"It's what the power of this piece is, because I intellectually heard the numbers and knew that Africa was being devastated. When you see it though, you only see a portion of it. To get the real picture you have to multiply it in your mind," the singer said after a private screening of the film. "Seeing it just made it much more real."

While Judd visited the island of Madagascar and talked with women in prostitution about safe sex, India.Arie went to poverty-stricken sections of Kenya and met with people infected with AIDS or the HIV-virus and comforted children orphaned by the disease.

In one heartbreaking scene, the singer asks a 14-year-old girl if she could have anything in the world, what would she want. The girl, an orphan, says she wants to come home with her, and bursts into tears.

The singer says she's frustrated the continent hasn't received more help in its fight against AIDS: "It's not fair that people ignore AIDS in Africa because it's Africa." The experience has inspired India.Arie to write songs about the devastating disease. Some of them will be featured on her new, dual-album project; one will be released in the fall and another a few months later.

The artiste famed for her chart-topping light-hearted song Can I walk with you, thinks the new material may lead people to criticise her for being too idealistic, but she really doesn't care.

Source: AP