ash said:
I read that some African leaders were a bit insulted the fact that they didn't include a single native African artist. Which I think is reasonable- I mean if you are supposedly trying to bring awareness of the problems of one culture to another, you may as well expose them to that culture and bring them in on the discussion.
Hmmm..........
Mary Fitzgerald Square, Newtown, Johannesburg
Africa Standing Tall Against Poverty
Concert Times
1200-1730 local time
(1045-1730 GMT)
With Johannesburg's stunning backdrop the concert will launch "Standing Tall Against Poverty" a series of pan-African concerts - with further shows in Kenya and Ghana in August and September respectively.
Artists performing include:
4Peace Ensemble
Jabu Khanyile and Bayete
Lindiwe
Lucky Dube
Mahotella Queens
Malaika
Orchestre Baobab
Oumou Sengare
Vusi Mahlasela
Zola
I saw clips of several of these performances on TV.
If the intent of the event was to gather people together and raise awareness, you need to market according to your target audience. Westerners are used to having their entertainment spoon fed to them. Look at what is played on most radio stations and on MTV.........with a few notable exceptions, it is all "art" geared to appeal to the lowest common denomonator. Unfortunately, "ethnic" artists don't really fit that mold, so , if you are trying to attract millions of people to a concert in Philadelphia, you book a lot of R & B artists and some Top 40 acts. If you want to attract people in England........a former Beatle, U2, and (perhaps one of the greatest classic rock and roll reunions of all time) Pink Floyd.
There's no doubt that today's concerts brought it's message to the public just days before the G8 summit, but it's unlikely it will have any real affect. Americans, in particular, have a short attention span, and will forget about all of this in a couple of weeks.
The whole thing reminds me of the massive Earth Day concerts they held years ago in Central Park. Everyone went and had a good time, just to return home and to continue allowing the water run while brushing their teeth, forget to turn the lights off when not home, throwing recyclables in the garbage, and buying gas guzzling automobiles..........not to mention the hundreds of tons of trash collected from the concert site.
It really is a shame. Most of us are lucky enough to live where we do...... where even our poor have a level of care and comfort that eclipses everyday living conditions in some countries, so any tax burden associated with debt forgiveness and increased aid would really be a pittance in the grand scheme of things. It seems silly to me to complain about having a couple extra bucks withheld from my paycheck when many people elsewhere live on less than a dollar a day.
End of rant.
