[R-G] ANSA: In Honor of Nelson Mandela's 90th Birthday...

[james m nordlund]

In Honor of Nelson Mandela's 90th Birthday...
Dear Friends,

Tomorrow, July 18, Nelson Mandela celebrates his 90th birthday. In his honor, we are proud to announce that Artists for a New South Africa (ANSA) will be producing an audiobook version of Nelson Mandela's Favorite African Folktales, an award-winning storybook featuring timeless tales hand-picked by the Nobel Peace Prize laureate. 

A diverse array of celebrated, award-winning performers are donating their talents to this charitable endeavor; those already signed on to voice stories include:

       ~ Gillian Anderson
       ~ America Ferrera
       ~ Whoopi Goldberg
       ~ Samuel L. Jackson
       ~ Alan Rickman
       ~ Jurnee Smollett
Nobel laureate Archbishop Desmond Tutu will record a message to the world's children for the audiobook. ANSA co-founder, Alfre Woodard, will serve as Creative Director. Slated for a Summer 2009 release, proceeds for the audiobook will benefit both ANSA and the Nelson Mandela Children's Fund (NMCF), a South African organization founded in 1995 by Mr. Mandela to improve dramatically the way society treats its children. Both organizations are working to address the impact of the AIDS pandemic on children in South Africa, which has more people living with HIV/AIDS and more children orphaned by the disease than any other country.

Alfre Woodard said, "I was privileged to be with Nelson Mandela recently in London, where he challenged us saying, '...Our work is far from complete. Where there is poverty and sickness, including AIDS, where human beings are oppressed, there is more work to be done... After nearly 90 years of life, it is time for new hands to lift the burdens. It is in your hands now.' With this audiobook, ANSA pays tribute to our friend and our hero, Nelson Mandela, on his 90th birthday. It will take the hands of all mankind to lift that burden and carry on the work. We hope you will join in and support this effort."

Nelson Mandela's Favorite African Folktales was first published in 2002 in hardcover internationally by NB Publishers and in harcover and paperback in the US by WW Norton & Company, Inc., which have granted worldwide rights for the audiobook to ANSA and Hachette Audio, a division of Hachette Book Group USA, one of the largest and most respected publishing groups in the world. Individuals and companies involved in the effort have donated their services and waived their fees in order to allow the maximum amount of the proceeds to benefit the charities. In addition to waiving all sales and distribution fees, Hachette Audio will donate 100% of proceeds to ANSA and the NMCF, and NB Publishers has waived fees so additional royalties can benefit the NMCF. The CDs and audiobook packaging will be manufactured by Ivy/Cinram, which is donating a significant portion of their services. Time Warner intellectual property attorney, Bradley Silver, is contributing his
 legal services to ANSA, in line with Time Warner Inc.'s pro bono endeavors. The actors and Creative Director are fully donating their talents, as are two-time GRAMMY winner Gavin Lurssen, who will master the audiobook, and Gregory Robinson, who will handle the mixing and sound effects. 

In his original foreward for the selection of folktales Nelson Mandela wrote, "It is my wish that the voice of the storyteller may never die in Africa, that all the children of the world may experience the wonder of books." With the forthcoming audiobook edition of Nelson Mandela's Favorite African Folktales, Mr. Mandela's vision will come full circle, as the legendary tales he selected return to the great oral tradition, which allowed them to be passed down for centuries and will now enlighten and entertain chldren of all ages the world over. 

We at ANSA are committed to honoring Mr. Mandela's legacy by continuing this work. Our goal is to create an audiobook that can be enjoyed by people around the world, increasing awareness of Africa's rich cultural heritages and creating a better future for South Africa's most vulnerable children. 

Click here to send your own personal message to Neson Mandela!

http://www.happybirthdaymandela.com/frontHome.seam 

Thank you for your continued interest and support,

Artists for a New South Africa

Artists for a New South Africa
 
2999 Overland Avenue, Suite 102
Los Angeles, California 90064
United States

phone 310.204.1748 fax 310.204.4277
info at ansafrica.org | www.ansafrica.org
YouTube channel: http://www.youtube.com/ArtistsNewSAfrica