LIVE 8 Performers in Philadelphia Speak Out for Africa

LIVE 8 Performers in Philadelphia Speak Out for Africa
Record crowd turns out at U.S. venue for worldwide aid awareness event

By Mercedes L. Suarez Washington File Staff Writer

Philadelphia -- The United States concert of the LIVE 8 worldwide music event kicked off at noon local time on July 2 with the hip-hop group Black Eyed Peas performing before a crowd massed around the Philadelphia Museum of Art that organizers said numbered around one million.

Destiny's Child, Kanye West, Jay-Z, Alicia Keyes, Sarah McLachlan and the Dave Matthews Band were only some of the artists participating in Philadelphia. Several more acts were added to the lineup as word about the concerts spread over the last few days.

Behind the stage on the museum grounds, a veritable parade of stars was on view as performers came to take part in the six hour concert. Presenters included movie stars Will Smith, Richard Gere, Jimmy Smits, Natalie Portman and Don Cheadle.

LIVE 8's mission is to raise awareness of the challenges facing Africa and to encourage leaders of the Group of 8 nations (or G8, consisting of Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Russia, the United Kingdom and the United States), holding their annual summit July 6-8 in Gleneagles, Scotland, to take action on those issues.

Many of the artists said they were personally motivated by the concerts' cause. In an interview before her performance, Beyonce Knowles of Destiny's Child spoke of her recent trip to South Africa and her encounters with people living with AIDS. "Any person, any human being, that can see the poverty, and see how many people are infected there, you have no choice, "she said, adding, "You want to do something."

The message of the concerts focused on unity and social action. "I'm not into politics, I'm into people, and I know that these people are dying," said rapper Kanye West, talking backstage about his commitment to social issues. "If there's anything I can do to promote the rejuvenation of Africa ... it's worth it," he said.

On a recent hit song, West talks about diamonds from West Africa and Sierra Leone. "My plan is to bring awareness" about the diamond trade, he explained.

"Everybody wins today," said members of the vintage rock band Def Leppard.

Performers and presenters both urged the audience to continue the campaign for Africa beyond the one-day event. "We feel that the follow-up is what's important. This must not end here," said activist and former U.S. presidential candidate Reverend Al Sharpton. "This must develop into a movement now that will make sure that those that are in power, particularly the leaders of the G8, understand that poverty must become history."

It is important that "we from all political persuasions, all religious persuasions, are one on this issue," added Sharpton, in an apparent reference to the organizer of the Philadelphia event, the One Campaign.

LIVE 8 is the brainchild of Irish rocker/activist and Nobel Peace Prize winner Bob Geldof, as were the Live Aid concerts in London and Philadelphia twenty years ago that raised money for African famine relief. This time the focus is on activism: "it is your voice we are after, not your money," says the LIVE
8 promotional material and Web site.

The show in Philadelphia coincided with concerts in all G8 nations, as well as South Africa. Over one billion people were expected to tune into live coverage on television, radio and the Internet. Two hours into the Philadelphia concert, organizers announced that LIVE 8 had already set a world record for the number of online video streams.

Between acts in Philadelphia, the huge crowd watched broadcasts from the London, Paris, Berlin, Rome, Tokyo, Toronto and Johannesburg concerts on giant television screens stationed around the museum.

"Are you ready to change history?" Madonna asked the crowd in London, where she performed along with Paul McCartney, Coldplay, Annie Lennox, Joss Stone and Elton John, among others. Also taking the state in London was the Irish rock band U2, whose lead singer, Bono, has campaigned extensively for African relief by meeting with President Bush and other U.S. and international officials.

At the White House on July 1, Press Secretary Scott McClellan said of the LIVE 8 events, "I think any effort that draws attention to helping the people of Africa can only be helpful. We appreciated some of the comments from people like Bono who's been very involved. ... [I]t was very complimentary of the initiatives that we're undertaking in Africa and the president's efforts."

Aid to Africa is expected to top the agenda at the G8 summit. The United States is the largest donor of official development assistance to Africa, and President Bush reaffirmed the U.S. commitment to Africa and U.S. support for political and economic reform on the continent in a June 30 speech in Washington. Saying that the United States has tripled overseas development aid to Africa during his presidency, Bush proposed "to double aid to Africa once again" between 2004 and 2010, "with a primary focus on helping reforming countries."

Performers in Philadelphia said not only personal generosity but also activism was showcased around the world on July 2. Rap mogul Russell Simmons echoed the campaign's message, saying, "a lot of people see this situation as hopeless but the truth is they can make a tremendous difference ... and then their voices will be heard by the world leaders."

When asked whether he thought world leaders were paying attention, band leader Dave Matthews responded, "I think they are aware, and judging from President Bush's speech he's moving in the right direction," he said, referring to Bush's recent commitment to increase aid to Africa with money for malaria and through programs like the Millennium Challenge Account (MCA).

Matthews added that he thought LIVE 8 might be "... really just the beginning of a movement where citizens of the world say ‘we can't live with such imbalance.'"

Source: usinfo.state.gov Created: 02 Jul 2005 Updated: 02 Jul 2005

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