United Colors of Africa

(NEW YORK) The Benetton Group today launched its new global corporate campaign in Dakar entitled "Africa Works," in collaboration with singer Youssou N'Dour, who founded the Birima micro-credit program, the cooperative credit society the new ads are promoting. "Africa Works"--the slogan of the campaign developed by Fabrica--will appear on billboards and in international press from February 2008. It features Senegalese workers who have used micro-loans to start small, productive businesses, photographed by James Mollison with the tools of their trade. They include, amongst others: a fisherman, a decorator, a musician, a jewelry-maker, a farmer, a tailor, two textile sellers, and a boxer. These everyday people become tangible symbols of an Africa that uses the dignity of work to fight poverty, promote equitable development, maximize its resources, and take back responsibility for creating its future.

Alessandro Benetton, executive deputy chairman of Benetton Group, explained, "We chose to support and promote this important project because, unlike traditional acts of solidarity, it offers tangible support to small local entrepreneurs through the efficient use of micro-credit. Precisely because it is based on entrepreneurial talent, hard work, optimism, and interest for the future, this project effectively promotes the new face of Africa."

Youssou N'Dour, one of Africa's best-known singers and a man committed to humanitarian projects, remarked, "My personal experience led me to realize that when a loan, however small, is used to develop an idea or realize a project, it is an effective way of fighting poverty. This is why everybody must understand the value of micro-credit. Africa doesn't want charity, it wants repayable subsidized loans."