indium

um.... not seen a thread about live8 so maybe i've missed it or maybe it's just not hit america yet....
but anyway

for those of you who aren't aware Sir Bob 'i was a 2nd rate pop star so i decided to try and bcome the savior of the universe instead' Geldof has decided to do live aid part 2 to try and force the July G8 to 'do something' about africa.

so the issue up for disscusion is...will getting a million people to descend on a city that usually holds ....ummm....much less than that... do anything about a bunch of insensitive idiots meeting 50 miles away?

i admit my bias- i live in edinburgh and i don't want a riot in the centre of town, it'll make it impossible to get to work, not that i object to anti-capitalist protesters but perhaps they could go somewhere relevant.

moving on from my obiviuols selfishness there, less ranty details can be found
here, here and here plus much elsewhere.

so can this sort of thing ver make a permenant change to global issues

Lexis

I don't believe that everyone who turns up to protest will be anti-capitalist, anti-American thugs. Most people I know who are heading up just want to make a point.

Now, I'm not sure the G8 leaders will give a flying fig about it but I do think its a good thing for Gordon Brown for him to see that people support his vision for a modern day Marshall Plan and that we want America and Japan (who have been less enthused) to get on board.

I have to say, I was really proud of Europe for stepping up the plate by increasing aid, even when the whole constitution thing is falling down around their ears.

mh67511

I saw on the news that the money from the first Live Aid went to the governments in the countries who were corrupt and most money never even ended up helping the poor African people, just the greedy, corrupt leaders. Not sure how accurate that was though...

Anyways I don't know if it will do any good. A lot of aid is already given and it's not just up to the leaders. In American it seems people whine and bitch all the time about the deficit so I don't see how we can start having MORE outlays. And then there are people who whine and bitch about giving aid in the first place, they think the money should stay here in America. So I don't think it's just the leaders, I don't think many citizens really care much to be honest.

Milt Palacio

You're confusing different things here.

This concert is raising private money from citizens for their aid. It doesn't involve taxpayer money or the government.

Lexis

Shows how confusing this whole thing is. I thought the concert was free and its more about making a statement to political leaders than it is raising money likr last time.

I think Geldof is hoping to get the actual governments to give more and better aid, cancel debt and make trade fair.

Of course, I could be totally wrong!

mh67511

Nope, not what I heard. Supposedly it is free and they won't be taking donations. Like Lexis said, it was to raise awareness. They changed it from Live Aid to Live 8 to coincide withe G8. I guess they want to convince government leaders to be more proactive.

alli balli

I'm going to the one in Philly. It'll be fun.

But I really know nothing about the whole money issue.

Papri

The whole point of having the march in Edinburgh is because it's the largest, most prominent city closest to where the G8 Summit will be held - consequently, it's the most "relevant" place to hold a public assembly.

I very much doubt that there'd be a "riot" anyway...people aren't going there with the intention of causing trouble. And if you're gonna find it difficult to get to work so is everyone else, so I fail to see what the issue there is.

And the concerts will be free, the whole point is, like Lexis pointed out, to raise awareness and put pressure on the G8ers to cancel the debt. Link is in my sig for further info.

Kate88

I'm watching the London concert right now on TV after failing to win tickets. I can even hear the crowd when I go outside!

I'm finding the scale of it all pretty amazing - hundreds of thousands of people at the various concerts around the world.

I don't know whether it will make any difference to what the politicians decide at the G8 summit, but it's definitely drawing attention to the problem of poverty in Africa. It's had so much publicity (at least here in England) and I don't see how that can be a bad thing.

Lexis

Its amazing getting so many people together to send a message to our governments.

But people, please remember to head to http://www.live8live.com/ and sign the petiton. Buy your white bands and wear them with pride. E-mail your leaders and tell them that its unacceptable that 30,000 children die every day because of poverty.

I hate to sound like a **** eyed optimist but we could really do this, if we force our leaders to listen to us and to help those who most need it.

meretwins

considering no one gives a flip about africa unless they can get something out of it i am highly skeptical that live 8 will accomplish anything other than having some good music heard...a small side of me is very hopeful that africa's issues can finally be addressed on a world stage but history has a funny way of repeating itself....we all know where good intentions lead...i just wonder how much concern will be shown to africa after the summit and concerts are finished...that will be a testament to it's effectiveness....

Milt Palacio

I'm watching it on TV and I think it's great. It's inspiring to see so many people come out to support a good, positive change in the world!

Plus, the music is pretty fantastic. So far, I've watched Shakiri, Linkin Park w/Jay-Z, Keene, Green Day, and Sting. Pretty much every big name is playing at one of these concerts.

Stuff like this gives me hope for the world again. Everything that Bush and his cronies in America push for is negative.

sick little jag

You know what? I didn't really think that it would help until I started watching it. It is amazing the amount of people, the musicians that are there.

I do think that this can help, I do think that the G8 will listen, and I hope that they are going to wipe out the debt. Because I think that if they don't that they'll have hell to pay for one, but because they are seeing how much people want to help other people. Seeing all this good will in the world, it's making me cry.

Oh my god. I am watching Pink Floyd on TV right now. I'm gonna start crying again.

Avatar

Am I the only one who think it's interesting that a set of concerts aimed to help Africa has about 99% white Europeans and Americans playing? To quote The Independent's Andy Kershaw:

And not to be pessimistic, but I think another columnist, the BBC's Bill Thompson (http://newswww.bbc.net.uk/1/hi/technology/4102784.stm) have it right:

Lexis

I bawled during Mariah Carey's performance of "Hero", with those little orphans. Also Robbie Williams "Angels" and Kanye West "Jesus Walks" blew me away. Madonna was just awesome too.

Edited to respond to Avatar's post:

I don't think you have to be black to care about what's going on in Africa - it crosses boundries - I'm sure the musicians that performed at all the concerts felt the passion for the cause. Sure, it may have the side effect of being good for their careers but that is not what's important.

As for racial composition of performers - the sad fact is that many African artists are not as well known in the west as they could be. Since this is an event designed to capture people's attention, its understandable that stars like U2 and Coldplay who have huge followings are the preferred acts.

And although the majority of performers may be white, I saw many fantastic black artists perfom - Snoop, Will Smith, Kanye West, Black Eyed Peas.

I found the BBC article a little patronising - who says that you can't both enjoy Live 8 and get involved in the related activities as well as doing grass roots work? I do and I'm sure I'm not the only one.

If this event even gets ONE person energised and enthused about working on eliminating poverty, then its worth it.

I wonder if those writers saw that beautiful young woman on stage at Hyde Park who thanks to "a bunch of ageing musicians and a bunch of wannabe millionaires" who got together 20 years ago lived through the famine. She told the crowd that she was glad people were expressing support.

Nelson Mandela, on of my all time heros. supports this campaign. I heard him speak today and I was in Trafalger Square when he spoke there too. I value his opinion more than these two negative journalists.

OK, rant over.