Qatar yesterday joined 195 countries in a simultaneous broadcast of the Beatles’ song ‘All You Need Is Love’ as part of Project Red which is expected to raise around $3m for the Global Fund to help the fight against Aids in Africa.
Qatar’s contribution to the global event was an oud performance of the famous song by 23-year-old Qatari musician Mohammad Al Sharooqi.
Shot in Souq Waqif the video will join hundreds more from around the world as part of a promotional film by highly acclaimed and award-winning director Chris Palmer. Al Sharooqi provided Arabic flavour to the Beatles classic through his own rendition using the traditional oud instrument. The ancient architectural style of the souq and its colourful traditional carpets as the backdrop added more allure to the performance.
The young musician who has been playing the instrument for eight years now said he was thrilled to be part of the historical moment broadcast live around the world. “This is a moment in TV history wherein people from 196 countries will altogether sing or play instruments to the tune of ‘All You Need Is Love’,” said Danny Erjavec of DTM, a Qatar-based media company who organised and provided the live stream from Qatar.
Forty-two years ago, 26 different countries, over 400 million people, united in an improbable moment to witness the very first live international television broadcast and there to greet the global community were the Beatles singing “All You Need Is Love”. It was a historic technological breakthrough when the world ushered in a striking new era of human connectivity, awareness, and celebration.
Yesterday, the whole world witnessed another moment but in a grander scale with 196 countries participating, but this time as a support for the Global Fund and part of the observance of World Aids Day which falls on December 1.
Creating even more awareness of the massive charitable effort was the event’s attempt to enter the Guinness World Records to be the first ever live broadcast to 196 countries. Acclaimed award-winning composer, Graeme Revell developed the fresh never-heard-before symphony of the Beatles song.
The live event served as the launch of a worldwide interactive effort at www.StarbucksLoveProject.com, where people will be able to participate by recording their own voice singing, “All You Need Is Love” and uploading it to the global chorus. For each submission contributed, Starbucks will donate an additional 5 cents to the Global Fund.
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