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Live 8 Concert the Wrong Approach to Africa's Problems Barrett KalellisWhatever you may think of the performances, the statements expressed by the various artists and announcers in last weekend's Live 8 concert – 10 different concerts broadcast worldwide by some of the world's most well-known musical celebrities – amounted to a curious amalgam of feel-good sentiments leavened with a tincture of noblisse oblige. The aim of the multimedia extravaganza was to raise awareness and also put pressure on world political leaders, meeting July 6 at the G-8 conference in Scotland, to relieve African poverty. Millions of persons were urged to sign an online petition demanding cancellation of Third World debt and double aid to these countries. Story Continues Below During the concert, event impresario Bob Geldof hectored his audience with sarcasm, "Eight people in a five-star hotel on a golf course are going to have to listen to us." Madonna, in between lewdly thrusting her pelvis at the audience and sprinkling the F-word around here and there, called for a "revolution to change the world." Sting ominously warned the G-8 leaders with newly found lyrics: "Every vow you break, every step you take, every single day, every word you say, every game you play ... we'll be watching you." In spite of the incongruous posturing of multimillionaire rock and pop stars and lesser performers who simply savored the global platform for the publicity, a private charity such as this can raise millions of dollars for a worthy cause. Twenty years ago, Geldof organized the similar Live Aid concerts and reportedly raised $2 billion for African famine relief. What is missing from this charity, however, is a clear understanding of the causes of the problem. Simply throwing more money at Africa – particularly at the government level – has never solved anything. What happened to the $2 billion from the Live Aid concerts? What happened to the other $25 billion given by other private and public largesse over the past decade? Why has total African GDP dropped 35 percent since the last Live Aid concert? Africa continues to be mired in poverty, as well as economic debt and squalid social conditions and unrest. Dominated by state terrorism and wanton carnage, countless thousands of its people have been uprooted by wars and genocide and have been made refugees in their own countries. Economic stability and growth cannot take root where brutality, oppression and political tyranny rule. Out of 54 African countries, fewer than 15 are democratic. Africa represents 70 percent of the world's AIDS cases, and over 12 million people have already died from it. In a country that has a tremendous wealth of mineral resources, including gold, diamonds and precious metals, corrupt African political leaders have garnered it for themselves and their supporters, and consigned ordinary Africans to poverty, misery and even starvation by sloganeering, brutal repression and arrant plunder. In a new book, "Africa Unchained: A Blueprint for Africa's Future," economist George B.N. Aittey argues that there are really two Africas. The first is the traditional, indigenous Africa, the country of the peasant majority who produce the nation's agricultural and mineral wealth, and who struggle to survive among their splintered tribes and societies. Modern Africa is the second, Aittey says. This is where "functionally-illiterate elites and parasitic minority groups have created a bizarre politico-economic monstrosity that admits of no rule of law, no accountability, no democracy of any form, and even no sanity." In their respective countries, power-hungry ruling gangster elites have debauched all the institutions of government – the military, the civil service, police and the judiciary – through intimidation, graft and murder. Aittey documents how these crooks and scoundrels have used the instruments of the state to enrich themselves and impoverish everyone else. Nigerian scholar Ikenna Anokwute adds: "Imagine John Gotti or Al Capone as President of the United States. Well, welcome to the reign of thieves and vagabonds, welcome to our Nigeria today, a gangster's paradise." Among the political and economic reforms needed to get Africa on track, Aittey says that the current corruption can only be eliminated by the creation of a continent-wide, independent judiciary, military, press and political infrastructure, where free markets can flourish. Simply pouring money into the current rat hole, like the money from Live 8, won't solve these systemic problems, let alone eliminate sub-Saharan poverty. All it will do is funnel money into corrupt pockets. After which the rich rock stars can shrug their shoulders, walk away and say, "We've done what we could, but it didn't work." Barrett Kalellis is a Michigan-based columnist and writer whose articles appear regularly in various local and national print and online publications. He may be reached at kalellis@newsmax.com.
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