New York - Carla Bruni-Sarkozy on Saturday returned to the stage for the first time since becoming France's first lady to join dozens of other top artists in honouring former South African president Nelson Mandela. The anti-apartheid leader's 91st birthday sparked a concert full of A-list celebrities at New York's Radio City Music Hall, even though Mandela himself could not attend.
In a videotaped message, the 1993 Nobel laureate called for participation in the so-called Mandela Day to raise money for children, people living with AIDS and others in need. Mandela told the audience it was in their hands to create a better world.
Stevie Wonder, Alicia Keys, Queen Latifah, Aretha Franklin, Will.i.am, Josh Groban, the Soweto Gospel Choir, Yvonne Chaka Chaka, Loyiso and others were among the evening's international entertainment lineup.
Oscar winner Morgan Freeman, who is to portray Mandela in an upcoming film about the first black president of South Africa, called him the most loved person in the world.
The wife of French President Nicolas Sarkozy, who met Mandela on a visit to Johannesburg last year, performed her hit, Quelqu'un m'a dit (Someone Told Me), with British guitarist Dave Stewart. She also sang a duet of Bob Dylan's Blowin' in the Wind.
Organizers of the charity concert want Mandela's birthday on July 18 to become an annual international Mandela Day. Net proceeds from the events will go to the Mandela Foundation/46664.
New York City was busy with other Mandela-related projects this week, including a charity auction, volunteer park clean-ups, used- book drives, a free performance of a play about HIV/AIDS prevention and a free exhibit dedicated to Mandela's life and values inside Grand Central terminal.
