BLACK musicians have attacked the Live 8 organisers for unveiling a “hideously white” line-up of artists for the July concert in Hyde Park.

The 22 artists so far confirmed are white, with the exception of Mariah Carey, who has Venezuelan, Irish and African-American ethnicity.

Bob Geldof has appealed to leading British black stars to perform at the London show, but the organisers admitted that they have struggled to find Afro-Caribbean acts with sufficient appeal for a global viewing audience.

The Live 8 line-up boasts white superstars who have appropriated black musical styles, including Sting, Madonna and Joss Stone, but black artists, including Jamelia, Beverley Knight, Ms Dynamite, Dizzee Rascal, Lemar and Estelle, were not included.

Jamelia, the Birmingham R&B star, has been an active supporter of the Make Poverty History campaign. She will be six months’ pregnant when the concert takes place, but a spokesman said: “If Jamelia were approached, I’m sure she would like to play some part in the event.”

Black Information Link, a London-based campaigning organisation, accused the organisers of “handpicking a hideously white line-up to perform in a concert to highlight African poverty”.

The organisation quoted Patrick Augustus, musician and author of the BBC Two Babyfather drama, who said: “We are being totally excluded. The organisers need to engage British, African and Jamaican artists who have been dealing with these subjects for a while.”

Justin Onyeka, entertainment editor at black weekly newspaper the New Nation, said: “It was the same problem 20 years ago, when major black artists were backing singers to other acts. It’s time they learnt from previous experience.”

A spokesman for the organisers said: “We still have a number of artists to put on the bill. We have approached a number of black British artists and some turned us down.”

Because the London concert is free, the organisers are reliant on booking the biggest names who will guarantee sponsors and international broadcasters.

Organisers say privately that there are not sufficient British black artists who can deliver ticket requests in volume and meet the expectations of a global audience of two billion. It is believed that some urban artists requested payment for appearing, which the organisers said was a demand that they could not comply with.

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