Live 8 is a well intentioned, global event slated for early July. The international concert series will coincide with this year’s G-8 summit meeting. Sir Bob Geldof, the event organizer and creator of the successful 1985 Live Aid Concert, is concerned with raising consciousness and not raising money. Already there has been debt forgiveness for some of Africa’s poorest countries.
Yet, there has been criticism of Live 8 for not including a significant representation of African artists. The musical lineup is accused of center stage, dominant culture gazing while denying exposure for African artists. If Sir Geldoff is true to his word that Live 8 is not about the money but raising awareness of Africa then why aren’t we seeing more African Artists share the stage with the Empire?
I visited the Live 8 website, live8live.com. The Live 8 website starts with a guitar as Live 8 emblem with a number 8 encircling the neck of the guitar. The body of the guitar is the continent of Africa. Clever?
Looking further at the LIVE 8 website I found the heading, “What’s it all about.” It reads:
“If your country is not listed above, please visit www.whiteband.org for a list of current partner campaigns.
I am not joking. The website reads www.whiteband.org. So I link to the site. It reads:
“Wear a white band. Wear a simple white band and show the world that you want action, not just words.”
There is more: “July 1- International white band day. Remember to wear your white band on July 1, The first Global White Day.”
White Band dot org? From this subtext Live 8 sounds like DeBeers Diamonds giving an engagement ring to South Africa with a card that reads: A diamond is forever. And Rock n’ Roll is here to stay.
Rock n’ Roll owes its roots to African music. The selected Live 8 bands should be on their hands and knees in gratitude for their accumulated personal wealth which was culturally exported from Africa. Yet, Africa does not benefit financially from the intellectual property loss of their cultural legacy. I suggest that ASCAP and BMI provide real retributions. All recorded Rock n’ Roll publishing would give a percentage to Africa as a royalty.
Lets turn this “consiousness raising” around. Instead of an international event being an opportunity to see “poor, in need” Africa, the event could be a global THANK YOU. Thankyou, Africa for your contributions to world culture. The musicians would play in homage to African musical traditions using musical diplomacy side by side/onstage with African musicians.
But our debt to African culture should not stop with music. African Art, while rarely given exhibition space in Contemporary or Modern Museums, are traditionally exhibited in Anthropology settings such as Natural History Museums. Picasso, Braque, European descent Art Masters (interesting word) appropriated the tradition of African imagery into Modern Art. The birth of Modern art and its departure from realism owes much to this continent. We need to rethink, relook at Africa as a powerful continent that contributes rather than a needy, dependent continent.
We are the ones who have a cultural, unpaid debt to Africa. Perhaps our debt can be forgiven, cancelled as well by G8. But then again, as Sir Geldof reminds us, this isn’t about the money. It’s about consciousness raising. And the buck stops here.