When international music stars turn the Green Point Stadium in Cape Town, South Africa, into a pulsating musical arena on November 29, microphone technology from Germany will also be there to help: audio specialist Sennheiser is supporting Nelson Mandela's 46664 Aids Awareness Concert - not only financially but also by providing equipment and expertise.

Cape Town, South Africa - November 29: Nelson Mandela with singer Dave Stewart, guitarist The Edge, and singer Bono at the "46664 - Give One Minute of Your Life to AIDS" concert at Greenpoint Stadium on November 29 in Cape Town, South Africa. (Photo by Getty Images)

Cape Town, South Africa - November 29: Singer Anastacia performs at the "46664 - Give One Minute of Your Life to AIDS" concert at Greenpoint Stadium on November 29 in Cape Town, South Africa. The concert will benefit the Nelson Mandela Foundation and the fight against AIDS in Africa. It is one of the biggest rock events ever staged in Africa and will also be the most widely distributed media event in history with a potential audience or more than 2 billion people in 166 countries. (Photo by Dave Hogan/Getty Images)

46664 - that was Nelson Mandela's prison number in Robben Island jail, where the human rights campaigner was incarcerated for 18 years. Now, this number is being used to spearhead a worldwide music campaign with which Nelson Mandela aims to raise awareness among the world's population of the devastating Aids epidemic in Africa. Aids, he says, is no longer a disease, it is a human rights issue. "A tragedy of unprecedented proportions is unfolding in Africa, and Aids today in Africa is claiming more lives than the sum total of all wars, famines and floods." It is estimated that about 20 % of the population in Mandela's native country South Africa is HIV-positive, but most people there are unable to afford Aids treatment like that available in Europe or the USA. Poor education also plays its part in the rise in the number of people infected.

Nelson Mandela's 46664 initiative is aimed at combating indifference and ensuring that Africa's Aids plight is not forgotten. A major event in the campaign is the concert in Cape Town, the proceeds of which will go to the Nelson Mandela Foundation. Artists such as Peter Gabriel, Bono, Anastacia, The Corrs, Queen, Eurythmics, Johnnny Clegg, Zucchero and Moloko have already agreed to attend. The concert will be broadcast live or as a recording by more than 30 television stations on November 29. Then, on the occasion of World Aids Day on December 1, MTV will broadcast the concert worldwide, reaching almost 400 million households. Music fans will also be able to tune in live on the radio or via the internet.

In addition to financial support, Sennheiser has also shipped equipment worth hundreds of thousands of euros to South Africa, especially including its high-performance radio microphone equipment. Sennheiser specialists will be on hand to support the local sound crews. Commenting on his company's commitment, Rolf Meyer, President Marketing and Sales at Sennheiser electronic GmbH & Co. KG, said: "We are very pleased to be able to support this important campaign in an area in which we are the world's leaders. Donations and the proceeds from the concert will enable a great deal of good work to be done. We are all called upon to act."

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