46664 Biography /// Family /// Articles /// Recognition /// With Celebs & Look-a-Likes /// Flashbacks /// 46664 Will Smith recently joined Nelson Mandela's orginization 46664 to win the fight against AIDS. For more info on 46664, visit 46664.tiscali.com or read the press release below. "To win this fight, we all must do more. Do more to tell people about protection. Do more to fund those making such a difference on the frontline to fight HIV. Do more to demand leaders give people the medicine, the care, the treatment they need when they have AIDS … By supporting 46664, we can unite in the fight to do more. Do more to try secure a future for everyone, everywhere free from HIV / AIDS." President Nelson Mandela (1st April 2004, Johannesburg - South Africa) What is 46664? 46664 was the prison number of Nelson Mandela on Robben Island, Cape Town where he was held in captivity for 18 years. In November 2002 Mr Mandela gave his prison number 46664 to Dave Stewart of Eurythmics so that he could use it to help in the fight against HIV/AIDS in South Africa by raising money for the Nelson Mandela Foundation. The first thing that Dave did was to ask his good friend Joe Strummer, famous as the lead singer of the legendary band The Clash, to write lyrics for a song that included 46664. Sadly this was the last song that Joe was to write. Following his death in December 2002, Dave completed the song with Bono and the two of them recorded it together as the first of a series of co-writes for the campaign. This song, 46664 (Long Walk to Freedom), soon became the anthem of 46664. Having created the momentum for the creation and recording of new material with fellow artists Brian May and Roger Taylor of Queen and Bono, Dave then came up with the idea of trying to get Mr Mandela's prison number to work as a telephone number and web site in order to create a new way of donating and bringing awareness to Mr Mandela's appeal. The result was 46664: Give 1 Minute of Your Life To AIDS. 46664: The Concert A sell-out crowd of over 40,000 witnessed the 4˝ hour concert live, the highlights of which were then heard or seen by an estimated record 2 billion people. It was broadcast live in South Africa on SABC then worldwide on MTV as a 90-minute special on World AIDS Day. The concert was also offered rights free, at no cost, to all radio & TV broadcasters through MTV. The European Broadcasting Union distributed it to 71 member broadcasters in 52 countries, and the Asian Broadcasting Union to 74 broadcasters in 28 countries. BBC World Service also aired the concert in 13 languages across 37 countries as a special radio broadcast. Over 165 other radio networks broadcast a recording of the highlights. Tiscali webcast 46664: The Concert live, and syndicated the webcast to over 40 other web sites. A wonderful array of the world's great performing artists gave freely of their time and performed unique collaborations to support Mr Mandela at 46664: The Concert. Performers included Abdel Wright, Anastacia, Angelique Kidjo, Annie Lennox, Baaba Maal, Beyoncé, Bob Geldof, Bongo Maffin, Bono, Danny K, David A Stewart, Jimmy Cliff, Johnny Clegg, Ladysmith Black Mambazo, Ms Dynamite, Paul Oakenfold, Peter Gabriel, Queen, The Corrs, The Edge, Watershed, Youssou N'Dour, Yusuf Islam, Yvonne Chaka Chaka and Zucchero. It was not just the music community that answered the rallying call of Mr Mandela, but the business world too. Some of the world's biggest brands supported the cause by giving resources, manpower and money to enable the concert to happen. Global media partners for the event were MTV's Staying Alive, Tiscali and BBC World Service. Global event partners included Coca-Cola, FedEx, Virgin Atlantic, SABC and The Fleming Media Group, who were supported by BMW, Nissan, Sennheiser, Motorola and Sheraton Hotels locally. More than just a concert A host of world leaders and celebrities recorded messages of support for 46664 including Bill Clinton, Rev Jesse Jackson, Oprah Winfrey and Robert De Niro. Their contribution was more than matched by 12 of the world's leading visual artists who gave "Give 1 Minute of Art to AIDS". A K Dolven, Alfredo Jaar, Apichatpong 'Joe' Weerasethakul, Berni Searle, Bill Viola, David Krippendorff, Matali Crasset, Matthew Barney, Santeri Tuori, Seydou Keita, Tere Recarens and William Kentridge each produced an original one-minute video conveying the messages of the 46664 campaign through the universal language of visual art. 46664: The CD and DVD On 5th April 2004, Warner Music International released 3 x CD albums, featuring the live 4˝ hour concert. Simultaneously a Double DVD was launched