Live 8 - Page 4

jpest1 · 05-07-2005, 21:03

About 20yrs ago when President Mugabe was ordering thousands of bottles of Johnnie Walker (Black Label) Scotch whisky. How was that helping 'his' country?

Dont get me wrong I agree with Live8 and the awareness that it has brought to a lot of people. Yes I joined and yes I voted online and yes my comments have been sent to our prime minister.

But what will really make a difference?

Bazf · 05-07-2005, 21:18

Quote:

Originally Posted by garinda

Where will l find they did?

Read Wilfred Theisger's book about his travels in sub-Saharan Afica in the 20's. Starvation, drought and famine was still present then as it is today. Of course there was no corruption then as it was part of British and other nation's Empires.

Also Ghandi writing about South African poverty in the early part of the twentieth century makes interesting reading.

Wilfred Thesiger is a great man and I meet him in the middle east in the late 90s he was in his eighties then and still full of life and looking for the next adventure he signed a copy of his book Arabian Sands for me and if you go in to the smaller towns or wadis in the UAE or Oman you can still see what he saw in the 50s. This is a bit of a thread wonder but a quote in one of his books

"The Duce will have Ethiopia with or without Ethiopians," declared General Rodolfo Graziani, the bloodthirsty Italian governor general. Haile Selassie's plea for help to the League of Nations had been met with a stony response, particularly from the British government, which made a jubilant Mussolini laugh and gave Hitler the encouragement he needed to march across Europe without hindrance. "Such cynicism," says Thesiger, "beggars belief." Today he supports no political party. "Even those who talk of spreading peace to Africa", he says, "are busy selling corrupt governments arms behind the scenes; this spells death and starvation for the people of innocent tribes."
Sounds like today doesn't it.

garinda · 05-07-2005, 22:16

Not being pedantic, but naming a country and it's former name doesn't answer my question.

Is there anymore tangible evidence you can share that Africans were still not prone to famine or drought under Imperialism?

From what I've read and seen for myself they aren't. The author l quoted is at least one mans account to back up my argument. I have others.

lindsay ormerod · 08-07-2005, 20:23

Sales of the back catalogue cds of Pink Floyd,Keane,Killers and the Who have rocketed since Live8 and those groups have pledged the earnings to the Live Aid charity.I think it's raised awareness and money;it was a very entertaining evening's viewing and l really don't understand what the whingeing is about;if you don't like the idea or don't approve of it....DON'T WATCH IT! There's always Big Brother

. PS I loved Pink Floyd;they totally stole the show! Makes the Spice Girls look a bit pants though;23 years of not talking to each other and Gilmore & Waters got it back together for Live8.....Mel B,are you listening? You look a total wally now!!