June 10, 2005

Twenty years after the historic Live Aid raised millions of dollars to combat famine in Ethiopia, producer and impresario Bob Geldof has put together another blockbuster lineup of musicians for six Live 8 benefit concerts, slated to be held July 2 in London, Paris, Berlin, Philadelphia, Rome, and on July 6 in Edinburgh. The benefit concerts will coincide with the G8 summit outside Edinburgh July 6-9 in an effort to raise awareness about African poverty and convince G8 world leaders to double aid, cancel debt (40 billion dollars in debt forgiveness to Africa has recently been pledged by G 8 to), and deliver trade justice for Africa. Geldof envisions the series as a starting point for The Long Walk to Justice, a way in which people can make a unified call to world leaders in solidarity with equality and justice. Unlike its predecessor, this event will not be fundraiser. Geldof claims that, "In 2005 it is your voice we are after, not your money."

The publicity gained from the announcement of the concert series has already generated a significant amount of political press. Today's New York Post features an opinion by conservative pundit Bill O'Reilly on the Live 8 event. O'Reilly applauds the efforts of all involved calling it a "nice if somewhat fuzzy idea." The fuzziness that O'Reilly alludes to refers to the difficulty associated with distributing aid in Africa. One example he recalls is the $245 million raised for Ethiopian famine victims from Live Aid that was later mismanaged and stolen by Ethiopian dictator Mengitsu Haile Mariam. In the short time since the announcement of the Live 8 concert series, the wheels of political change have also been set in motion. The event's publicity in tandem with public protests are seen as having contributed to an agreement between the U.S. and Britain to write-off $16.7 billion in debt for 18 nations, most of which are African.

Controversy has surrounded the musical side event as well. Impresario and Live 8 producer Bob Geldof has been criticized for neglecting to include African or black musicians (in European concerts) in the concert series. In addition, many of the bands set to perform are not known to be politically inclined or progressive. Youssou N'Dour, the Senegalese pop star scheduled to play in both Paris and Edinburgh, is the only African presence on any of the bills. Though the lineups are not final, Geldof has combated this criticism with the assertion that Live 8 does not intend to be a cultural event. Rather, Geldof has assembled artists that he insists will garner the most worldwide attention.

The event will surely go a long way to raising awareness about important issues in Africa. And anything that points attention to Africa in the mainstream media is welcome. Afropop Worldwide's Sean Barlow was quoted in Thursday's Philadelphia Daily News: "I'm first and foremost glad that it's happening, but I'm surprised there are not more African artists scheduled to perform... I can recommend three or four [New York-based] groups off the top of my head that would fit in well with the Philadelphia concert." The Live 8 concert series would be a great opportunity to introduce African artists to the world, promoting afrobeat, African reggae, and African hip hop musicians who have been articulating political issues for many years. In addition, the presence of African artists could dispel stereotypes that Africa is a continent of squalor and despair and nothing else. Ironically, the global symbol of the campaign is a white band to be worn on the wrist.

The Philadelphia Concert at the Museum of Art will be hosted by Will Smith with performances by Bon Jovi, Maroon 5, P Diddy, Stevie Wonder, Jay-Z, The Dave Matthews Band, Sarah McLachlan, Rob Thomas, Keith Urban, 50 Cent, and the Kaiser Chiefs.

The London Hyde Park concert will feature Coldplay, Dido, Sir Elton John, Keane, Annie Lennox, Madonna, Mariah Carey, Muse, Scissor Sisters, Sir Paul McCartney, Joss Stone, Razorlight, Stereophonics, Sting, Robbie Williams, U2, REM, Velvet Revolver, Bob Geldof, The Killers, The Cure, and Snow Patrol.

For more information you can check out: this June 9 Philadelphia Daily News article 

the Live 8 website www.live8live.com,

and this New York Times article on the debt cancellation

Finally, the BBC suggests some alternative lineups for the concerts: http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio3/africaonyourstreet/alternative_live8.shtml