthusiasm to support this cause personally as well as engaging his fans and followers is a unique chance to mobilize and inspire the public,” he said.

Drought in the Horn of Africa, coupled with conflict in Somalia, has affected over 13 million people. WFP is supporting food operations in five countries in the region; Somalia, Ethiopia, Djibouti, Kenya and Uganda.

In Somalia, where famine was declared in six areas in the south of the country, WFP reached 1.2 million people last month and is scaling up to reach 700,000 throughout the country in the coming months.

Since July, WFP has reached over 7.9 million people with direct food assistance in the Horn of Africa.

# # #

About the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP):

WFP is the world’s largest humanitarian agency fighting hunger worldwide. Each year, on average, WFP feeds more than 90 million people in more than 70 countries.

To donate to WFP’s Horn of Africa online appeal through the LiveFeed campaign, go to:
https://www.wfp.org/donate/hoa_livefeed

For more information, please visit www.wfp.org, follow us on Twitter @wfp_media or contact:
Elise Bijon, WFP/Dubai, Tel.: +971 4 368 1383 , E-mail : elise.bijon@wfp.org

About Sami Yusuf:

Endowed with a strong cultural affiliation to music and having studied music with several renowned composers, including those from one of the world’s most prestigious music institutes – the Royal Academy of Music in London, Sami learned to play several musical instruments at a very young age. His groundbreaking debut ‘Al-Muallim’ sold over 3 million copies. It was then succeeded by his second release — the highly acclaimed, ‘My Ummah’ which sold well over 4 million copies. Sami has headlined the CNN, BBC, ABC, Al Jazeerah and every mainstream channel in the Arab world and Turkey. He has been hailed by Time magazine as “Islam’s biggest Rock Star” and “The most famous British Muslim in the World” by The Guardian. He is the first and the youngest Muslim recipient of the honorary Doctor of Letters award by the University of Roehampton in recognition to his extraordinary contribution to music.

Sami has played across four continents, selling out prestigious venues such as Wembley Arena in London, Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles and The Velodrome in Cape Town, South Africa and has recently made history by becoming the First International artist to perform in post-revolution Egypt. His most notable show saw a staggering 250,000 people pack Taksim Square in Istanbul, Turkey.

Sami is one of the UK’s biggest exports in the last decade. In the course of 7 years, he has masterfully navigated through unchartered waters – he has won over the hearts and minds of millions from across the Middle East, Europe, North America and North Africa. His compass, in principle, has been his self-coined genre – Spiritique. Manifested both musically and philosophically in his third album, Wherever You Are, Spiritique is a product of Sami’s identity. Sami is a passionate advocate of unity and is boldly committed to cross-cultural appreciation through promotion of universal values and celebration of the human spirit.

For more information, visit www.samiyusufofficial.com, www.facebook.com/samiyusuf or contact:
info@etminternational.com
Tel: +971 4 3132061
Fax: +971 4 3132062

About RUS Aviation and Al Aroud Group:

SHARJAH: Rus Aviation was established in 1999 under the inspiring leadership of Mr.Saleh Al Aroud. With the intentions of filling the niche in the aviation industry, Rus Aviation has been serving local, regional and international clients for all their needs of Air Charter services, Air Cargo Charter, Cargo Consolidation, Ground Handling, Fuel Supply, Over-Flying & Landing permissions.

Based in one of the fastest growing aviation hubs in the region – the Sharjah Airport International Free Zone, Rus Aviation has grown today into one of the most reputable and sought-after service provider and under the guidance of
Mr. Saleh Al Aroud, it has gone beyond the region and is reaching out to clients and companies all across the globe.

Following the phenomenal success of RUS Aviation, the group has created business opportunities in various sectors such as, Travel & Destination Management, Hospitality, Information Technology, Real Estate & Financial Brokerage. The ensuing success in these sectors too, has given rise to the Al Aroud Group.
Today, the group has more than 8 operating companies in various business sectors. Every company under the umbrella of AL Aroud Group operates independently, and the Group takes pride in bringing together a team of professionals with a wide range of skills, which enable them to offer the highest standards of service to meet any requirement.

Al Aroud Group created a savvy environment professional approach with dedication and commitment, which has brought accolades from local, regional and international clientele, including governments and public sector.

For more information, please visit www.alaroudgroup.com or contact:
info@alaroudgroup.ae
Tel. +971 6 5572277
Fax. +971 6 5572299

About JWT:

JWT is the world’s best-known marketing communications brand. Headquartered in New York, JWT is a true global network with more than 200 offices in over 90 countries employing nearly 10,000 marketing professionals. JWT consistently ranks among the top agency networks in the world and continues its dominant presence in the industry by staying on the leading edge—from producing the first-ever TV commercial in 1939 to developing award-winning branded content for brands such as Smirnoff, Macy’s, Ford and HSBC. JWT’s pioneering spirit enables the agency to forge deep relationships with clients including Bayer, Bloomberg, Cadbury, Diageo, DTC, Ford, HSBC, Johnson & Johnson, Kellogg’s, Kimberly-Clark, Kraft, Nestlé, Nokia, Rolex, Royal Caribbean, Schick, Shell, Unilever, Vodafone and many others. JWT’s parent company is WPP (NASDAQ: WPPGY).

For more information, visit www.jwt.com.

Greetings to my dearest Spiritique supporters

How are you all?

I mentioned to you awhile ago about an upcoming surprise… Well, it’s arrived

I’ve been given the privilege of working with the UN World Food Programme in campaigning for aid for the drought-hit Horn of Africa and the surrounding regions. The culmination of this project, I’m proud to say, is my new single, “Forgotten Promises” a song that for the very first time (to the best of my knowledge) incorporates full human body percusion. “Forgotten Promises”, I’m proud to say, will be released on the 17th of December. All proceeds will be donated to the WFP in support of their humanitarian operations in the Horn of Africa.

I thought it fit to share a few thoughts here, given that this song not only concerns its listeners but also those who will be benefiting from us listening to it. Every so often, if one is truly fortunate enough, destiny brings along a rare gift. I see the LiveFeed campaign as not just ‘another’ charity project, but as a lifetime pledge to help bring awareness at the very least, and end hunger at most in the Horn of Africa. I sincerely, from the bottom of my heart, request you ALL to join me in this effort by not simply dedicating but committing a moment of your time to those less fortunate.
I urge you all to purchase this song. With a mere $0.50, a life can be saved. Our brothers and sisters are waiting. We have no excuse. Please share this campaign with everyone you know.

With love and thanks.

Sami

YOU, dear Spritique Lovers, are special. Which is why we love to treat you time and again. Subscribe to SYpost, like us on Facebook or follow us on twitter to enjoy the all time favourite I’m Your Hope.