Live 8 aims a bad idea

Peter Worthington
Live 8 aims a bad idea

Tue, July 5, 2005

TWENTY YEARS ago when Ethiopia was in famine, Bob Geldof invented the Live Aid concert to attract the world's attention to misery there.

It was an astonishing success, raised millions, caught the humanitarian emotions of the world, contributed to him being knighted -- and achieved absolutely nothing for the wretched of Ethiopia.

That country's homicidal Marxist regime of Col. Haile Mariam Mengistu even charged duty on aid that was donated by the outside world. Appropriately, Mengistu today has sanctuary in Zimbabwe, where his Marxist soulmate, Robert Mugabe, has savaged one of Africa's most hopeful economies and made tyranny endemic.

In the 1980s, food aid to the starving of Ethiopia was diverted to the Ethiopian army, although the Geldofs and aid bureaucrats of the world were in ferocious denial. Filmmaker Rob Roy and I were with fighters in Eritrea when they routed and ransacked an Ethiopian division. In the army kitchens we found sacks of Canadian wheat flour that was intended for refugees.

I took photographs, reported the findings, but the Canadian government wasn't interested. It refused to see the truth about humanitarian aid.

So much for Geldof's passion then. Now there's something of history being repeated with a series of Live 8 concerts around the world, timed for this week's G8 summit meeting in Gleneagles, Scotland. This time the concerts are more ambitious than just raising money for Ethiopia. This time it's all Africa, especially the 14 African countries that are among the world's 18 poorest.

We never learn.

Ethiopia is still dirt poor -- but affluent enough to wage war against Eritrea, which is also poor but has a better record of fighting corruption and rejecting aid with strings attached.

It's hard to write realistically about Africa without seeming callous. It's estimated that in the past 50 years of anti-colonialism, $1 trillion has been given to Africa. Yet the people of many African countries are worse off today.

Britain's Tony Blair, host of the Gleneagles summit, is carrying on from where Jean Chretien left off at the 2002 G8 summit at Kananaskis, Alta., by urging more largesse for Africa.

A BASKET CASE

Blair, being a socialist, feels guilty about Africa and says it's a "scar on the conscience of the world" -- a basket case instead of a potential cornucopia.

This is a prevalent attitude, but it's also condescending, patronizing, elitist and nuts. Now the push is for developed countries to write off $40 billion in debts that Africa owes, as well as increasing aid to $50 billion a year by 2010, and $75 billion a year by 2015. Put that in everyday terms: Would it make debtors more responsible if banks cancelled debts and gave, rather than lent, more money? Is compulsive gambling cured by providing unlimited funds to gamblers? Are alcoholics helped by giving them free booze?

Africa's greatest problems are corruption and tribalism (i.e., racism). Foreign aid tends to keep dictators in power and prevents the people from being able to choose wise leaders and provide for themselves.

NO ACCOUNTABILITY

Tyranny thrives on foreign aid which, like the Live 8 concerts around the world, makes donors feel good but does little to encourage responsibility and accountability.

Richard Dowden of London's Royal African Society has it right when he says, "Only Africans themselves can change Africa," and points out that much of Africa is worse off than before massive aid injections were funnelled mostly to those in charge.

As for our own Prime Minister Paul Martin, he is captive of foreign aid rhetoric, but wary about actually delivering -- witness his pledge of $425 million for victims of the South Asian tsunami disaster last Christmas, precious little of which has yet to reach those who need it most.

We could pour trillions of dollars into Africa and they'll still be poor because some turd in a uniform with a bazillion medals on his chest will steal the money.

Africa will be free and prosperous when Africans decide to do it for themselves.

Failing that, I'm all for letting the UK recolonize Africa since they did the best job of nation building down there.

Interesting article Hwack!

Pambazuka News

Interesting article written by an African scholar that criticises 'Live Aid' kinda events in order to raise money to help alleviate poverty n stuff.

The author thinks that the graphic images used by Live Aid denegrate African people. It's an interesting read

I know an ex-Medic who went to Africa. He looked at the red cross selling our donated good to the African locals. He hasn't contributed a dime to any agencies since.

My personal experience:
In the mid nineties, my wife used to work for one of the Universities in Halifax. The University offered a standard BA program, and a VIP BA program. United Way used to send (don't know today) 2 gentlemen (UW expense) to finish their BA at $10K per person. AND... one of those gentlemen bragged on how rughly 90% of the donated money was kept within the organisation. I also stopped contribution to any agencies.

I’ve got to agree with many posters on this thread in regards to the recent Live 8 concert series. To automatically blame every G8 nation for practically all of Africa’s issues is oversimplification, over generalized and a miscarriage of historical realties (despite what many musicians may tell you, colonization is not the root of ALL of the continent’s evils nor is loan forgiveness). Simply put, to assume that by putting on a concert (let’ face some cynical realities – it’s unbelievable exposure for these entertainers to participate in this massive media events) we’ll solve the complex problems, effect African tribalism, decolonization, ethnic cleansing, globalization and right the horrendous wrongs the Europeans have caused in their imperial pasts is asinine. Where’ Bob now? Concerts over, but will he follow through on his rhetoric?

At some point, some of these nations must accept contemporary responsibility (like losing the HIV/Aids denial or genocide) and help themselves (I’m not suggesting this will be easy, but let’s lose the condescending, arrogant attitude and empower these people to help themselves). No matter what happens the West will likely shoulder the blame (not Bob, U2 or Madonna), so let’s try to give the nations of Africa the means (not just unaccountable $$$$) to address their problems. The first? Responsibility.

Geldof sounds like one of those cliches from 1950's musicals...

Frankie: "People are starving in Africa!"

Annette: "But what can we do about it?"

Bob Geldof: "I know! Let's put on a show!"

:roll:

Clean up the Governments, ie: Iraq, put people in charge of the countries not despot dictators.

But this would involve guns and war.

They have always had tons of money injected into the problems, sad part the money never gets to where it’s needed, unless you’re a dictator then it gets to the right spot.

There is little question in my mind that more assertive action needs to be taken in removing corrupt leaders from power in Afirca. The question is: how do we take this action without embroiling ourselves in a conflict we won't be able to extricate ourselves from?

I like the idea of denying aid to countries with corrupt leaderships, but I think its inevitable that those countries will attempt to forcibly take aid from the countries that will be recieving it.
Obviously, there needs to be some sort of military contingency for these situations.
Nonetheless, if the primary goal of Live 8 was to get people talking about African poverty, then it's worked, because here we are talking about it.