All Rock, No Action [Scathing NYT OP-ED piece on Live 8]

NY Times Op-Ed ^ | July 15, 2005 | JEAN-CLAUDE SHANDA TONME

[Pharmboy]

Yaoundé, Cameroon

LIVE 8, that extraordinary media event that some people of good intentions in the West just orchestrated, would have left us Africans indifferent if we hadn't realized that it was an insult both to us and to common sense.

We have nothing against those who this month, in a stadium, a street, a park, in Berlin, London, Moscow, Philadelphia, gathered crowds and played guitar and talked about global poverty and aid for Africa. But we are troubled to think that they are so misguided about what Africa's real problem is, and dismayed by their willingness to propose solutions on our behalf.

We Africans know what the problem is, and no one else should speak in our name. Africa has men of letters and science, great thinkers and stifled geniuses who at the risk of torture rise up to declare the truth and demand liberty...(snip)

Jean-Claude Shanda Tonme is a consultant on international law and a columnist for Le Messager, a Cameroonian daily, where a version of this article first appeared. This article was translated by The Times from the French.

[Pharmboy]

In Africa, our leaders have led us into misery, and we need to rid ourselves of these cancers. We would have preferred for the musicians in Philadelphia and London to have marched and sung for political revolution. Instead, they mourned a corpse while forgetting to denounce the murderer.

You go, Jean-Claude!

[mewzilla]

Instead, they mourned a corpse while forgetting to denounce the murderer.

Gee, sounds like a page right outta the UN Handbook...

[DefiantZERO]

Wow! The Times actually printed this??

[Pharmboy]

Yeah...a bit of a surprise, although they have been making noise similar to this about Live 8, although not quite in this direct a manner.

[Awestruck]

A well written piece.. too bad the people in charge of Live 8 will never see it and don't care to know the truth.

[JakeWyld]

They must have decided to run it BEFORE it was translated.

Tomorrow: CORRECTION: The NYT inadverntantly ran a piece that talked bad about socialist, muderous dictators in Africa and subsequently looked down on a group of well-mean liberal rock stars who really are philanthropists once you get to know them.. We sincerely apolgize. Expect regular coverage on the evil that is Karl Rove to continue at once.

[DefiantZERO]

Followed by a 4-page feature endorsing Bono for 2008..

[the invisib1e hand]

the 60's are over. and the "we are the world generation" has gotten older and deeper in debt. the idea that "music can change the world" -- as if by mantra -- has been proven a falsehood again, and will now lay to rest for another 30 years.

civilization cannot be forced upon people who refuse to believe they are not savages.

[Bullish]

Bono can kiss my Bono.

[JakeWyld]

I'd rather take a bullet to the head. I don't mind some of U2's songs but Bono is occupied with singing then...a full tme political forum for him? No, thanks!

but...you're probably right as far as the NYT is concerned.

[RobFromGa]

But the truth is that it was not for us, for Africa, that the musicians at Live 8 were singing; it was to amuse the crowds and to clear their own consciences, and whether they realized it or not, to reinforce dictatorships. They still believe us to be like children that they must save, as if we don't realize ourselves what the source of our problems is

Just like any do-gooder, they are basically showing their lack of respect for the person they claim to be helping. I am glad that this man made the effort to call them on it.

[Recon Dad]

Jean-Claude your such a fool where do you get off thinking you are smarter than Madonna, Bono and Geldorf. These are people that spent their lives.........
Don't you understand the liberal Jean-Claude, don't you understand that they feel your pain, at least for the month of July.
Have no fear Jean-Claude we have a large contingent of these liberal Hollywood types that tried to tell us how to vote last election with little or no effect.
So keep your chin up they have no attention span.

[SkyPilot]

Just like any do-gooder, they are basically showing their lack of respect for the person they claim to be helping. I am glad that this man made the effort to call them on it.

Very true.

I was listening to a gospel story being read in church, and after Jesus met a woman who suffered from 12 years of severe menstrual bleeding. Jesus immediately gave her assurance, love, and the credit for the healing He was about to give, saying:

"Take heart, daughter," he said, "your faith has healed you."

Matthew 9:22

What a profound difference between that attitude and those of Liberals. The LIVE 8 crowd only wanted to worship themselves--and to treat those in need someone who should give them adulation for dancing, drinking, and "caring."

[Drew68]

Neither debt relief nor huge amounts of food aid nor an invasion of experts will change anything. Those will merely prop up the continent's dictators.

This is so obvious. Why is this simple fact completely lost on Geldof, Bono, etc.?

At any rate, it was cool to see Floyd back together.

[Pharmboy]

Excellent!

[sharktrager]

Live 8 was actually precisely what I wanted it to be. It was a good show. It also actually accomplished what I wanted it to accomplish...nothing.

I want Africa to improve, but I also know throwing money, and even food and medicine, at the problem won't solve it. The leaders use those either for their own gain or to punish those that oppose them.

Scared Bunny Blog
Not for the timid

[ByDesign]

Neither debt relief nor huge amounts of food aid nor an invasion of experts will change anything. Those will merely prop up the continent's dictators.
This is so obvious. Why is this simple fact completely lost on Geldof, Bono, etc.?

Because it was'nt about Africa. It was about record sales. Almost everyone that performed saw a spike in sales, AOL made a mint off the rights from MTV and XM Radio and from future DVD and cd sales, and made them all look good from a PR point of view.

It was about EGO, too. Now Madonna and Bono can go back to charging $300 a concert ticket, and fleecing kids for money from album sales and merchandise, and they'll feel much better, as they've done their part for this year, they gave at the office. Why pop stars feel guilty about their wealth is a mystery...unless they know, deep down inside, what a sham it all really is, and that they get paids millions when they're just a fraud.

It was also about getting people to protest the G8 summit. Boy, that worked real well, did'nt it?

It's also about Geldof. He's something of a has-been, he basically makes a living from events and causes like this, and this was simply a way for him to redirect a lot of the donations to his causes (and then his paycheck). He's been slipping in the public's eye, there's a hwole new generation of kid's that don't worship and revere his pasty white butt, and this put him right back in the limelight.

The more you think about it, the more ghoulish the whole thing appears - rich, western rock stars using the plight of an ENTIRE continent to sell cds and make them feel better about their own wealth.

Yes, I'm bitter. The music industry is 98% hype, and 2% work. This is the music industry at it's worst, it's all cynical and calculated and greedy. The labels jump onboard because it's free advertising. The artists jump on board, because they get their mugs plastered around the world. The activists jump on because it's support fro a worthless cause - that provides them a living and keeps them from having to get a real job. The Africans don't need our help? Pffft - too bad, we'll just FORCE them. Don't they know, WE know better?

At any rate, it was cool to see Floyd back together.

That was the ONLY part I watched, and it was...it's beyond words. They had spilt up before I'd had a chance to see them, I never thought I'd see them all play again, ever. Sad that Gilmore is nixxing a tour and album completely - but if they could get the reunion, maybe he'll come around to one last album and tour.