The people over at Calabash Music have had a neat idea. Despite what many people think, the US spends less than 1% of its federal budget on foreign aid. As Calabash points out, “If everyone in the United States gave up one soft drink a month we could double our current aid to Africa. If everyone gave up one movie a year we could double our current aid to Africa and Asia.” But rather than get preachy and feeling guilty about the situation, Calabash are running a very simple promotion called “Tune Your World”. “If every American would buy 10 songs by African Artists — We would DOUBLE the amount of money the US is currently sending to Africa.”

So their idea is simple: get ten happening songs for just $7.99. I know Calabash Music. Two things you should know about them too: they have a really good selection of music, and as they work directly with musicians and labels from around the world, at least 50% of your money is going straight to the musicians and labels. What’s more, they are highlighting a number of interesting projects such as the Refugee All Stars, the Afrobeat Sudan Aid Project (featuring Antibalas, Tony Allen and the voice of Fela Kuti, no less) and Stop Excision.

By the way, this is not an American thing. It’s a music thing. Fantastic music is being produced across Africa, but we won’t hear it unless people like Calabash and, yes, Music Wire stick it under our noses. So for some tasty MP3s, visit Tune Your World and start browsing.