What do economist Jeffrey Sachs, financier George Soros, musician John Legend and American Idol winner Melinda Doolittle have in common? They were all at Lincoln Center May 15 for an annual gala fundraiser to help the people of Africa. Equal parts concert and award dinner, the event brought in over $2 million dollars for the UN's Millenium Project and its sister organization, Malaria No More.

Diaphanous blue drapes hung across the sloped glass ceiling. Giant screens expressed sun-baked African scenery. The reception hall resounded with the jazzy stylings of guest musicians Kirk Whalum and Takana Miyamoto, commissioned by one of the event's biggest contributors, the Simmons Foundation. Simmons himself, in a dapper suit, smiled at me across a garden-patch table that flickered with candlelight.

"An easy shift of priorities in this nation and the EU can end poverty forever," he said with certainty.

The Millennium Promise, headed by Jeffrey Sachs, is built on this statement. Some academics have questioned the realism of the project but it remains a very ambitious stab at rural development. More narrowly, Malaria No More, lead by Peter Chernin of News Corp, focuses on delivering insecticide-treaded bed nets to African countries. These nets have been reported to be very effective at repelling malaria mosquitoes. Some funds also go towards medication for this very treatable and preventable disease.

After the musical reception, the 600 or so guests filed into their seats in the main hall. A troupe of children dressed as mosquitoes did a little dance on stage before being chased away by a beaming woman with a blue bed net. The organization CEOs gave brief, hopeful speeches and Sachs thanked the crowd, saying "this is a room filled with wonderful leaders." We also got to hear the story behind Legend's and Doolittle's involvement – they hooked up with the organizations through Colbert Report and Idol Gives Back, respectively.

Legend then got behind the piano and Doolittle took the mic, treating the room to a high power duet. The reigning American Idol's nearly flawless voice and Legend's masterful command of the keys took the listeners for an acoustic ride – a welcome distraction from the speeches. They finished to a burst of applause. A small legion of black-clad waiters served dinner that was hard to identify but easy to enjoy.

While the guests dined, four men were honored for their contributions: Soros, Sachs, Chernin and Raymond Chambers, philanthropist and UN ambassador for malaria. Each honoree gave a brief speech (mostly patting each other on the back for generosity) but also mentioning what else needs to be done.

"Much of Africa is caught in a poverty trap, the way… to extricate from this trap is through rural development," said Soros, referring to the Millennium Project. Chernin was more specific: "We need 120 million more bed nets."

The event concluded with sequins and miniskirt as Nigerian performer Wunmi rocked the house with her song and dance. Tribal yet urban, her voice sounded like a symbol of the unlikely connection between African villages and the Upper West Side.

Words by Igor Kossov. Photo from blackgivesback.blogspot.com. Videos hosted by YouTube.

Melinda Doolittle performs with John Legend

Wunmi performs with her entourage.