worldwide by Warner Vision International featuring the entire concert along with a wealth of behind the scenes footage including a documentary on the making of the concert, exclusive interviews with the performing artists, the aforementioned messages of support and the full series of one-minute videos. The release was co-ordinated by The Music Matrix, London. All the proceeds raised from the sales of the CD and DVD will go towards the Nelson Mandela Foundation, to help improve the lives of those infected and affected by the HIV/AIDS in Africa. Their work moves beyond awareness-raising exercises toward developing strategic partnerships to facilitate implementation and action in the field of HIV/AIDS through four key areas: research; treatment, care and support; education; and, leadership. 46664: The Message On Thursday 15th July 2004, Mr Mandela addressed 15,000 delegates at the XV International AIDS Conference in Bangkok (Thailand) about 46664. In his address he demanded strong leadership and support for 46664, to turn the tide of the global HIV/AIDS epidemic. "Leadership," Mr Mandela said, "involves personal commitment and concrete actions. Leaders must mobilise and inspire people to respond to the [HIV/AIDS] crisis. They must lead the response with clear vision and imaginative action. They must dare to be different and they must be prepared for the course to be difficult. They will be faced with tough decisions and they must come up with bold and innovative responses. This is what leaders are for and the AIDS epidemic will test their leadership skills to the limits." Mr Mandela highlighted four main challenges that the world faces in the future, including the importance of: better funding; harmonising funding efforts; developing more comprehensive national treatment programmes and strong leadership to turn the tide of the HIV/AIDS epidemic. He concluded: "In a world that is divided along many lines, we now have a unique opportunity to bring us all together around a common challenge. In ensuring that the millions of people who are infected and affected by HIV and AIDS are not forgotten, we will not only make a difference to their lives, we will also make a difference to our lives as well. We owe this at least to humanity. Give one minute of your life to Aids. Support the 46664 campaign." Who are the people behind 46664? Artistic and music directors of 46664 are David A Stewart (Eurythmics), Brian May & Roger Taylor (Queen). Producers of 46664 are Jim Beach (Manager of Queen and Trustee of The Mercury Phoenix Trust) and JF Cecillon (Managing Partner of Fleming Media and Chairman of Music Matrix and Chairman & CEO of EMI Music Continental Europe, Africa and Middle East). Who are 46664 Concerts? 46664 Concerts is a not-for-profit limited company wholly owned by the Nelson Mandela Foundation. Its sole focus is on raising awareness and funds for the human rights issue of HIV/AIDS. Through the organisation and management of music concerts, multichannel music distribution and other allied media events, 46664 Concerts aims to raise awareness around the world of the AIDS pandemic as well as funds for the Nelson Mandela Foundation. Why we need 46664 46664 is needed to support the global anti-AIDS movement. Just as the world united to beat apartheid in South Africa, the world must unite to beat AIDS. Individuals around the world must be morally engaged in a collective campaign to raise awareness and money and provoke action. The fight against AIDS can be won. Every HIV infection can be prevented. Every AIDS case can be treated. From Brazil to Uganda to Thailand, poor countries have proved that the tide can be turned with leadership, resources and public engagement. As rich nations make more money available and drug prices fall, the battle becomes easier, though these are not the only ingredients for success in Africa and around the world. The artists of 46664 give voice to the responsibility of every one of us to stop the stigma associated with Aids. And this is where 46664 can have the greatest impact. Why? Because fear and discrimination fuel the fire of HIV infection - 90% of people who are HIV+ don't know it because they are too scared to be tested. As such, it is the responsibility of each of us to practice safe sex: by choosing abstinence, by being faithful and by wearing condoms. By doing so we can stop HIV infection in its tracks. Finally, we all have a role to play in advocacy to spread awareness of these simple messages to others and to demand that governments play their role. This is where the fight will be won, and the area where 46664 is focusing its resources.