In Senegal, ActionAid organised a Kaa Konko KÉLÉ or HungerFREE Festival, urging young people to put pressure on their governments to meet their commitments to halve hunger by 2015.

Artist Kalidou Kassé and rapper and HungerFREE ambassador Didier Awadi headlined the festival and worked with young people to insist that decision makers implement policies to fight hunger in Senegal.

Didier sang his latest song Kaa Konko KÉLÉ at the concert at the Niary Tally football stadium live for the first time, composed especially to support the campaign.

This was followed by the final of the City Battle, featuring Y Dee, DJ Rakim and other artists at the Olympic swimming pool. The competition featured basketball, rollerblading and break dancing, bringing together young people from across Senegal.

Youth representatives also met with ministers and MPs in charge of youth, women’s rights and agriculture, to debate about the role of young people in agriculture and fishing industries.

Additionally, Kalidou Kassé opened an exhibition of paintings and other works at the cultural centre Léopold Sédar Senghor in Pikine. Kalidou Kassé, who is president of the International Association of Painters worked with 17 young Senegalese artists to create paintings focusing on hunger.

The Dakar-based festival was followed by the launch of the HungerFREE campaign in Paris, designed to put added pressure on the French government.

Didier Awadi and Ivory Coast legend, Tiken-Jah Fakoly held a concert to urge young people to ask the French government to reform EU Common Agricultural Policy and stop forcing governments of several countries to sign economic partnership agreements.

“If France is really serious about fighting the current food crisis, it must make sure that under its presidency, the European Union (EU) stops putting pressure on African governments to sign economic partnership agreements (EPAs),” said Didier.

“The EU also needs to stop subsidising big agribusinesses, which export their goods to Africa and put at risk the life of millions of people.”

 
Listen to Kaa Konko KÉLÉ

               
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