U.S. LIVE 8 Attendees Show Support for Africa

U.S. LIVE 8 Attendees Show Support for Africa, Philadelphia crowd enjoys music, talks activism

By Mercedes L. Suarez, Washington File Staff Writer

Philadelphia -- A free concert featuring some of the world’s most popular musical acts drew an enormous crowd to the Philadelphia Museum of Art on July 2, but for many in the crowd the attraction went beyond the music.

Several attendees told the Washington File that the chance to gain the attention of world leaders in support of Africa brought them to the LIVE 8 concert in Philadelphia. One of nine concerts held worldwide to promote aid for Africa, the Philadelphia venue was one of the largest, with organizers estimating the crowd reached 1 million people.

The diversity of the crowd in Philadelphia reflected the broad reach of LIVE 8's message. People from the inner city joined those from the suburbs. A middle-aged American woman who described herself as a Christian activist stood near a young man wearing traditional Muslim garb who said he was from Algeria. "I feel it's great that people are getting together for a cause like this," said Philadelphia native Brian, who had come to the concert with two of his college buddies.

Many spectators talked specifically about the need for debt relief, medicine, food and development in Africa. "We feel really excited about the cause," said Jesse, a stylish-looking young man who had come from the Philadelphia suburbs. "I'm glad that we're doing something like this that is getting people's attention. It's not something that is in the public discourse usually, it's not something that we talk about or think about, but it is obviously always an issue."

At Philadelphia’s 30th Street Station, attendees from surrounding states poured out of trains on their way to the concert. With the streets blocked off all around the Philadelphia Museum of Art, the site of the concert, attendees walked long distances to reach the venue, passing young entrepreneurs hawking water, T-shirts and hot dogs.

Two women arriving from Washington felt strongly about the cause and remembered the Live Aid concerts of 20 years ago. “I really believe in what they’re doing,” said Martha, adding that she had traveled to South Africa and seen the effects of poverty and disease firsthand. Noting she was “a supporter of the One campaign” and proudly sporting one of their white rubber wristbands, Martha said she had forwarded the campaign’s e-mails to everyone she knew.

Technology played a large role in getting the message out about the concert and the relevant campaigns. Supporters of the campaign were asked to send text messages spelling the word “unite.” The number of text messages was over 26.4 million, a figure that would go into the Guinness Book of World Records, according to LIVE 8. The number of live streaming-video transmissions of the concerts around the globe also set a world record, organizers and AOL officials said.

Many participants in Philadelphia said they felt connected to the world as LIVE 8 events overlapped in London, Paris, Berlin, Rome, Moscow, Toronto, Tokyo and Johannesburg.

U.S. PERFORMERS SPEAK OUT FOR AFRICA

In Philadelphia, as at the other concert venues throughout the world, U.S. performers lent their talents to the LIVE 8 cause, citing personal experiences and involvements with charitable organizations as they urged greater outreach to Africa.

“Our generation is interested in getting more involved,” said actress Natalie Portman. “I hope the leaders are watching because this is showing that this [debt relief for Africa] is what people want,” she said. Portman later told the crowd about her work with FINCA International, a charitable organization that provides financial services to the world’s poorest families, including those in African communities, by providing “small loans to people who are underprivileged … and don’t have access to capital.”

“I think it is important to represent America,” said singer Alicia Keys. She stressed that the United States is only one part of a global community and urged Americans to broaden their worldview. “It’s about all of us coming together,” she said. Keys talked about her work with Keep a Child Alive, an organization dedicated to providing medication to children and families with HIV/AIDS in Africa and other impoverished countries.

Actor Don Cheadle talked about his work as a youth ambassador, which began with the success of his film Hotel Rwanda, while singer Sarah McLachlan talked about Heifer International, which promotes sustainable development by providing livestock to poor families around the world.

Even though many of the performers urged Americans -- among the world’s most generous when it comes to charitable giving – to greater philanthropy, political activism was in the spotlight on July 2. “Call your congressman, call your senators,” actress Jennifer Connelly said.

Organizer Bob Geldof stressed that LIVE 8 “is not Live Aid 2.” The original Live Aid concerts sought to raise money for Africa, but LIVE 8 focused on lobbying global leaders to use their power to aid Africa.

Although activism was clearly the day’s watchword, it was unclear what form that activism would take or how it would continue after the concerts. None of the campaigns sponsoring the LIVE 8 events put forward specific plans or steps for people to take to maintain the momentum of the July 2 concerts. No one who spoke with the Washington File had specific ideas of what to do next to accomplish the goals of the event, but many said that simply raising awareness of the need for more assistance for Africa would put pressure on the leaders of Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom, the United States and Russia (the Group of Eight nations or G8).

Others, however, expressed skepticism that LIVE 8 would have an effect, either on the upcoming G8 Summit in Gleneagles, Scotland, or on the future of Africa. A cab driver from Sierra Leone said “the sentiment is nice,” but he doubted it would lead to changes for people in Africa.

Whether LIVE 8 will have an impact remains to be seen as the world’s attention turns to the G8 summit, July 6-8 in Gleneagles, Scotland.

For information on the United States’ effort to help the continent, see U.S. Aid to Africa.

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