Former South African President Nelson Mandela will travel to London to celebrate his 90th birthday on June 27, BBC reported on Tuesday.
The celebration will be a public concert held at Hyde Park, which features Shirley Bassey, Simple Minds, Razorlight and the Soweto Gospel Choir. The Queen will not only attend but also perform with vocalist Paul Rodgers.
When the concert was announced, Mandela said, "You all know that I am supposed to be retired. But my friends and the charitable organizations that bear my name want to use my 90th birthday year to raise funds to continue our work and so of courseI want to help them."
"So, we have a bargain -- I am going to London and they will host a concert in Hyde Park, which will raise awareness of our continuing work and much needed funds," said Mandela.
Eminem, U2, Amy Winehouse, the Spice Girls, Sugababes, Andrea and Sharon Corr, Eddy Grant, Italian star Zucchero and Spanish group Amaral are also among the acts announced.
Tickets will be on sale on Friday and Hyde Park will host a crowd of 46,664, to coincide with Mandela's old prison number. Proceeds from the show will go to Mandela's Aids charity.
Organizers have promised further stars on the bill, with "several major artists keeping silent about their involvement in order to take both Mr Mandela and the audience by surprise", a statement said.
British-born, South African-based pop star Johnny Clegg as wellas African acts including Sipho Mabuse, Loyiso, Papa Wemba and Emmanuel Jal, and The Children of Agape, a choir of Aids orphans, will also appear at the concert.
Twenty years ago, London's Wembley Stadium hosted a concert, calling for Mandela's release from prison and to mark his 70th birthday. Another concert was held at Wembley after Mandela was released two years later.
Source:Xinhua
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