The Thrill is Gone

Twenty years after Live Aid, Bob Geldof launches another group of international concerts aimed at fighting poverty and famine in Africa. The musician and activist recently announced plans for concerts to be held on July 2, in five countries. He calls next month's concerts "Live 8" -- because they're scheduled just days before the leaders of the leading industrialized countries meet at the G-8 summit in Scotland.

This piece on Yahoo news "Live 8 struggles to draw US blacks to Africa roots" triggered the skeptic in me, as most news does.

So far Stevie Wonder, Will Smith, Mariah Carey, 50 Cent and P. Diddy are the biggest names in black music to agree to donate performances, and Youssou N’Dour seems to be the only well-known African artist to date. Madonna, Elton John, and Pink Floyd also included in the mostly white mostly rock concert. Performers are unpaid, and no money will be raised for Africa, however in Britain "...extensive publicity spurred more than 2 million text messages (at roughly $3.00 per try) for the chance to win tickets to the July 2 concert. The text competition earned more than $5 million, but none of it is slated for Africa. About half of the money will go to the Prince’s Trust, a U.K. charity that helps young people, and the rest will cover the cost of staging the concerts."

Yahoo byline Jon Hurdle writes: "Academics and civil rights leaders hope Live 8 concerts to press for action on poverty in Africa will reawaken interest among black Americans in the continent their ancestors came from as slaves. But in the city of Philadelphia...and New York, many Americans believe the cultural gap between them and Africa is too wide to bridge. Others say that the Live 8 objectives of doubling aid to Africa, forgiving debt and promoting fair trade were unlikely to strike a chord with black Americans who are struggling with problems of their own, from illegal drugs to gun crime and AIDS. We need to take care of home first," said Joyce Singleton, a nurse's assistant in North Philadelphia. "Africans need to take care of themselves before they start asking for handouts."

Let's look at this a minute Yahoo. In 4 sentences readers are told Blacks have no interest in ancestry, given images of Black American issues of drugs, guns, crime, and disease, and look how cold-blooded Joyce is, telling Africans to take of themselves before asking for handouts. Lemme see, drugs guns crime disease handouts cold-blooded, I guess that sums up why Black America is unlikely to get excited about Live 8.

I don't suppose it could have anything to do with the fact that the event is put on by a backpatting aging White rocker and friends (poverty and famine fighters) for the second time in 20 years and yet we see worse plundering of the mother country's riches, no less poverty, war, or starvation. When Africa's diamonds, petroleum, gold, and other resources are drained completely, the world bankers will be "forgiving debt" for the simple fact, as my dad used to say, you can't get blood from a turnip. If you want to see the best live concert, pick up Live In Africa (1974), BB and Lucille's DVD.