December 6, 2002 — Nelson Mandela's SOS has been answered. At a launch event today at the National Botanical Gardens in Cape Town, Nelson Mandela, supported by Archbishop Desmond Tutu, Oprah Winfrey, Virgin Group founder Richard Branson and Diesel President and Founder Renzo Rosso announced that there will be a historic human rights concert to raise awareness and funds to fight the escalating human crisis that HIV/AIDS has become. The event will be held February 2, 2003, on Robben Island in South Africa, where Nelson Mandela was imprisoned 30 years ago.

"HIV/AIDS is not only a health issue but has risen to become a human rights crisis," said Nelson Mandela. "I am asking each person in every country not to be silent witnesses to this devastation but to answer our SOS by raising both awareness and the vital funds necessary to fight and win, against this disease."

The "Mandela SOS" concert, presented by EPOP Productions, (Education Powers Our Planet), will be staged within the walls of the notorious maximum security prison on Robben Island in which Nelson Mandela spent 18 years of his prison term. Tickets will be free and distributed by competition or lottery, details of which will be announced shortly. MSN, one of the sponsors of the live event, will host the Mandela MSN website (www.mandelasos.com), which will feature coverage of the live event on February 2nd. Also, there will be a global television broadcast associated with the concert. The line-up for the "Mandela SOS" concert will be announced in the coming weeks.

Africa has been hit harder by HIV/AIDS than any other region of the world with more than 17 million who have died from the disease and another 28.1 million infected with HIV. Currently there are 11 million AIDS orphans in Africa and experts say without urgent action there may be more than 25 million by the end of this decade. The "Mandela SOS" concert hopes to emphasize that it is time for the world's people to rise above their differences and combine their efforts to fight what has become a tragedy of unprecedented proportions.

Diesel, Virgin, Samsung and Palm Pictures answered Mr. Mandela's SOS with support for the launch of this project.

Said Richard Branson, "Twenty years after Mr. Mandela was transferred off Robben Island in chains -- we must all return with him, if not in person then as one global spirit. A spirit that together has the ability to break the chains of human suffering and loss that is HIV/AIDS."

"Freedom is the only true gift," said Renzo Rosso. "Freedom from oppression, but also freedom from prejudices. Due to his personal experience and stature, Mr Mandela has contributed to sensitize the whole world on the issues of apartheid and human rights. We should all back him in his new SOS to the world."

The organizers would like proceeds from the event to be distributed to The Nelson Mandela Foundation, UNAIDS (the joint UN programme on HIV/AIDS) the Office for the High Commissioner for Human Rights and the Robben Island Museum.