Remember the less fortunate, says music legend Dionne |05 March 2011

American music legend Dionne Warwick, here as goodwill ambassador for the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO), made this appeal at the official launch of the carnival yesterday evening.
Goodwill ambassadors are personalities in different sectors who are famous enough to publicise issues the many UN agencies deal with, ranging from human rights to hunger.

Miss Warwick, who is also Whitney Houston’s aunt, has had huge success in the music industry with hits like Heartbreaker and I’ll Never Fall in Love Again.

“This is a carnival for the world covered by the news of the world – we are bringing the world to Seychelles against the backdrop of a unique cultural diversity and harmony,” she said.

She said this makes her presence at the carnival as an ambassador of the FAO even more meaningful as it will give her the chance to have fun as well as give support to the hungry and impoverished.

“Allow me to express my heartfelt gratitude to organisers of the carnival on this occasion for having found a fundraising activity relevant to FAO projects around the world,” she added.

Miss Warwick went on to say that many in the world today take easy access to food for granted, forgetting that one in six people wake up not knowing whether they will have enough to eat.

“Even today in the midst of our celebration let us still remember those who are less fortunate, those who might not have enough to eat today, and let us help them,” she said.

 “These are the most vulnerable and voiceless people in the world, poor hungry families suffering from high food prices, the global financial crisis and increased frequency of climate-related disasters.”

Miss Warwick also reminded those present of the devastation the tsunami that hit Seychelles in 2004 caused.

“Seychelles is one of the most breathtaking islands in the world, but climate change is harming the natural life of this beautiful island,” she said.

The way forward to dealing with the issues of climate change and hunger in the world is working together to find solutions, she added.

When Miss Warwick ended her message, her hit song That’s What Friends Are For – which is played regularly on local radio – delighted the large crowd.