Angelique Kidjo sings out for a fair and ambitious climate deal in Copenhagen

Nairobi, 20 November 2009 - Grammy Award-winning West African singer-songwriter and well known environmentalist Angelique Kidjo has lent her voice to the chorus of campaigners asking for a fair, ambitious and equitable climate deal this December in Copenhagen.

Kidjo, who is also a UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador, has recorded a new music video for the UN led Seal the Deal! Campaign featuring her hit single Agolo (Please), which she wrote in 1994 when she was contemplating her own consumption and how she could make a difference as an individual.

Her new video includes soundbytes from children addressing more than 100 heads of state and government at the UN High Level Climate Summit in September at UN Headquarters in New York.

Performing in the language of her native Benin, Kidjo has been a face of Africa for many years on the global stage. In the run-up to the UN climate conference in Copenhagen next month, Africa's climate summit negotiators say they will insist on a political deal that meets their demands which focus on lowering emissions and compensating African countries for damages caused by climate change.

Kevin Custer, the director of the video, said: "Once I realized my responsibility as a steward of our planet, I felt obligated to get involved with green initiatives. Climate change is an issue that simply can not wait. I hope that our video compels people to act now and work together towards real and positive change."

The video can be seen at www.sealthedeal2009.org and www.unep.org

The song's lyrics are:

I just felt the spirit of Love and Tenderness passing by my window.

Please, don't despair, remember the love that Mother Earth is offering to us.

If we are generous with her, she will make our future prosperous.

Love, Life, Mother Earth

Love, Life, Motherland

Let's appreciate all the gifts she is giving us.

Full Release