Bono was in Berlin tonight, picking up an award from the German music industry. Video and speech here.

Accepting the Echo Award for 'global engagement', Bono recalled that he had been in Cologne eight years ago when the German people told the leaders of the G8 it was time to 'break the chains of poverty in Africa'.

This year G8 leaders are back in Germany and Bono features in this new campaign clip alongside actors, footballers and models - all speaking perfect German.







Speech below.

'Danke schoen. I'm holding an Echo! I've an Echo here in my hand, to thank me for something that I didn't do - something you did - something that started in Gernany eight years ago, in Cologne, when people who don't normally stand together, stood together for the world's poor.

It's true, it was at the G8 meeting in Cologne in 1999 - Stammtischler hanging out with academikern, football fans hanging out with the police, punk rockers hanging out with priests, seriously... Die Toten Hosen and Radiohead linked arms with church people, the holy father John Paul wore my sunglasses - amazing things were happening. People came from all over Germany to link arms and made a chain around the city to break the chains of poverty in Africa.

And I can hear other echoes - echoes of the voices of the 20million African children who are now in school because of this, 20million African children in school because of you and Drop the Debt - and I want to thank you, Germany, for that.

Now this summer - the G8 are coming back to Germany - Heilegendamm - I hear it is a nice place, by the sea, myself and the great Herbert Gronemeyer are going there on our holidays.

We need to hear your voices again, louder than before. I want to hear you raise your voices, deine stimme - lauter, lauter . Scream like it is a Tokio Hotel concert - deine stimme - deine stimme - gegen armut...

Put on your white wristbands and raise your voices, so Chancellor Merkel can hear you, Minister Steinbruck can hear you. So the whole world can hear you - the new Germany.'

More in German here
And in English here