Amadou and Mariam to Open FIFA World Cup

Posted on Mar 18th 2010 8:40AM by Luke Slater
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Malian musical duo Amadou and Mariam will kick off the 2010 FIFA World Cup, performing at the opening ceremony at Johannesburg's Orlando Stadium, which takes place on the eve of the first match on June 10.

Along with Amadou and Mariam, other acts performing at the ceremony include Alicia Keys, South Africa genre-melding quartet BLK JKS, Black Eyed Peas and Columbia's Shakira. What with it being the football world cup and everything, the event will also feature soccer stars past and present, but not musically, presumably. A larger celebration of African music is also a must, given that it's the first World Cup to be held in the continent.

Speaking about playing the opening ceremony, Amadou Bagayoko said, "As African artists we are proud to be invited to perform at the first World Cup to take place in Africa, and we are happy to be there to support all the African players."

All proceeds from the show will go to the 20 Centres for 2010 Charity, which aims to build football centres for 'hope' across Africa, in a bid to help improve living conditions and healthcare for young Africans.

In other Amadou and Mariam related news, their biography 'Away From the Light of Day' will be published in English for the first time on June 1, through Route Online, telling the story from the duo's struggles during their early career as well as the more recent highs, such as performing at Barack Obama's Nobel Peace Prize Ceremony in December last year.