USA: English R&B singer Craig David becomes a U.N. Goodwill Ambassador against Tuberculosis

Record ID: 189920

  • Title: USA: English R&B singer Craig David becomes a U.N. Goodwill Ambassador against Tuberculosis
  • Date: 26th March 2010
  • Summary: UNITED NATIONS (FILE) (REUTERS) UNITED NATIONS HEADQUARTERS
  • Embargoed: 10th April 2010 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: Usa
  • Country: USA
  • Topics: Arts / Culture / Entertainment / Showbiz
  • Reuters ID: LVACOBYDW8YUBXBOPWICX5QSH159
  • Story Text: R&B singer Craig David talks about his new role as a Goodwill Ambassador against Tuberculosis - just don't ask him to write a song about it.
    R&B singer Craig David is lending his voice to a new cause, after being named a United Nations Goodwill Ambassador against Tuberculosis.
    The British pop sensation paid a visit to the U.N. headquarters in New York on Wednesday (March 24), where he talked about doing his part to assist the global campaign to combat the disease.
    "To know that I can have the possibility of saving people's lives through my voice of music is why I'm here today. That's why I'm very happy to now become a Goodwill Ambassador, because I feel very passionate about this", David told reporters.
    "It's crazy to think that even in the developed world, that this is still very prevalent. I mean, we talk about third world countries and places in Europe, but in terms of knowing that in New York there's cases of Tuberculosis within the poor and homeless. In London, it's the highest charting of Tuberculosis in Western Europe which for me, living in London, I find very surprising," he said.
    David, who will work in conjunction with the Stop TB Partnership, was recently on a fact-finding mission in South Africa to learn more about the disease.
    The artist, who is in the process of planning a comeback to revive his music career, says he plans to educate his fans about Tuberculosis at his concerts and through merchandise.
    "Obviously in my concerts I can show montages and footage. I can speak at my concerts. I think it's, for me, more so it's being a platform which I can reach millions of people in situations like this where I can talk about it and know that on news reports people are interested to see that an artist is actually taking on a focused passion about something else than just about music," the singer said.
    He also stressed his new U.N. role was about the organisation, and not personal gain.
    "I wanted to make it quite clear that my interest in Tuberculosis, of making awareness, isn't for any personal gains for myself. I think sometimes there's a feeling that is it profile you're looking for within what you're doing as an artist, or is it actually for the organisation? For me it's all about the organisation," David added.
    And don't ask the musician to write a song about it.
    "I think my awareness is through my voice in terms of speaking to people. I think it's my music that has allowed me to be at the platform, to speak to millions of people, because of that. So rather than making a song, which I think sometimes can be a little bit, can be seen to be a little bit obvious and a little bit contrived, I think I'd rather be respected for the music that I do but at the same time use that in a positive means to be able to speak to people," David says.
    Stop TB Partnership executive secretary Dr. Marcos Espinal says Tuberculosis remains a huge global challenge.
    "TB today is a huge pandemic, killing 1.8 million people every year, globally. There are 9 million new cases of Tuberculosis every year," Dr Espinal told reporters.
    "To me, Tuberculosis is a human disgrace. It's a reflection of our own failure to control a disease that has been with us for 4,000 years," he said.
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