AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL
8 July 2007

John Lennon Comes to Cuba Street for Amnesty Campaign
"Make Some Noise: Save Darfur" album launch on July 9th

On Cuba Street this Monday, graphic artists, graffiti artists and the general public will follow the likes of U2 and Green Day in making a contribution to Amnesty International's campaign against human rights abuses in Darfur. Their work will mark the launch of "Make Some Noise: The Campaign to Save Darfur", a 2-CD set of John Lennon covers featuring 30 high-profile international musicians.

Amnesty International invites Wellingtonians to contribute to a "John Lennon wall": a vibrant public mural that shows solidarity with the people of Darfur and celebrates John Lennon's life, music and efforts for peace.

Amnesty International Development Manager John Shaw said: "We're thrilled to be using John Lennon's songs in our human rights work. This album launch is already raising the profile of the terrible plight of the people in Darfur."

"We encourage everyone who is concerned about the Darfur situation, artists and non-artists alike, to add their piece to the wall."

The rights to John Lennon's songs were generously donated by Yoko Ono.

"It's wonderful that, through this campaign, music that is so familiar to many people of my era will now be embraced by a whole new generation," Ono said. "John's music set out to inspire change, and in standing up for human rights, we really can make the world a better place."

The double CD features John Lennon songs performed by 30 international stars, including U2, Avril Lavigne, R.E.M, Aerosmith, Christina Aguilera, Green Day, The Cure, Snow Patrol and Youssou N'Dour.

The album is already in the top 25 on the US Billboard Album Charts, and has hit #1 in iTunes markets in several countries.

As part of a major global media campaign, Warner Brothers is running television adverts featuring the CD on TV3, C4, Sky TV, Prime TV and Juice TV.

The 30 tracks on "Make Some Noise: The Campaign to Save Darfur" are available for download from the iTunes music store, along with another 10 tracks that are exclusive to iTunes.

MONDAY 9TH JULY: Cuba Street; opposite Garret St. and "Ziggurat."
- 1pm: launch of CD and mural.
- 10am-4pm: graphic artists, graffiti artists and general public add to the mural.
- 12-2pm: "CD and DVD Store" sells the double CD on site.

Over the last four years the conflict in the Darfur region of the Sudan has seen appalling human rights abuses on a large scale, including:
- More than 200 000 people deaths.
- More than 2 million people displaced from their homes.
- Murder, rape, pillage and mass forced displacement by Janjawid militias and by Sudanese armed forces.

RESOURCES:
1. Images of the mural on Cuba Street.
2. Images of the crisis in Darfur.
3. Downloads of songs from the album, and more information, are available at www.instantkarma.org.

ENDS

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