LIVE 8

A number of you probably know what LIVE 8 is. I read quite a few South East Asian blog’s on a daily basis and I have seen no mention of this on any of them. On the 2nd of July 2005, musical artists played to throngs of people in London, Edinburgh, Philadelphia, Berlin, Paris, Canada, Japan, South Africa, and Rome. On the bill were artists such as Cold Play, Madonna, The Killers, Pink Floyd, Paul McCartney, Snoop Dog, Linkin Park, Jay-Z, U2, UB-40, Velvet Revolver, The Cure, Craig David, A-Ha, Crosby Stills and Nash, Audio Slave, Alicia Keys, Dave Matthews, Bon Jovi, Maroon 5, Deep Purple, Bjork, Pet Shop Boys, and that is only to mention a few!!!

All these artists have united under one cause; to raise enough awareness so members of the G8 can work towards putting an end to poverty in Africa. We have all heard the statistics of how many children die every minute and how many people are contracting or have contracted aids. Shit like this goes on all over the world but it is never real till we actually have to live with it on a daily basis. Well I can assure that after living in and traveling around Sub Saharan Africa, it is defiantly the poorest and possibly the most corrupt continent on Earth. The fact is that as a continent, while the rest of the world is moving forward in terms of technology and infrastructure and even education, Africans are collectively falling behind. I am sure we can all point to small communities that might be getting a leg up but compared to the rest of the population this is insignificant.

I have heard first hand accounts of atrocities in Sierra Leone and Sudan that would bring tears to any normal person’s eyes. Children being lined up on a bridge to have their arm chopped off and thrown over just so they will not be able to fire a rifle and partake in a coupe deta to over throw the son of a bitch that just claimed rule over the country. Believe it. We are constantly reminded by the media of civil wars, famine and disease outbreaks. But all these problems will of course stem from poverty. I am no economist and I can’t offer any brilliant solutions but I can trust that LIVE 8 have done their home work and are offering solutions that the members of G8 can afford. I am sure they will not come for free and there will be drawbacks but it is their responsibility.

Many people may ask why these members should do anything to help Africa. What do we owe them? Why should these countries forgive foreign debt? I think then about why America and Europe are so wealthy. Could it have anything to do with the fact that they enjoyed free labor for 400 years? To any person with common business sense, you can see what an advantage they were at. And when the Dutch, French, English, and others left their African colonies, they took everything they could steal, leaving them with nothing. So in effect they ARE responsible. Western countries still pay reparations for damage done in the 1st and 2nd World wars so what about this then? Even a terrorist like Khadafi paid reparations to victims of his attacks. These Western countries do give aid to Africa but it is not nearly enough considering the damage caused.

Bob Geldof has worked on this project for many years. He has a firm belief in what he plans to achieve and there is a lot to be learned from their website. They are not asking for money, only your face and your voice. This should be enough to persuade the members of G8 to completely drop African debt, to provide better work aid, and to enforce trade justice. They are definitely pro’s and con’s to all these targets and what the effects will be on the Western powers. It is not something that they hope to achieve in one day but it is a start. If not now then when? As I have said before, I do not claim to understand the situation and the solutions at hand but I do trust LIVE 8 more then the bastards Bush, Blair, Chirac, and the rest. You might say I am blinded by the celebrities and the mass marketing and maybe I am. But I am just proud as a human being to see that they all took the time to do this for NO money AT ALL… All the concerts were free. All Geldof is trying to do is raise awareness enough to persuade. Celebrities are using their influence in a positive way.

Today is the Long Walk to Justice in Edinburgh, Scotland. All the music over the last week end was only a prelude to this. Demonstrators will March to the meeting of the G8 and make our voices heard. I have done my part and registered both in LIVE 8 and at ONE. If you notice, I have even added a banner on the left side of the screen which should reach all 20 of my readers. It took a while to figure it out so please use it. I believe this was a monumental movement that took place in our own life times. I wish I could have attended a concert and more importantly gone on the march but… ce la vie. I can only tell you what I have had the time to read up on so far but there is a lot of information out there on the links provided. Take the time to make your voice heard.