Commentary From Local Africans
Forget about all of the reviews devoted to the live8 concerts the next day.
The most interesting article I came across was the Toronto Star's Alejandro Bustos, who interviewed several Africans who are now living in the greater Toronto area.
Munyonzwe Hamalengwa, a Toronto-based lawyer from Zambia, said, "What live8 is doing is making the Western world feel good. But it will have no impact ont he ground because corruption will continue."
Kobena Acquaah-Harrison, a musician and media producer born in Ghana, said that while the live8 concerts did a good job of raising awareness about Africa, it's not going to do anything to help eliminate poverty unless there's major changes in the world trading system.
What was advocated by Obert Madondo, a native of Zimbabwe and board member of CAP AIDS?
Send money directly to grassroots groups.
In other news sources floating around the web, it's been reported that in Britain, the extensive publicity around winning live8 tickets through a text competition has netted $5 million --- but none of that was slated for Africa.
When a friend and I were discussing the flaws surrounding live8, we were more focused on the intentions of the people in the crowd.
Someone had told me that it was silly to worry about what the intentions of all those concert-goers were.
But is it silly?
We're talking about mobilizing people to demand the beginnings of real change for some of the most impoverished nations in the world.
If all those concert-goers were there just to see a free concert, then yes, live8 was really, really flawed. It wound up being nothing more than a grand old party. The intention of Geldof went to waste.
But if all of those concert-goers were there to make a real difference and every one of those people will actually move forward and demand change in the event that the G8 leaders decide NOT to cancel Third World debt...then, yes, live8 was a marvelous grassroots initiative.
And in the end? I hope that the latter proves to be true.
The most interesting article I came across was the Toronto Star's Alejandro Bustos, who interviewed several Africans who are now living in the greater Toronto area.
Munyonzwe Hamalengwa, a Toronto-based lawyer from Zambia, said, "What live8 is doing is making the Western world feel good. But it will have no impact ont he ground because corruption will continue."
Kobena Acquaah-Harrison, a musician and media producer born in Ghana, said that while the live8 concerts did a good job of raising awareness about Africa, it's not going to do anything to help eliminate poverty unless there's major changes in the world trading system.
What was advocated by Obert Madondo, a native of Zimbabwe and board member of CAP AIDS?
Send money directly to grassroots groups.
In other news sources floating around the web, it's been reported that in Britain, the extensive publicity around winning live8 tickets through a text competition has netted $5 million --- but none of that was slated for Africa.
When a friend and I were discussing the flaws surrounding live8, we were more focused on the intentions of the people in the crowd.
Someone had told me that it was silly to worry about what the intentions of all those concert-goers were.
But is it silly?
We're talking about mobilizing people to demand the beginnings of real change for some of the most impoverished nations in the world.
If all those concert-goers were there just to see a free concert, then yes, live8 was really, really flawed. It wound up being nothing more than a grand old party. The intention of Geldof went to waste.
But if all of those concert-goers were there to make a real difference and every one of those people will actually move forward and demand change in the event that the G8 leaders decide NOT to cancel Third World debt...then, yes, live8 was a marvelous grassroots initiative.
And in the end? I hope that the latter proves to be true.
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