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Africa
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COCA-COLA EBONY
FESTIVAL IS A CELEBRATION OF AFRICA Information
courtesy of ATA Members Washington, D.C: The
Coca-Cola Company announced its pleasure to be the
sponsor of the Coca-Cola Ebony Festival, which will
take place on Go For a long time now, the
Coca-Cola Company has used its resources to deliver
AIDS education, prevention and treatment programs.
Therefore, the Coca-Cola Ebony Festival provides a
great opportunity for the Coca-Cola Company to not
only celebrate the richness of African culture and
promote African unity, but also to generate
significant support for the battle against the
HIV/AIDS Pandemic in Africa. According to Mr. Alex
Cummings, President of Coca-Cola Africa, "Coca-Cola
has been supporting music, culture and sport
alongside a wide range of community-based
activities, spearheaded by our Employee and Bottler
HIV/AIDS Programs, across the African Continent for
many years. The Coca-Cola Ebony Festival epitomizes
these activities and the values which we believe
are fundamental to Africa's
renaissance." The tentative program of the
Coca-Cola Ebony Festival includes: Day #1 on
Friday, June 4th &endash; Opening Night
Celebrations on Goree Island; Day #2 on Saturday,
June 5th &endash; Opening Grand Concert at Stadium
Demba Diop; and Day #3 on Sunday, June 6th &endash;
Celebrity Soccer Match at Stadium Leopold Sedar
Senghor and Closing Grand Concert at Stadium Demba
Diop. More than twenty-five international
performing artists from Africa, the Caribbean and
the United States will participate. To learn more
about how you can participate in the Coca-Cola
Ebony Festival June 4-6, 2004, please visit their
website at www.ebonyfestival.com. Country Profile:
Historically, Senegal and its capital city, Dakar,
served as the gateway to West Africa. Senegal,
which is the westernmost mainland country in West
Africa, is bordered on the north by Mauritania, on
the east by Mali, on the south by Guinea and
Guinea-Bissau, and on the west by the Atlantic
Ocean. The Republic of Senegal gained its
independence from France on April 4, 1960 and the
current Head of State is President Abdoulaye Wade.
Senegal is approximately the same size as South
Dakota in the United States and has a population of
ten million inhabitants. The largest ethnic group
is the Wolof in the northwest who account for
almost 40% of the total population. Their language
is the common language of Senegal while French
remains the official language of the country. Other
significant ethnic groups include the Sere,
Tukulor, Fulani, Mande as well as a large
Mauritanian (Moorish) community. More than 90% of
the population adheres to the Muslim faith but
religious tolerance of the Christian faith and
other traditional ethnic beliefs are allowed. Other
major cities in Senegal include: Thies, Kaolack,
Zinguinchor, Saint-Louis and Touba. The national
emblems of Senegal are the Lion and the Baobab
Tree. Economic Climate: Senegal is
equipped with one of Africa's most efficient and
modern infrastructure and is populated by a
sophisticated people with an international, yet
distinctly French outlook. In the late 1990s,
Senegal met all of the International Monetary Fund
(IMF) benchmarks in its macroeconomic program. A
decent supply of minerals coupled with a
cosmopolitan environment has attracted many
European and more recently American entrepreneurs
to do business in Senegal. Since 1994, the emphasis
has been on free trade and private enterprise,
promoted in cooperation with the IMF, World Bank,
and bilateral donors, including the United States.
The economy of Senegal continues to remain heavily
dependent on agriculture which employs about 75% of
the working population and accounts for over
one-fifth of GDP. France remains Senegal's largest
trading partner followed by India, Mali, Nigeria,
Cameroon, Algeria, the United States, China, Japan,
Germany and Italy. Groundnuts, cotton and sugar are
major cash crops with Senegal being the largest
exporter of groundnuts in Africa. Staple foods are
millet, sorghum, maize and rice. Fresh and canned
marine fish is the principal export, contributing
over 30% of export revenue and involving some 10%
of the working population. Other major industries
include the manufacturing sector with food
processing, textiles, chemicals, soap and
pharmaceuticals and the mining sector (especially
phosphates with Senegal being the fifth largest
exporter in Africa) which accounts for 25% of
foreign earnings. The tourism industry, which is a
major foreign exchange earner, is also regaining
its strength based on a renewed interest of
African-Americans visiting Senegal and The Gambia
for cultural tours and festivals. In 2000, an
estimated 370,000 tourists visited Senegal earning
the country almost $198 million in foreign
currency. Tourism
Opportunities: Senegal benefits primarily from
the historical and cultural aspects of its tourism
attractions as well as close geographic proximity
to Europe and North America. The capital city Dakar
overlooks the Atlantic Ocean and the word Dakar in
Wolof means tamarin-tree. Today, Dakar is a modern
cosmopolitan city bustling with life and activity.
The city's distinct contrast between modernism and
tradition can be seen throughout from super markets
to local markets, European attire to traditional
dress, tourists to Senegalese businessmen. Senegal
offers many sightseeing experiences as well as
great shopping opportunities for handicrafts,
textiles, woodcarvings, jewelry and art works.
Goree Island situated just thirty minutes outside
of Dakar by ferry boat leads you to a charming
island that played a profound role in the tragic
trans-Atlantic slave trade industry. For centuries,
this island witnessed the deportation of African
men, women and children. From the notorious "Door
of No Return" at the Slave House on Goree Island,
millions of Fulanis, Wolofs, Mandinkas, Sereres,
Bambaras and Yorubas where shipped away as slaves
to the Americas as Goree Island became the most
important slave depot in West Africa. Today, the
inhabitants of Goree Island live in a small, yet
lively town with sandy beaches, palm and baobab
trees, historical relics of the past, museums and
purple bougainvilleas. Other interesting tourist
sites include Saint-Louis, the sister city of St.
Louis in the United States with its quaint French
architecture; Touba, a religious center for the
Mouride sect of the Muslim faith; and the Saly
Resort which is a wonderful rest and relaxation
area full of water sport activities, live
entertainment and a myriad of shopping
opportunities for tourists. Venue International
Professionals, Inc. (VIP) is an
African-American owned, full-service travel and
tourism company based in the Washington
Metropolitan Area specializing in travel and
tourism destinations to the Continent of Africa.
VIP will be working very closely with the Tourism
Ministry of Senegal as well as with the private
tourism sector of Senegal in order to promote
travel and tourism opportunities to Senegal. For
more information about tours to Senegal or about
VIP, please contact Helen C. Broadus, President of
VIP at 1-877-TO-VENUE [TOLL FREE]; (301)
856-9188 [VOICE]; (301) 868-2218
[FAX]; vipinc@erols.com [E-MAIL]
and/or visit VIP's Website at www.venuetravel.com |
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Island and in Dakar Senegal, West Africa from June
4-6, 2004. The Coca-Cola Company believes that the
Ebony Festival will provide an unprecedented
opportunity to celebrate the rich cultural heritage
and diversity of the African Continent through its
music, arts and sports. An array of famous national
and international musicians will perform various
songs from across the continent and a team of
African soccer stars will take on the Senegalese
national soccer team. In addition to the planned
festivities, the Coca-Cola Ebony Festival will also
raise awareness about the HIV/AIDS Pandemic on the
African Continent. By capitalizing on the universal
appeal of music and sports, Coca-Cola will seize
the opportunity to educate young people attending
the 3-day festival about HIV/AIDS.
