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Bono helps dedicate 'Eclipsed' performance to missing girls

By Karen Butler
Bono, the lead singer of the band U2 and co-founder of the ONE campaign, an anti-poverty organization, testifies during Senate Appropriations Subcommittee hearing on violent extremism and the role of foreign assistance, on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C. on April 12, 2016. Photo by Kevin Dietsch/UPI
1 of 3 | Bono, the lead singer of the band U2 and co-founder of the ONE campaign, an anti-poverty organization, testifies during Senate Appropriations Subcommittee hearing on violent extremism and the role of foreign assistance, on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C. on April 12, 2016. Photo by Kevin Dietsch/UPI | License Photo

NEW YORK, May 2 (UPI) -- Bono joined the stars and playwright Danai Gurira onstage at a weekend performance of the Broadway drama Eclipsed.

The artists spoke at the end of Saturday's matinee, intending to spotlight the abducted and still missing 219 schoolgirls of Chibok, Northern Nigeria, and stolen girls around the world.

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"We've asked [Bono] to join us today to launch our effort to bring direct attention to the challenges faced by millions of girls all over the world living under the tyranny of war, in poverty and being denied their human rights simply because they are female," the play's star Lupita Nyong'o said. "From here on out, each performance will be dedicated to specific girls from around the world who have been kidnapped and are still missing."

"The cast wants us to remember two specific girls in particular -- Lydia Habila and Rejoice Musa ... It goes without saying if they were American girls or Irish girls we'd get a daily report on how they are doing. Well, they're not out of the news tonight and we want that daily report," Bono said.

"Many of the abducted girls are living lives exactly like those you have just witnessed today on our stage. They are used as tools of war. Lydia Habila and Rejoice Musa. Know her name," cast member Akosua Busia added.

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All future performances of Eclipsed will have live dedications during the bows at the end of the show, a press release noted. Special guests such as Bono will also join the cast onstage for this moment when possible.

Gurira is best known for her portrayal of Michonne on The Walking Dead. Nyong'o won an Oscar for her performance in the film 12 Years a Slave.

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