Wednesday, February 24, 2010

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Artists helping us help Haiti By Thea Rutherford ~ Guardian National Correspondent ~ thea@nasguard.com: Since the January 12 earthquake that devastated Port-au-Prince, Haiti, the world has watched with a combination of horror and hope as relief efforts have uncovered both the living and the dead. The international media continues to release daily reports of a death toll that has exceeded 100,000 and an injury count of over 200,000. There have also been stories of miraculous rescues of people who spent days and nights pinned helplessly beneath the rubble. "Help Us Help Haiti," a two-day telethon organized by the Chamber of Commerce to raise hope along with something more tangible for the relief efforts, continues tonight with a mega concert at Arawak Cay. Artists from the traditional to the contemporary, the mainstream to the little-known will gather to perform during the six-hour concert tonight in conjunction with the telethon. The concert begins at 6 p.m. at Arawak Cay. It will be aired live on all three local television stations at 8 p.m. "We've just been getting calls," said entertainment organizer Fred Ferguson about the event. "That's the real beauty of this whole thing," he said, noting that a large and diverse group of artists had thrown their support behind the cause. "Everybody . . . the mainstream artists, the older artists, Haitian groups, solo performers, everybody," said Ferguson. Haitian saxophonist Estimable Richardon, whose stage name is "Ben Sax," finds participating in the concert particularly important for showing his solidarity n See Artists on L11 with those back home. Richardson had friends who lost their lives and others, their property, in the disaster. The artist said he wants to "show my collaboration with my Haitian brothers and sisters." Visage band leader, Obie Pindling, said that performing at the concert was the least his band could do to contribute to relief efforts. "The recent earthquake in Haiti is undoubtedly the worst natural disaster in our region that I can recall in my lifetime, and when one looks at the extent of the devastation there, one has to be inhumane not to want to contribute to any effort aimed at assisting the people of Haiti," said Pindling. "We are our brothers' keeper and Haiti is our sister and neighboring country." While the telethon and concert falls in line with efforts around the world to raise money to assist Haiti — a concert and telethon was held in the United States this past week that was simulcast on several television stations called "Help Haiti Now" — Ferguson said that he and business partner Ronald Simms were moved to do something to help shortly after seeing the devastation on newscasts. "We thought that the artists should do something together to assist with the Haitian Relief," said Ferguson, who co-owns the Tambrin Tree club with Simms. "It just happened by a stroke of luck [that] we got a call from the Chamber of Commerce who decided to put on a telethon, and they wanted our assistance as producers/stage managers. "We said here goes a great opportunity to marry both ideas." "Help Us Help Haiti" Telethon performers Nehemiah Hield Tingum Dem Band Visage National School of Dance Ben Sax Sosa Man Padrino CJ Priest National Youth Choir Alia Coley Jazz etc. Ira Storr and Band Sammi Starr Anita Emily Austin Ta Da Padrino Tuesday January 26, 2010