Posted on 03/10/2007 1:31:45 PM PST by wagglebee
When Sir Bob Geldof, the rock star-turned-Africa campaigner, visited the impoverished town of Ajumako-Bisease in Ghana, he was hailed as a saviour.
In an elaborate and memorable ceremony full of ritual and colour, the people crowned him as their chief of development, a ceremony captured on film for his Geldof in Africa TV series.
Their firm understanding was he would help the town, and they claim he said he would. But, three years on Ajumako-Bisease remains disappointed, according to a documentary. Nothing has changed. And, despite accepting his position as chief, they have not heard from Geldof since.
Ajumako-Bisease's 27,000 inhabitants believed Geldof would help them fund a new covered marketplace. They cleared a plantation to make space for it. But no funds have materialised and weeds have slowly reclaimed the land.
They hoped he would help with funding for machinery to expand their coca nut industry, but those hopes too have faded with time. They had plans for a new hospital, a clinic, even. But those have been quietly shelved. Not one penny has found its way to them.
The claims are made in the film A Letter to Geldof, a documentary by Worldwrite, a youth education charity that retraced Geldof's steps. In it, the Chief of Ajumako-Bisease, Nana Okofo Kwakora Gyan III says what he wants now is for a face-to-face meeting with Geldof to ask him: "Why?" But, despite his best endeavours, he cannot reach him.
A spokesman for Geldof said the matter was an embarrassing misunderstanding, but Geldof's memory of the events was at odds with those of the people of Bisease. "They did film there, he went to Bisease to film a story on trade. Without forewarning when he arrived there was this massive ceremony which he didn't expect. They made him an honorary chief. Of course he was going to accept that hospitality, it would have been rude not to," the spokesman said.
"The only thing he did promise was that he would return at some point for an autumn festival, which he hasn't done yet, but he will. The notion that he could in any way develop Bisease is ridiculous. He wouldn't promise something that he could not do, could not deliver.
"I think a misunderstanding is a reasonable way to put it. He certainly does not wish to criticise them, and it does not in any way diminish his appreciation of the hospitality he was shown and for the people who live there.
"The film appears to show a rather different version of events to the one he remembered, and so he did not want to be on the film."
The documentary is to be shown on March 26 at the Richmix cinema in Shoreditch, London.
I don't know....UNICEF is the UN, after all, and they're STILL collecting in the name of Harrison and the concert:
http://www.unicefusa.org/site/c.duLRI8O0H/b.934081/k.20A2/The_George_Harrison_Fund_for_UNICEF__US_Fund_for_UNICEF.htm
Here ya go....Harrison paid $1 million to the IRS out of his own pocket:
Album, video and ticket sales yielded over USD 9 million. Unfortunately legal and tax problems stopped the money reaching the needy till 1981. He paid the final tax bill of over USD 1 million from his own pocket. The concert was also risky as many western nations, especially the US, supported Pakistan against Bangladesh.
However, the concert itself did much for the independence of Bangladesh. It greatly increased public awareness of the war and the growing famine. It generated a tremendous amount of goodwill and active support for the cause of Bangladesh.
http://www.alochona.org/magazine/2002/january/special1.htm
So what, if it is not biblical? I am not a biblical character, either. Neither is geldof.
They need a major reality check from clearing out the corruption, getting some sort of sensible attitudes about sex and the spreading of aids ect. ect. ect.
As far as anything Geldof promises it is his responsibility to try and produce results but at the end of the day he was just blowing smoke and I realized that as far back as the 80's.
I'd say the same thing about Geldof/The BTown Rats(a group I don't particularly like) as I would about Bono/U2(a group I do).
Pie in the sky sympathy is great for selling your coolness but the only way to help people is to speak the truth and deal with reality.
After the UN's fraudulent "Oil for Food" program, we have to wonder if the UN actually delivered even $10,000 of the $15 million to Bangladesh.
Good point.
of course....I was only contrasting Harrison et al with geldof.
Religions: Bangladesh
Muslim 83%, Hindu 16%, other 1% (1998)
By now - with the current worldwide Jihad -- I suspect the Hindu and "other" are diminished.
Personally -- I'm plumb out of compassion for Muslims in ANY country -- especially when I see how the Wealthy Muslims are living and behaving..
If those murderous lunatic bastards would spread the wealth, and show some "brotherly love" for their fellow Muslims, perhaps they wouldn't have to amuse themselves by killing "infidels"...
Semper Fi
Honestly, I'm a little careful when questioning someone like Harrison or Geldof's motivation when it comes to celeb fund raisers of this nature.
I just take it for granted that they honestly want to help. I also take it for granted that it is the typical liberal mindset to just throw money at the problem and it will go away. Even assuming the money gets there - which is a monstrous assumption - it is just a band aid until the root causes of the problem are fixed.
I've argued many times with liberals that claim conservatives don't care. Conservatives care - they just want to make sure that actually help is being given instead of dependency fostered. See the whole welfare situation for closer inspection.
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