I can’t help but agree, at least with this sentiment anyhow:
I watched Live Aid. I was depressed by the mullet-headed music, that puzzling logo of a fretboard protruding from the African continent, and resented being browbeaten by multi-millionaires to empty my pockets.
And then there was the euphoria of the crowd, which reached a worrying zenith when they clapped along to Queen’s Radio Ga-Ga.
What were they feeling so victorious about? Did they actually think that Africa had been saved by David Bowie’s gracious decision to appear onstage alongside Status Quo?
They appeared to labour under the sort of collective, intoxicating delusion that overcomes any mass of people when they gather together and feeling triumphs over thinking.
If you read the article, the author goes into Geldof’s “cozy” relationship with state and religious leaders and why they should be “interrogated” rather than paid service.
However, the question should be raised: what – if anything – will be accomplished for Africa with Live 8? What changed in 1985? And 20 years after Live Aid, what if anything has changed for the better as a result?
Give this to President Bush. Love him or hate him, he has paid more attention to the African continent than his predecessors. Hopefully it will be a trend that continues, and in the direction of real change and not the artificial monetary support of faiiled regimes.