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July 4, 2005
As one of the 2-3 billion people watching the pop and politics of Live 8, I caught bits and pieces of the Hyde park concert in front of 200,000 people on free-to-air television last night.
I saw Paul McCartney's clever and colourful St Pepper concert opener; was impressed by a professional Sting and an energetic Robbie Williams; was suprised and deeply moved by the warmth and emotional charge of a historically reunited Pink Floyd playing Wish You Were Here, which was dedicated to reclusive ex-Floyd member Syd Barrett; and caught bits of McCartney's final set of The Long and Winding Road and Hey Jude.
I missed Maddona, Coldplay and the Who at Hyde Park, saw nothing of the Berlin, Tokyo or Philadephia concerts, was taken in by the references back to Live Aid and wondered about the non-appearance of the Rolling Stones again.
Where was the black music? Where where the African rhythms and singers? Wasn't Live 8 about Africa? Well, the African musicians were down in Cornwall while the big white superstars were in London. Is that the best way to celebrate Africa's musical talent?
The political signs were everywhere: justice not charity, trade not aid, make African poverty history. The aim of the five free concerts staged around the world featuring the biggest names in music and televised globally was to persuade the G8 leaders to accept a package of reforms on developing world trade, debt and aid.
In a week or so leaders of the eight most economically powerful economies in the world will meet at Gleneagles. Will they come to a deal on Africa, poverty and climate change? Will these powerful nations impose neoliberal policies onto Africa?
Could not the rich G8 nations begin to end the obstacles to growth they currently impose on poor African countries - eg., remove the huge subsidies Europe, the US and Japan give to their farmers. Then the nation-states of Africa could begin to be the architect of its own survival. Trade not aid.
Will the G8 this week take up the challenge to mutually end agriculture subsidies? I cannot see Bush or Europe giving much ground here.
Update: Tuesday July 4
The carnival of Live 8 certainly was a spectacular global visual event that made people notice.
I have just come across the Live 8 website, the live feeds of the concert, Danny Wallace's blogging and the Edinbourgh coverage and the Guardian's bloggers
Leahy, After Live8
This does capture a reality beyond the reality of living in a virtual world. President Bush is not likely to give ground on removing subsidies to American farmers. As The Guardian reports:
"Princeton Lyman, an analyst at the Council on Foreign Relations pointed out that the [Bush] administration spends $3.9bn (£2.2bn) a year on subsidising American cotton farmers - more than it spends on African aid.
Cutting off such huge subsidies to agro-industry would strike a serious blow to congressional Republicans now fundraising for the 2006 mid-term elections. The president has enough troubles in Congress already without sparking a revolt. The problems the administration is having pushing through the Central American Free Trade Agreement demonstrate the strength of protectionist sentiment on both sides of the aisle."
G8 Gleneagles could be an anticlimax.
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The point wasn't to "celebrate Africa's musical talent"! That would've been a horrific blunder as less people would have shown up! Everyone wasn't there just to support the campaign or even at all but were there for the free show! They need to draw the people in by making musicians familiar to the people perform..."The Black" music was celebrated in their country...it all works out as they're known there (whoever the big names are...) were celebrated in South Africa –Mary Fitzgerald Square, Newtown, Johannesburg...just as people in Africa probably wouldn't have shown up if Justin Timberlake performed!